One way or the other

[Airwaves]

Originally posted by BI

While it is true that the accident may have been the catalyst for many people, it was not indicative of the real problem.

The real problems were many but near the top of the list was the steady increase in the average boat size and horsepower, environmental concerns, and the increasing cowboy atmosphere of the lake. Most importantly it was the direction the lake was going in.

You can believe that it's revenge against performance boats if you wish. But the truth is more complicated and more varied.

It was always more about fear than it was about safety. Safety is just one of the items on the list.

While I disagree with Bear Islander 100% on the speed limit issue he has always maintained that his support for speed limits has little to do with safety, the only supporter that I am aware of that honestly makes that statement.

I find it interesting I have read that WinnFabs was created in part by two of the principles in the Littlefield accident that MAY have been linked to the cause of the accident...it is my opinion that the entire Speed Limits push was nothing more than a red herring to shift public opinion away from them and toward a "solution in search of a problem".

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by Airwaves

I find it interesting I have read that WinnFabs was created in part by two of the principles in the Littlefield accident that MAY have been linked to the cause of the accident...it is my opinion that the entire Speed Limits push was nothing more than a red herring to shift public opinion away from them and toward a "solution in search of a problem".

You should also notice that Thurston Marine is one of the chief proponent of the speed limits. They broke away from the NH Marine Trade Assoc. because the assoc. is against the speed limits. Their rentals have cause more problems other than the PWC rentals on the lake than any rentals that I know. I also think Thurston's was also trying to shift public opinion of them.

[VtSteve]

Obviously, the dramatic recession and the weather conspired to limit boating nationwide. Sales plummeted this year again, and limited access to loans, adjusting the required loan to value (LTV) turned away bargain shoppers that probably shouldn't have looked in the first place. Our slips were full as usual, but out on the lake it was noticeably quiet all the way through Labor Day weekend, which was pretty good weather-wise. I don't expect the boat industry to come back quickly, as many dealers are build to order operations now, with the floorplan costs so high.

So many boats, and expensive ones at that, were purchased the last few years through home equity LOC's and refi cash-outs. Obviously, I wouldn't plan on that coming back too soon. There were places I could visit this year that are usually crazy in a normal summer. But in June and July, nobody had much desire to do much of anything. The incredible paydown of credit card debt was a clear indication that people were tightening, and understood that further spending could sink them.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next summer, assuming we have one It won't stay quiet forever, it never does.

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by Turtle Boy

You make very good points with numbers to support them. I hope things improve for your business...People are seeing signs of this and I hope they're right. We're having a little construction done and can see the builders are really hurting. Many people on forum are attributing all the change on the lake to weather and economy, and while they may contribute, I would add the following. August weather was great, and I boated more in August than I can remember. Secondly, gas prices, according to what people have said on this forum, are a major contributor to how much people boat. Now 9.7%/6.9%US/NH unemployment is not good, and many of the other 90.3%/93.1% have also been affected, but there are many on the lake who have been somewhat insulated(and I'm sorry it's not you)....many on pensions, many in the public and medical sectors, etc., etc.,and many who come to Winni are probably better off than the average person. There were many days in August when the traffic near me seemed almost normal; my point is that their behavior was different. The previously described GFBL's screaming 150' past the fisherman at 70 MPH were pretty much gone for example. As much as some on the forum would deny it, it can't all be explained by the economy and weather. The manner in which people are boating has changed for the better, even if fewer are boating. Good luck with your business...next year should be better.

Business in and of itself is fine, just down. We did compensate early enough that the bottom line is still the same just sales are down. Thank you for your response. However we have seen a larger hit of people losing their jobs that are in the upper tax brackets, many of our clients have asked to put off work that was scheduled for next year after their portfolios went into the trenches. 76% of our current client base own two or more homes. I agree with MeEscape's post above regarding the toys being the first things to receive neglected attention, same goes for additional dwellings. When the folks that can afford the toys and the second homes start seeing that the ax could make it to their level they cinch up the purse strings and focus money on other things. On the times I was out on the lake this year on both Winni (July 4-5, Aug 15-16 and 29-31) and Sunapee (Sept 5-6) the numbers of boats seemed very low compared to the years past and those were all very good boating days and two were holiday weekends. Working on Sunapee for most of the July and August months the traffic was down considerably even during the week. Maybe some of the cowboys around you are some of the same folks that fall into that current unemployment number.