News
 

Edited to say, I thought news was public knowledge. Post removed to respect privacy and will allow owner / owners to announce....

Sorry for the confusion...

Dan

Very interesting, that may explain why we saw one running down the lake last weekend. We don't have a lot of Bennington's on Winnisquam, and this looked new and "loaded".

Wow, would never have seen that coming...

Ryan, spill it! What is going on here?

bennington
 

This info is correct
New Bennington dealer is wiinnisquam marine
channel marine sold allot of them
see how this turns out for warranty work

So, is Winnisquam dropping Premier? Are they just adding Bennington? As a Premier owner, I hope I and other owners don't become orphaned. It would be nice to have a Premier dealer on Winni.

premier
 

From what is was told no more premier slow process
some other dealer local will pick them up most likley

Winnisquam Marine
 

What was mentioned is in the works. We will still have a relationship with Premier and plan on performing warranty work and parts for some time. Premier builds a good boat but we liked some of the features and layouts on Bennington. We also liked the enthusiasm that the employees had as we toured the factory and we were very impressed. They are heading in the right direction. We saw an opportunity and took it and we feel our customers will be impressed with what they have to offer. They were our biggest competition for a reason. We plan on servicing current Bennington customers and taking care of any parts or warranties. Just as we changed from Four Winns to Crownline years ago we are always looking for the best value for our customers. This wasn't an easy decision but I feel it was the right decision.

More news to come later but we are working to make this a smooth transition for current and future customers of both brands.

Ryan Crawford
Winnisquam Marine

Thank you for the quick response, it's better than speculation on our part.

Maybe you should work for the NFL:D

That is great news......We love the folks at Winnisquam Marine but just couldn't pull the trigger on a Premier because we liked the design and quality of the Bennington better.....felt kind of guilty gassing up at WM with my new Q with the sport tower.

That was me :cool:.....first ride of the year.

News Bennington.
 

Wow that is amazing news. I agree with you SAMIAM. I like you loved Ryan, his parents and the staff. But after having done much research and sea testing the Bennington in my mind was a superior built boat. Looking forward to a new relationship with Winnisquam Marine.

Thanks Ryan for letting us know. I have been to the factory and agree with your comments.

What happened at Channel?
 

I am surprised they let Bennington go to Winnisquam.

New Bennington Q
 

Congratulations on your new Bennington Q. Awesome boat. You could not have bought it from Winnisquam. Did you have any idea that this change was going to happen?

What happened at Channel
 

I am surprised as well. I had a great relationship at Channel. They treated me extremely well. I was even asked to help them at the Boston boat shows. I don't quit get it. I'm sure I will learn more in the near term.

Bennington
 

What dealer holds a brand is ultimately the decision of the manufacturer. We have number 2 market share in the state of NH, Godfrey is number 1 with 4 brands and multiple dealers. Bennington is number 1 as far as volume nationwide. We feel that with their product and our selling style and energy we can gain market share. We have always known our competition very well and we like the direction Bennington is going as a company. We really like the boats as far as layouts, features, options and quality. We have also talked with other Bennington dealers and been told that their dealer support is great which is what allows us to take care of the customer. All of these combined is what creates value.

We are very excited... Thanks for all the positive comments...

Ryan Crawford
Winnisquam Marine

Very nice looking boat!
See, that's where speculation takes you.

Still settling into our new cabin, not sure what we want for a "big boat" yet. Last year we rented a few times dependent on our needs and that worked out. I'm looking forward to trying more offerings from WM.

Total surprise chasedawg.....thought I was seeing things when I read the forum yesterday.Couldn't be happier to be doing business with Winnisquam again.

Bennington
 

Meanwhile during this transition, Channel has a great deal of Bennington inventory that they have to move. If you know of anyone looking for a quality Bennington I would suggest they give Channel Marine a call. Ask for Jay. Tell them to tell Jay that Chasedawg suggested they call.

We couldn't agree with you more. We love our Premier--bought a new one last year. Let's hope we do not become orphans!

Seriously.....this is quite the news. Not feeling too happy about this as our boat (Premier) was new last year--will be happy if warranty items are covered.

And hopefully,,,
 

Channel continues to maintain Bennington's :rolleye1:

<-- New Benni owner @ Channel

Premier Warranty
 

As I said in a previous post we are keeping a relationship with Premier for some time and will have access to parts and warranty. We are on good terms with the factory. There is a lot that went into this decision but don't worry current Premier owners we are going to help.

The decision to take on Bennington wasn't because we disliked Premier or its product, its just we can offer more to our customers with one brand with Bennington. We would carry both but that's not possible with 2 big brands like Premier and Bennington. They look for exclusively as manufacturers so you can focus on one. There are things I like about both brands...

Ryan Crawford
Winnisquam Marine

Bennington warranty
 

Ok from what I understand from your post Premier owners don't have to be concerned about warranty issues. What agreement have you made with Tom Cooper and Bennington management concerning Bennington warranty issues. Like you mentioned you have been down this road before with Four Winns and Crowline.
As a Bennington owner who do I turn too for warranty support now. And thirty days from now.

Warranty
 

We will be happy to perform any warranty work on any Benningtons that have been bought from any other dealership. We hope to gain the current Bennington customers business and service is top priority. We did the same thing with Crownline as you mentioned and it gained many great customers that many ultimately bought new boats from us.

We want to make the transition as smooth as possible and keep everyone happy with both brands. We know that's a lot to handle but I can promise that we will do our absolute best!!!

There will also be a transitional period that Channel will be able to perform warranty and get parts. We will see how the transition goes but if anyone has problems or questions they can contact me personally.

Ryan Crawford
Winnisquam Marine

Premier Pontoons
 

Will anybody be picking up the Premier line?

Yes. Irwin is picking up Premier . They will be getting them in the showroom in about 2 weeks--confirmed it there yesterday.

Channel circa 2008
 

With Crownline and Bennington, all Winnisquam needs is a NASWA across the bridge and they'll be Channel before the recession.