More I had written

The year I bought my BT, Terry Sobo (BT Sales Manger at the time) came to Michigan, picked up my boat and towed it from Michigan to Miami just to show it off at the KW Poker Run. He transported my boat, paid my entry, and paid most my gas in the boat for the week. He put me front and center at the Galleon (Was primary spot back then) and we did our best to help him showcase the boat. After the event we drove the boat back to Miami and loaded it on the trailer and Terry towed it back to Michigan. I met him a couple of days later at my storage building and we put the boat to bed and he headed home.
At the time this was the vacation of a lifetime. To fly in, have your boat delivered to you, run an event, and then have it shipped back home. Made me feel like a big dog for a week or two. Truth is I could have never afford the trip if it weren’t for Terry and BT sponsoring my vacation that year (1998) Now that is marketing!!!

I think I told this story before but I will tell it again

I remember being in the KW poker run, we had run in our Cigarette Top Gun in the event that year. (I think 2005 or 2006) All the BT's had run there own little deal together. They purposly were not in Stu Jones Poker Run (sort of alienated themselves) The BT run was orchestrated by BT so it took most all the most recent BT's out of Stu's event, and put them into its own little group, then had them all park together away from the rest of the poker run boats.

I am walking the docks the morning after the run got into KW (Friday morning I think) and I walked down the pier with all the BT's tied together. This was at about 8 AM. I see Bob Jenkins pop his head up from one of the boats and say hi. As we are chatting we see Terry Sobo go buy doing a demo on a Nor Tech Cat (At this poingt Terry is Sales Manager for Nor Tech) and Bob looks at me and says “Look at that nut Terry doing test rides at 8 am in the morning” He said this like it was a bad thing. That moment told me a lot about the future of Black Thunder

BT has not had the commitment to sales and marketing since Terry left. I am sure Terry saw the handwriting and moved on to Nor Tech (just my opinion)Tom Riech tried to follow in Terry's footsteps as sales manager but when you are hamstrung at the plant level on what you can do, it becomes a recipe for mediocrity.

I hope the boat can be brought back to life under another banner, but I doubt you will see it as a BT in the future.

but the headroom is just over 6'0" in that ugly sport cruiser vs 5'9" in the 47 .... When I had my 43 NT, I rafted next to my friends red 47..rub rails were lower, height of deck was lower..headroom was not what I would have ever expected....for a 47' boat she was small...and both ran about the same speeds with the 700's...and Ive rafted up against a 46 BT..they were larger...and had more headroom..about 6'8" if I remember correctly..

I have to kinda disagree with you here buddy. NT is still selling the 43 Condo...I used mine like you did here on the gulf at the islands...Im kinda over that now...I prefer the longer, wider CC Catamaran platforms....I know Im way out there...:grinser010:

I also love the Nortech 43. Wish I had one with Diesel Power! They do sell good but like stated before, thats marketing and Terry Sobo also helping. Prob a better boat also, but still not as roomy up top or down below. Been on Wrinkledinkels!!! :lolhit:

I do agree that the BT is best suited as an addition to another boat line, with some updates to it. Not as a stand alone company. I keep saying that I think its a perfect additon to checkmates line. We will see what checkmate brings to the Miami boat show though....40+ new boat. :drink: