Honda dealer snares sales at Sanctuary Cove

by Jeni Bone on 8 Jun 2010 Geoff Newman, dealer for Honda outboards at Runaway Bay Marine Service, said this year’s Sanctuary Cove Boat Show was a good one. 'Show numbers seemed down, but the quality of the crowd was good and we sold six or seven engines so far, as well as getting enquiries about repowering bigger boats with Volvo and Mercruiser.'

In cooperation with Honda, represented by Territory Manager for Qld and Northern NSW, Mark Suttle, Runaway Bay Marine Service and Boab Boat Hire occupied a prominent position on the Promenade at the show.

'It was an excellent spot,' says Mark. 'We will be looking at taking the same again next year.'

Post-show, Geoff has gone back to routine – 'working seven days a week, 12 hours a day' with a loyal customer base of around 300 drawn from around the region.

'Runaway Bay Marina is a top spot,' says Geoff. 'It offers direct ocean access via the deepest section of the Broadwater, 179 new single and double marina berths and 290 dry storage berths with forklift service seven days a week. There’s also a shipyard with a 35 tonne Travelift.'

Geoff, a mechanic by trade who started out in boat building and now occupies premises next door to the former Mustang showroom. He was the brand’s authorised service agent and says the demise left a lot of issues and jobs 'up in the air'.

While he did sense the mood was better at SCIBS this year, 'there’s a long way to go before the industry sees a turnaround'.

'But our business is steady. We sold about 64 motors last year and hope to top that this year, as well as all our repowers, mechanical service and repairs.'

One extremely satisfied customer, whom I can vouch for (he's my dad!), was John Payne – newly relocated from Sydney who attended the boat show with the express intention of buying a 2hp motor for his RIB. One of the main reasons he moved to the Gold Coast was the water-oriented lifestyle it afforded.

'I shopped around and asked all the right questions at the different stands, but when it came to Honda, the product was just superior. It was lighter than the others, easier to use with the controls on the tiller and I can manage getting it on and off each occasion. Having had two Honda cars as well, I am always impressed with the quality of their products and commitment to low emissions – in all their engines.'

It also helped that Geoff offered John a great 'boat show deal' that made waiting until the event even more worthwhile. Look out for a happy old bloke in an inflatable exploring the canals and Broadwater looking for flathead.

Enquiries Tel: (07) 5577 4411 / 0413 343 834. More at www.runawaybaymarina.com.au