Rumblings From Black Thunder
12-12-2018 | 04:51 PM
#11
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Posts: 7,309
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From: Merritt Island, FL
A. Cig isn't keeping the doors open by building I/O anything! Just like Nortech/Sunsation, their core business is building OB powered stuff.
B. No one is updating old vee hull designs except OL as it is their sole business right now.
C. Let's say the hey day of I/O sport boats was 2004-2006, even then Black Thunder wasn't killing it. Go back and look at FPC poker run photos from that era and start counting how many BT's are in the shots. Now compare that to any other sportboat company that was producing boats in 2004-06. BT might beat out Profile in popularity.
Remember this thread from 2014:
Market Analysis Game.......500K to spend
500K to spend (free money).........can't remember a single person saying they would buy a black thunder! If they won't spend free money on a BT then what chance to they have spending real money on one?
B. No one is updating old vee hull designs except OL as it is their sole business right now.
C. Let's say the hey day of I/O sport boats was 2004-2006, even then Black Thunder wasn't killing it. Go back and look at FPC poker run photos from that era and start counting how many BT's are in the shots. Now compare that to any other sportboat company that was producing boats in 2004-06. BT might beat out Profile in popularity.
Remember this thread from 2014:
Market Analysis Game.......500K to spend
500K to spend (free money).........can't remember a single person saying they would buy a black thunder! If they won't spend free money on a BT then what chance to they have spending real money on one?
"Our second and third hulls currently in production featuring our new resin-infused, vacuum-bagged lamination process are 43-footers, both of which are going to be powered by outboard engines."
"From there we plan on producing a completely new model for 2020—a 47-foot center console, one with outboards and another with inboards, most likely Mercury 1350s.”
As for how well they sold before,,,,,,,,, so GM used to sell a lot of cars and no one bought Hyundia's.
12-12-2018 | 05:29 PM
#13
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BTW, 98% of the guys on OSO are NOT building new boats and of the 2% that do are building CC's with OBs. LOTO is the hottest I/O market in the nation and PBC still owns the 42X they build as a spec boat last year yet the DW 360s and center consoles are being sold by the dozen at their dealership.
12-13-2018 | 09:40 AM
#17
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From: IL...XLOTO
I wish them luck. Ran into a couple of the younger guys in the Jenkins family at LOTO late summer and they were psych'd about the factory up and running again. Question I have is do they plan to do anything different regarding a dealer network. Historically, and back to the Terry Sobo days at Black Thunder, their sales staff worked out of the factory more so than having an established set of dealers. LOTO was always their main back yard, so you always saw them at boat shows like St Lous, KC, and the LOTO on water stuff. Not sure if they plan to move forward with that same model or not, but my guess would be they could benefit from a strong dealer network. Makes me wonder if they are talking to PBC.
12-13-2018 | 03:21 PM
#18
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From: 20.5 mm LOTO
AT LOTO, BT has signs up for their own dealership at the old "Chicky's"/Auction house buildings on 54 before you get to Lake Ozark. I doubt PBC would be interested.... Not enough "Flash" for Mark. But hey, I'v been wrong before.
12-14-2018 | 07:11 AM
#19
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From: Central IL
Damn, don't know how I missed that last Saturday when I rolled into town. All I saw was there was a steak place where Chicky's used to be and a Mexican place (El Loco's?). Need to pay closer attention. I agree I don't see BT at PBC.
12-14-2018 | 08:45 AM
#20
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Posts: 3,949
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From: IL...XLOTO
