[Rhodes22-list] Our Sailing Bravado

Fri Jul 17 11:24:15 EDT 2009

Cowie,

Couldn't agree with you more, you have the best boat on the water, bar none.  It sounds like you are really enjoying your sailing on the bay - some insist that the R22 was made for LIS - I'd rather suggest it is most suitable everywhere except blue water.  Bill Wittman expanded that to the Gulf Stream and the Bahamas.  If you bring it to the Tampa area, which Ron does, we can show you some really excellent options for Winter sailing.  You have probably found that the boat trails very well.

Happy sailing,

Art
s/v Mary Jane
Lake Hartwell/Rummyland

-----Original Message-----
>From: cowie <ccowie at cowieassociates.com>
>Sent: Jul 17, 2009 10:46 AM
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] the war of the rhodeses
>
>
>General boats has my full support!
>> If and when we decide to get a new pop-top enclosure (or a new to us, 
>> used pop-top enclosure like our current one - purchased from GB that 
>> has given us a number of years of service and which I
from General 
>> Boats and other vendors. We will purchase the item that best fits our 
>> needs based on features and price point. If we purchase a pop-top 
>> enclosure from another vendor particularly a vendor that has worked 
>> with GB in the past, we would make sure that GB gets their commission 
>> whether it is included in the vendor's price for the product or 
>> whether we send it directly to General Boats. We would encourage 
>> other Rhodes 22 owners to do the same.
>> 
>> Mary Lou and Fred
>> the very pleased owners since 1998
>> of Fretless, a 1991 Rhodes 22
>> recycled by General Boats in 1998
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> At 12:25 PM 7/16/2009, you wrote:
>>>Dear Rhodies:
>>>
>>>Art says we are boring you all with this issue, that it is a private,
>>>personal matter and not appropriate to discuss in this forum.  He is
>>>incorrect.  It is a fundamental issue to GB's well being and therefore to
>>>you, to the extent of your interest in your Rhodes.   We suggest you hear
>it
>>>out until resolved one way or another.
>>>
>>>Should you need a new IMF mast or centerboard or rudder blade or endless
>>>other unique parts that Art or others do not choose to invest in producing
>-
>>>and GB is not here, no one is going to be able to make your boat whole
>>>again.   There is good reason why most of us would not buy a car that is
>out
>>>of production - there is certainly good reason why the Rhodes is not only
>>>easy to sell but also demands a premium price over boats no longer being
>>>built.  The former editor of Practical Sailor, in his book recommending
>>>trailer sailboats, ends his list by pointing out that the Rhodes is the
>only
>>>suggested choice still in production.
>>>
>>>If not for the many private sellers and purchasers going along with the
>>>voluntary GB loyalty/royalty program (which incidentally, Art, who has
>>>purchased and sold several Rhodes privately, would not agree to) and not
>for
>>>parts sales such as Pop Top enclosures (which, incidentally, we have
>$10,000
>>>worth of sitting here in inventory), in an economy such as this, where not
>a
>>>single new boat is being sold, GB would have no choice but to abandon this
>>>ship.
>>>
>>>
>>>OK, you can stop reading here. But for anyone wanting to understand why we
>>>are so troubled by this particular Parts issue, a little background on an
>>>agreement that, we now learn from Art's e-mail to the List,  has
>>>unilaterally "mutually" agreed to have ended:
>>>Art worked on this project inside the GB plant, used the GB
>"not-the-Hilton"
>>>facilities, displayed the product in hard to get and costly water space
>that
>>>GB worked out during the Annapolis Boat Show and that GB ended up paying
>>>for, including even an additional day that Art unilaterally elected to
>take.
>>>At the St. Petersburg Show, where after several years of trying, we
>managed
>>>a valuable water space, after hearing Art had his boat in FL, we asked if
>he
>>>would like to promote the boom room at this show.  We returned Dr.
>Fullers'
>>>beautiful new boat that we had planned to use for demos from this space in
>>>favor of Art using it with the understanding that we could use his boat
>for
>>>an occasional demo for a qualified pending prospect.  When Elton did take
>a
>>>prospect to Art's boat he found Art was not honoring the Show hours and
>the
>>>boat was chain-locked to the dock.  Art's position, "No one sails my
>boat".
>>>When we did mange Art to give a demo sail we explained to him that part of
>>>the demonstration is that we go in and out of the large harbor under sail
>as
>>>the competition does and that demos are only an hour in case another hot
>>>prospect comes along.   Art refused to sail and each time went to and from
>>>the bay under power.  I suppose once sailing he was in his element since
>he
>>>stayed away for hours and few demos were done during the show.  Art's
>>>remarkable position:  He was a volunteer and could therefore make his own
>>>rules - just like volunteers for the army or the Red Cross.  Elton finally
>>>blew his top when, after arranging for our hottest prospect to make a long
>>>trip back to St. Petersburg on Sunday for a demo sail, Art announced that
>he
>>>was leaving the show a day early - after all he was a volunteer and could
>>>make his own rules from moment to moment.   I certainly felt like an idiot
>>>not having put Dr. Fuller's boat in that precious dock space.   I do not
>>>know if Art ever did show the boom room.
>>>
>>>
>>>The deal with Art pertained only to the boom room, with shared income from
>>>its sales.  It was not for competing with other parts like the Pop Top
>>>enclosures which we have an inventory investment in.   Of course it is a
>>>free country and a free market and, of course, we all have seen what
>>>unregulated "freedom" can do to our economy.   To believe GB has the
>freedom
>>>to keep investing in new ideas and keep investing in promoting the boat
>and
>>>taking care of current Rhodies' needs, for the non-rewarding benefit of
>>>private re-sales and parts sales for others to profit from, is a fantasy.
>>>It is important for us to have your feedback on these kind of issues.   We
>>>need the support of our owners if we are to keep worrying and working to
>>>keep our owners sailing and keep the value of their boats growing.  Or do
>we
>>>just stop being so damn conscientious and say the hell with it and go
>>>sailing ourselves?  (No need for us to hear Rummy's answer to that last
>>>question.)
>>>
>>>stan/gbi
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "cowie" <ccowie at cowieassociates.com>
>>>To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>>>Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 6:36 PM
>>>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] the war of the rhodeses
>>>
>>>
>>> >
>>> > I had the pleasure of deploying my Bimini and pop top enclosure on my
>>> > recent
>>> > trip to st Michaels.  Both worked great.  I understand Stan has
>>> recently
>>> > improved the fit of the pop top enclosure and his guys did a great job
>>> on
>>> > the custom installation.  While I could have ordered certain items
>>> direct
>>> > I
>>> > have made a point to go thru general boats.  I think it's neat that I
>>> own
>>> > a
>>> > boat that was concieved the same I was and hope to help it keep going
>>> for
>>> > another fifty.
>>> >
>>> > stanleyl wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> OK gang, it looks like Art and I are going to take up the slack left
>>> by
>>> >> the withdrawal of the political junkies.   At first I thought we
>>> should
>>> >> label these upcoming e-mail missives so you can delete before reading.
>>> >> But on reflection, what is going to be covered gets to the business
>>> >> basics
>>> >> of General Boats and its future.
>>> >>
>>> >> Art will be a formable opponent in this case, having graduated from
>>> the
>>> >> Academy vs. my not being able to get beyond the "Petty" ranking due to
>>> a
>>> >> Navy designated overbite.  My protestation that I did not plan to bite
>>> >> the
>>> >> enemy fell on deaf ears.  I think being able to hear was not one of
>>> the
>>> >> requirements, as the unraveling facts in this case will bring out.
>>> >>
>>> >> In Art's opening remarks he says that the business terms with General
>>> >> Boats had been voided.  As proof he waves a blank paper that he has in
>>> >> his
>>> >> hand about a sale GB nixed but he salvaged.   GB will show a timeline
>>> and
>>> >> investments that will paint another picture.  The importance of this
>>> >> small
>>> >> claims case is seen in Art's 7/12/09 e-mail to Mary Lou - the tip of a
>>> >> collectively growing ice burg that can sink the Rhodes  You may want
>>> to
>>> >> stay tuned to be informed by GB, Art, and fellow Rhodies, to draw your
>>> >> own
>>> >> conclusions.
>>> >>
>>> >> stan/general boats
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> __________________________________________________
>>> >> To subscribe/unsubscribe or for help with using the mailing list go to
>>> >> http://www.rhodes22.org/list
>>> >> __________________________________________________
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > View this message in context:
>>> > http://www.nabble.com/the-war-of-the-rhodeses-tp24461657p24470681.html
>>> > Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>> >
>>> > __________________________________________________
>>> > To subscribe/unsubscribe or for help with using the mailing list go to
>>> > http://www.rhodes22.org/list
>>> > __________________________________________________
>>>
>>>__________________________________________________
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>> 
>> __________________________________________________
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>> __________________________________________________
>> 
>> 
>
>-- 
>View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/the-war-of-the-rhodeses-tp24461657p24535889.html
>Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>
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