Monday, November 23, 2009
“To be named one of the top 100 marine dealers in the country is an incredible accomplishment, something our sales, service and event teams set their sights on every year,” says Mark Watts, who has owned Liquid Sports since 1996. “But to be named in the Top 30, ahead of many of the boat dealers we’ve always admired and patterned our business after, that was a special moment.”
The award is a welcome surprise during a devastating economic year for the Orlando retail boating market, something that isn’t lost on Watts.
“To respond to the recent consumer uncertainty, Liquid got back to what it does best,” he said. “We eliminated some brands, added others [Malibu Boats and Axis Wake Research], overhauled our service department, focused on the business and customer base we’re best adept at serving and re-branded the business -- all in the last 12 months. This award proves to us -- and our customers -- that you’ve got to keep moving forward, no matter the external factors affecting your business.”
The Top 100 accreditation is given to those dealers who excel at every significant dealership function, including sales programs, accounting practices, marketing plans, lead management, customer service, accounting and staff training.
Tags: Malibu Boats | Liquid Sports Marine | Orlando | Florida | Jacksonville | Boating Industry | Top+100+Dealers | Malibu Dealer | Boat Dealer | wakeboard boats | ski boats | family boats
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Black Friday Super Sale and Fundraiser
When: Friday, Nov 27, 2009
Where: The Edge. 9009 Portage Road. Portage, Mi 49002 (map)
Description: Up to 50% Off Snowboard Items Up to 50% Off Watersports 10-20% Off Skate Items Free DVD with Purchase of complete skate, snow, or water setup Doorbuster savings: $225 Complete Snowboard Packages $250 Complete Wakeboard Packages $50 Complete Skateboards $15 Shoes All Seasons Fundraiser $10 donation to boarding for Breast Cancer Snowboard Competition In the parking lot Drop in and Bungee Game Of S.K.A.T.E. Cold Weather Watersports in Austin Lake
Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Dealer | The Edge | Black Friday | Breast Cancer | super sale | fundraiser | snowboarding | waters skiing | wakeboarding |
This shot was taken just after Matt delivered this 2009 Wakesetter VLX to a customer's house so the family would be surprised Christmas morning. The VLX was purchased as a part of the Malibu Boat Rockin' Christmas Event and the special delivery was part of the package.
What a great scene! Thanks for sharing Matt. This is an awesome photo!
Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Christmas | Christmas gift | Christmas surprise | Munson Ski | Matt Munson | Malibu Dealer | Wakesetter VLX | wakeboard boat | Illinois
Do you have a family Christmas story that’s told over and over especially during the Holiday Season? I’m talking about the kind of story that new friends and family members are excited to hear and then retell as a statement of their place in the family’s inner circle. Well the Taylors of Burley, Idaho have a family Christmas story like this. It’s a story they have told time and again for the past five years. They continue to tell it and those close to them demand the repeats because it is a story of true joy and family togetherness. This Christmas tale begins with a mother and father’s desire to bolster their family time with a surprise gift and it ends with a family completely surprised by a Malibu boat.
Derlin and Nancy Taylor were looking for a family activity to invest in back in 2005. They have a large family and enjoy spending time together. On a trip to Costco Derlin and Nancy were approached by a friend who offered them half interest in a Sun Valley timeshare. It definitely qualified as a family investment and they were excited about the possibility, but they quickly realized the condo would not accommodate their entire family. So that was out.
Two weeks before the Christmas of 2005, Derlin took a trip to Idaho Water Sports (@IdahoWaterSport)to rent a pair of snow skis for his son-in-law. While he was waiting in the dealership Derlin took a stroll over to the new Malibu boats for a peek. What he found was a red and white 21-foot Sunsetter 21 XTi complete with a decked-out wakeboard tower including all the bells and whistles.
Being a family of skiers the Taylors preferred a direct-drive boat and when he noticed the engine location in this XTi he was intrigued. After talking with the owner of Idaho Water Sports (@IdahoWaterSport), Gordy Hansen, Derlin also found out that this boat was one of the same models featured in the 2005 Malibu Boats brochure. It was already famous and Derlin decided to make it a star in his family too. He and Gordy made a deal for the boat that day and part of that agreement included Christmas morning delivery. The Taylor Family would be getting a Malibu boat for Christmas.
This had the makings of the best surprise ever for the Taylor family, but Derlin wanted it to be perfect. He had already set the stage for the surprising gift exchange with his wife Nancy. The two had agreed not to give each other gifts this year. So she wouldn’t be expecting anything, let alone a present like this one. Another detail that gave this surprise the making of “Best Ever” for the Taylors was the entire family was going to be with them for Christmas. Derlin explained, “My wife and I had agreed to not give each other gifts in 2005 because we were having our entire family home for Christmas which included 5 children, 4 in laws and [then] 8 grandchildren.” And this crew of 18 was completely surprised.
Gordy provided Derlin with a copy of the 2005 Malibu Boats brochure so he could place it under the tree for his wife to unwrap on Christmas morning. He marked the page of their new Sunsetter 21 XTi with a short note, wrapped the hardback Malibu book and hid it behind all of the other gifts. Derlin waited, for what seemed like an eternity, for Christmas to arrive and then even longer for his wife to get to her gift under the tree.
Finally, they had opened all of the gifts, but there was one left. Derlin handed it to Nancy and her displeased look prompted him to explain. Remember, they weren’t supposed to exchange gifts. “It’s just a book,” he said. She looked a little relieved, but still puzzled as she unwrapped the present. And now she had the whole family’s attention. Everyone was very curious. When the ripped paper revealed the cover of the Malibu Boats brochure, she screamed and immediately focused on Derlin for conformation. Did she really just unwrapped a Malibu boat for Christmas? He responded by directing her to the marked page and there she read his note, “Go look in the driveway.”
The entire Taylor family bolted for the driveway to get a look at their collective Christmas gift. Nancy and their five children, Brian, Cory, Derik, Jenny, Lindsay along with their husbands and wives converged on the Malibu. Derlin described the scene, “Everyone was screaming and yelling and when they saw the boat in the driveway they all ran out, got in it, turned up the stereo and danced. What a Christmas!”
When we asked Derlin why he chose to give his family a boat for Christmas this is how he responded. “We have been a water skiing family from the beginning and all our children ski.” Derlin continued, “Because it is such a family activity we consider our boat to be an investment in family togetherness.”
Thank you for sharing your Malibu Christmas Story, Taylor Family. Yours is one of our favorites.
If you have a Malibu Boat-related Christmas Story would like to share with us, please e-mail email@example.com with your stories and photos.
Tags: Malibu Boats | Taylor Family | Christmas Story | Christmas gift | ski boat | family | boating | water skiing | Sunsetter 21XTi | Isner | Christmas surprise | surprise | Idaho Watersports | Gordon Hansen
Monday, November 16, 2009
Location: Skiers Pier, Waterford, Michigan
Day: Saturday, December 5th
Time: Registration Starts at 9:00 am
Riding is from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
The Polar Bear Ski is a great community event that many in the Detroit, Michigan area have frequented for 16 years. Each participating wakeboarder or skier will be asked to donate a minimum of $10.00 to take a spin on beautiful Loon Lake. Many people attend just to enjoy the festivities without hitting the water. They simply can sponsor a rider and get in on special drawings, enjoy all the great food, entertainment and much more! All proceeds will go directly to the American Diabetes Association.
The 2010 Malibu boats and Pro Shop items are in inventory now! Factory reps and professional athletes will be on hand to help get you up to speed on technology and features for the upcoming season.
Two time World Champion, Will Asher (@WillAsher), will be in the Skier Pier Pro Shop giving clinics, tips, signing autographs and will also be available for Photos. Bring your wakeboards in to get signed by Chad Sharpe. Get tips and advice on how to pull off new tricks and be the best on your lake next year. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get great advice from the pros!
The water skiing season is not over until you make it to the Polar bear ski at skiers Pier.
2505 Dixie Hwy
Waterford, MI 48328
Tags: Malibu Boats | Skiers Pier | Polar Bear Ski | American Diabetes Association | Michigan | Waterford | water skiing | wakeboarding | ski boat | wakeboard boat
Trevor wrote this in a an email to Malibu Boats, "We live in Chestermere, Alberta [Canda] where the boat gets most of its use. We have a 4 year old son and a 2 year old daughter that love the boat. We also have a third one that is yet to be determined."
Check out both photos the Skippen Family sent us in their Malibu Boats Flickr set. The shot with the 1000 foot ship in the background is pretty cool too.
We would like to thank Trevor for snapping these cool shots and we'd like to thank their Malibu Boats dealer, Wizard Lake Marine for sending them on to us initially. The sunset is beautiful!
If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. E-mail firstname.lastname@example.org with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!
Tags: Malibu Boats | Skippen Family | Trevor Skippen | Response LXi | St Marie River | Fav Pic | Malibu Owner | boat owner | waterskiing | Lake Superior | ski boat | Wizard Lake | Canada
Now in its fourth year, WaterSki magazine’s Fantasy Camp offers water skiers of all levels the opportunity to ski with and learn from the best of the best. Attendees of the 2010 Fantasy Camp will ski behind the World Record-breaking Response LXi, Malibu’s premier ski boat and one of the top tournament-rated ski boats in the world. Fantasy campers will also receive one-on-one coaching from World Champion Malibu pro skiers like Thomas Degasperi, Will Asher (@WillAsher) and Drew Ross.
WaterSki covered its 2009 Fantasy Camp in its August/September issue with a 10-page feature that included a ton of camper photos.
WaterSki’s 2010 Fantasy Camp will be held on June 13-18 at Swiss Ski School in Clermont, Florida. The camp includes five nights in lakeside accommodations, first-class meals, three sets a day of coached ski lessons for four days, question-and-answer sessions with world-renowned coaches, a pro-am tournament and much more.
Sign up at waterskimag.com/fantasy-camp and pay in full by December 31, 2009, and WaterSki will give you a 5 percent discount on the total cost of the camp.
To learn more about WaterSki magazine’s 2010 Fantasy Camp and reserve your spot at this ultimate water skiing experience, go to waterskimag.com/fantasy-camp.
Tags: Malibu Boats | WaterSki Magazine | Fantasy Camp | waterskiing | professional waterskiers | Thomas Degasperi | Will Asher | Drew Ross | Team Malibu | World Slalom Champions | ski boat | Response LXi
Friday, November 13, 2009
About 300 people pile into Tilly's dealership in early December. These people include Pro Riders, board company factory reps, Malibu employees and other vendors. We are all after three things, the food, the pro shop deals and the 2010 Malibu Boats! Oh and this year the Malibu Boat Rockin' Christmas Event is in full swing. Come down to set-up a Malibu Christmas surprise and help your family unwrap a Malibu boat for Christmas.
Date: Saturday, December 5, 2009
Time: 3:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: 935 E. Front St. Ventura, CA 93001
Contact Bruce email@example.com for more information.
A great time is always had by all at Tilly's Christmas Party. Hope to see you there.
Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Dealer | Tillys Marine | Christmas Party | Ventura CA | Bruce Hower | Christmas Boats | Rockin Christmas | Christmas Gift | Santa
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Greg describes this photo he took of his 2008 Wakesetter 23 LSV with his iPhone. The photo was shot the day we picked up our new boat in the fall of 2008. It was a perfect day on our new boat and as you can see the sunset when we pulled the boat out really topped off the day. We named our boat "TayBu" (Our last name is Taylor and it's a Malibu.) We LOVE our boat! Our Malibu is our escape from the craziness of life
Check out the other photos Greg submitted through the Malibu iPhone App on the Malibu Boat Flickr Channel.
Thanks for sharing these shots, Greg! They are sweet! And we're so glad you love your boat and find refuge in it on the lake. Take care!
These photos were submitted via the Malibu Boats iPhone App. Download this new iPhone application and send us shots of you and your Malibu boat.
Tags: Malibu Boats | Greg Taylor | iPhone photos | Malibu iPhone | iPhone App | Wakesetter 23LSV | wakeboard boat | wakesurfing photos | Malibu photos | TayBu | Lake Sammamish | Washington
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Malibu Boat Rockin' Christmas Flickr Image Gallery
Instead of giving traditional individual gifts, Malibu Boats is suggesting that you give the whole family the gift of fun and togetherness in the form of a Malibu boat. When you add up what you spend on mp3 players, gifts of money, phones, computers, trips, video game systems, clothes, gift certificates and other typical gifts that can actually distract the family from one another, Malibu thinks you will see enough for a down payment on a boat. Add a return on investment of quality time that the entire family can enjoy together and a Malibu boat may be priceless. That is where the Malibu Boats Rockin’ Christmas Event comes in.
Malibu Boats along with your local Malibu dealer is offering discounts on the boats they have in inventory as well as 2010 custom order boats if purchased during the Rockin’ Christmas Event. Malibu Boats is also providing special financing during the event. But the boat and closeness are not the only gifts Malibu can help you give your family this Christmas.
When you give a Malibu boat during the Rockin’ Christmas Event, your family will receive more to open under the tree. Boating and water sports accessories of your choice, for the whole family, will be included in your Malibu Christmas package. Malibu is also providing each family with an Official Malibu Merchandise shopping spree. The Malibu Boats Rockin’ Christmas Event eliminates the hassle commonly associated with the holiday season by doing all the shopping for you. Malibu has even taken it a step further by easing the planning that goes along with a surprise of this magnitude.
Local Malibu dealers across the country are planning amazing surprises for those families receiving boats as a part of the Rockin’ Christmas Event. You can work with your Malibu dealer to hide the boat and sneak it by your house just before the kids look outside. Or maybe you want to make a bigger production for the gift unwrapping. Your Malibu dealer can unveil the boat during your yearly Christmas get-together. You could even work with your dealer to stage the surprise at the dealership. How ever the presentation of the present goes down, you will have an ally in your local Malibu dealer. The planning for such a huge surprise doesn’t fall entirely on your busy schedule.
Visit your local Malibu Boats dealer to create a Malibu Boat Rockin’ Christmas you and your family will never forget.
Tags: Malibu Boats | Christmas Gift | Malibu Christmas | Christmas Surprise | Boat Rockin Christmas | boat discounts | free options | Malibu Gifts | special financing | Malibu Shopping Spree | wakeboard boats | ski boats
Monday, November 9, 2009
IWWF described the women's jump finals this way. "In the Women's Finals, Denmark's June Fladborg was first in to the arena. Having already taken both Australia's Moomba Masters and US Masters titles this year, she desperately wanted to finish on a World Cup high. Her opening score of 48.3m immediately set a new Course Record ! World Overall Cable Jump Champion, Iryna Turets BLR, got close with 45.5m. Now it was all down to Marion Mathieu FRA who came second behind Fladborg in the Moomba Masters. With a distance of 48.1m, she was also second to Fladborg again in Putrajaya. This was a perfect World Cup conclusion for June Fladborg."
JUMP WINNERS - Women
1. (DEN) June Fladborg - 48.3m
2. (FRA) Marion Mathieu - 48.1m
3. (BLR) Iryna Turets - 46.5m
You've worked hard for this June! We couldn't be happier for your success this year. Your Malibu Boats Family is extremely proud of you!
Tags: Malibu Boats | IWWF | June Fladborg | Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup | Putrajaya | Malaysia | jumping | Response LXi | ski boats | ski jump
Here's the IWWF description of the Men's Slalom finals in Putrajaya. The Men's Slalom Finals kicked off with a surprise from World Record holder Chris Parrish USA. His score of 1.5 buoys on the 11.25m line / 38off did not earn a podium position. It was Jean Baptiste Faisy FRA, who set the pace with 4 buoys on the 11.25m line /38off. Jodi Fisher GBR, World Cup 2008 season overall winner, was the first to reach the 10.75m line / 39off with a score of one buoy. However 34 year-old Slalom specialist Nick Parsons from Utah USA was in a league of his own. His score of 2.5 buoys on the 10.75m line took the title - ahead of Jodi Fisher and JB Faisy.
SLALOM WINNERS – Men
1. (USA) Nick Parsons – 2.5 buoys at 10.75m
2. (GBR) Jodi Fisher – 1 buoy at 10.75m
3. (FRA) Jean Baptiste Faisy – 4 buoys at 11.25m
Congratulations, Nick! We're extremely proud of you!
Tags: Malibu Boats | IWWF | Nick Parsons | Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup | Putrajaya | Malaysia | water skiing | Response LXi | ski boats | slalom skiing
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Read the WaterSki Magazine Will Asher Interview at waterskimag.com.
Tags: Malibu Boats | Will Asher | slalom skiing | water skiing | ski boat | Response LXi | WaterSki Magazine | interview | Team Malibu | World Champion