Top 5 Recognized Performance Manufacturers
 

I want to see what you guys think are the top 5 recognized boat manufacturers. I mean John Q public, not just high performance boaters. I am going to guess that the top 3 or so will be the same across the country but the 4 and 5 position will depend on were you live maybe due to a local builder or something like that.

My top 5 looks like this, and leaves in my mind no doubt that Don Arronow was a marketing genious.

1) Cig

2) Formula

3) Donzi

4) Fountain

5) Hustler

I think Sea Ray has to be in there somewhere. Cigarette will definitely be on the TOP though. No doubt about it. Cool thread!

Donzi
Cig
Scarab
Formula
Fountain

Cigarette
Fountain
Skater
Outerlimits
Formula

I think you are correct that it will be very geographically oriented.

Mass media wise, I would say :
1) Cig
2)Donzi
3)Fountain
4)Formula
5)Skater

Re: Top 5 Recognized Performance Manufacturers
 

In that case, I'd have to say:

1)Cigarette
2)Fountain
3)Formula
4)Donzi
5)Baja

Do you guys find that the average joe walking down the street knows what a Skater or Baja is? Just currious because if you walked up to anyone around hear and asked them they would think you were talking about a fish or a race.

Jon

Cig
Formula
Donzi
Fountain
Scarab

1. Cigarette
2. Fountain
3. Formula
4. Hustler
5. Baja


These are probably the most popular around my area. I personally like Outer Limits, but you don't see very many around KY.

Re: Top 5 Recognized Performance Manufacturers
 

Jon- If your intent is to question the general public's knowledge of ALL boats, the answers are only going to probably have two performance oriented boats. John Q. Public lumps us all together into Cigarettes. The other would have to be Baja just because there is some many of them, that's what is seen often.

Do you mean all powerboats? The answers are going to be completely different if fishing and yachting are included.
Jim

Audio - We have a chit load of Baja's down here in KY.

That is cool that is why I said it would be geographic for the bottom couple. I figure for reasons that Jafo stated that the top one anyhow would be the same. Everyone calls our type of boats CIGAR boats :D

Jafo I am talking PERFORMANCE BOATS. I think that there is some serious name recognition going on out there. I feel that Cig. with Don A. has done the best job so far.

Jon

Oops, my fault, I did not read carefully! Performance boats...

1. Cigarette
2. Donzi
3. Formula
4. Fountain
5. Baja

Audio - There is absolutely no doubt about the name recognition. MOST average people call our style of boat "Cigarette or Cigar". I'm sure someone will want to argue about it...

Key Words - "Performance" and "Recognized"....not to be confused with popular?
Cigarette and Fountain are definitely at the top, but in my opinion, Fountain is probably "Recognized" easier/more often than Cig...from a distance, most of them look like a Cig, EXCEPT the Fountain since Reggie has the beak w/platform. After that, it would be "Skater", if it falls into the "performance" category.

Your regular Joe or Jose might know :

Cigarette
Baja
Fountain
Donzi
Formula

V Bottoms
 

Cigarette
Fountain
Formula
Donzi
Baja

Baja has to be included because they make more boats than anyone else..and they advertise alot

Recognized on the water.

Fountain
Sonic (Reverse Arch)
Old Scarabs (KV's)
Baja
Cigarette

Names

Fountain
Cigarette
Baja
Formula
Donzi

My .02:D

Ok, all are good but your all missing the obvious one.

SCARAB (Miami Vice, 80's, Don Johnson) cmon!

EVERYBODY has heard of Scarab

For average person

Cigarette
Baja
Fountain
Donzi
Formula
;)

Fountain
Cigarette
Baja
Formula
Donzi

I agree with these being the most recognized names by the general public. I just asked three of my co-workers, one owns a boat (not performance) and the other two don't.

None of the three have ever heard of Hustler, Outerlimits, or Skater.

They all new Cig, Baja, Fountain, Donzi and "I think" Formula.

Dave - Three of the best kept secrets I can think of. ;)

You got that right!!!! :D:D:D:D

Jon

Got that one.

If this is just a "name dropping"
thing i would say:

All boats:

1. Bayliner

2. Sea Ray

3. Four Winns

4. Chris Craft

5. Cobalt


Performance Boats

1. Cigarette

2. Scarab

3. Formula

4. Baja

5. Fountain

I think it varies from region to region. In the North Carolina area I vote the following.

1) Baja
2) Fountain
3) Formula
4) Donzi
5) Velocity

i would have to say donzi...every where we go people know the name...i think they picture the sweeeet 16...that was my dream boat when i was 6!....i never grew up....actually i still want one:D

Jon,

How about a poll on this ???

i haven't met a John Q that knew what a skater was. here in texas, John Q doesn't know what a donzi is. but everyone knows Baja, Scarab, and Cig.

are we including people that DON'T know boats at all???i think if your around a large body of water vs a small in-land lake these #'s would vary....don't think baja was even an option when Don A. was in the news...

donzi, cg ("what kind of boat do you have?"...)....scarab due to miami vice....some people that were watching had never even seen the ocean!

...so the only way of measuring that would be what boats are in the (non boating)media...i think those 3 w/o a question at the big dogs

cg and donzi(more than anyone) are currently in todays movies.

Cool post..........

Cig
Scarab
Formula
Fountain
Donzi

The reason I listed the Cig & scarab at the top is beacause I've heard a lot of people refer to most performance boats a cigarettes, or scarab type boats.

Either way, I think all of the fore-mentioned are high up on most people's lists.

RJ

Actually, those were more of the classics................there are some new ones that are carving their names though !

Good thread Jon!

I've asked a few people this morning (about half and half boaters to non-boaters)
The boaters are non-performance types.

What came up consistently with the boaters was Cigarette, Scarab, Formula and Baja. They didn't know the names 'Skater', 'OuterLimits', and got a 'kinda' on Donzi.
The non-boat owners knew Cigarette, Scarab ("those were on that show Miami Vice right?") and Baja (just because someone in the neighborhood has one). I rattled off a lot of familiar names to us to both groups, and they 'never heard of them'.

Cigarette is a stereotype with John Q., just like all corporate jets are LearJets ...:rolleyes:

APACHE

CIGARETTE

FORMULA

MAGNUM

DONZI

;)

Where I live, up here in Maine, there are not very many performance boats and we have the only Cig on the lake. It surprises me when I am wearing a Cigarette sweatshirt and people ask me what it means and they tell me they have never heard of one!

Just goes to show,. there is still an untapped market up here.

although a lot of the older folks know what a Donzi is:D

Kurt....spewing mindless drivel:D :D :D

1)Cigarette
2)Formula
3)Fountain
4)Donzi
5)Baja

Arena Craft
Norris Craft
Traveler
Lone Star
Duo

In no particular order...........................:p

T2x

Up here, I think it woulld be

Cig
Fountain
Baja
Donzi
Formula

Being a Powerquest owner, I'd have to put Powerquest somewhere in there, would also include Sunsation.

1. Cig
2. Fountain
3. Powerquest
4. Baja
5. Sunsation

Not necessarly in this order!

For the non-performance boaters I've met, I can't even do five:

Cig
Scarab
Fountain (maybe)
Baja (maybe)

(My Fountain is almost always "Is that something like a Cigarette (Cigar) boat?" to those not familiar with the sport.)