2013 Bangor Boat Show Preview

Today, Hamlin's is continuing to set up for the annual Bangor show set for this Friday the 29th through Sunday the 31st. Yes, the boat show will be open for Easter, so wolf down those Peeps and Cadbury Eggs and get on down to the Bangor Auditorium. This is probably the last event the old auditorium will ever host, and it's a good thing when you see the Cold War relic next to the shining new Cross Center! That old marvel of engineering with the "V"- shaped roof is ready to retire.

So why drag yourself out on a holiday weekend and brave the masses of water-addicted zombies?

Why?

Because Hamlin's is hosting the biggest boat buying party that has ever touched Maine soil. Try 35 new models on site with another 100 or so at our nearby stores. Early season buying frenzies have created a glut of trade-ins as well. We are chock full of used pontoons, fishing boats, and runabouts. All factory promotions including rebates and extended warranty programs expire on Sunday. So, if you want to be on the water this summer, put down the turkey leg or ham bone and get to the show.

Here are some highlights:

Stingray runabouts (5 models)
From high-powered Sport Decks from Hartsville, SC like the 208 and 198 to the budget friendly 195 RX, you'll be able to check out the most popular runabouts in Maine.

Polar Kraft aluminum fishing boats (12 models)
Serious fishing and hunting boats from Syracuse, IN with a reputation for lifetime toughness. Nice selection of family fish & ski models on hand as well.

Scout (6 models)
Fiberglass Sport Fishing models from Sommersville, SC. We have models in stock from 15'-27'. The crowd favorites are the 210 XSF and the 210 Dorado. The new 275 LXF in our Hampden showroom is a show stopper.

Rinker (3 models)
Big, wave-crashing fiberglass V-Hulls from Syracuse, IN perfect for Hamlin's Marina and Penobscot Bay. We'll feature both Sport bowriders and cuddies as well as a value packed 18' Fish and Ski model.

Sweetwater, Aqua Patio, and San Pan Pontoons (6 models)
Unbeatable construction, innovative designs, and the ultimate comfort make these pontoons from Elkhart, IN reign supreme in Maine. There are plenty of posers popping up on the market now, but nothing beats experience.

Hurricane (1 model)
The all liquid-terrain machine built in Elkhart, IN with seating for 10 and a trusty Yamaha outboard. Bar-none...best affordable family trailer boat on the market.

Skeeter (5 models)
The bass boats from Texas with serious swag. Yamaha 2 and 4 stroke power on display. SHO changes everything.

Eastern (2 models)
Locally made in Milton, NH. These Downeast beauties ride soft in the roughest Penobscot slop. Fuel efficient center consoles and cabin models are in stock now.

See you at the Bangor Show!

Escape to Reality With the Scout 275 LXF

Get out of Dodge. Fly the coup. Bust out. Run away.

You need an escape vehicle from our processed, dead-line driven reality. Too many commitments? No, life is short. Love your wife and kids.

Get out of the markets, and get into a 2013 Scout 275 LXF available now at Hamlin's Marina.

She's waiting for all of you with her alluring lines. The 275 LXF is the mantle piece of our Hampden showroom. You can't miss her.

A brand new marina slip is pining away for this lady, waiting for the 275 LXF to touch the Penobscot. The islands...Butter, Pond, and Isle Au Haut are all waiting for a glimpse of a dark blue ribbon stretched across the horizon on a steamy July day.

Here she is...27' fun wagon adorned with rocket launchers, stainless grill center, and Twin Yamaha F200XB outboards (merely 10 lbs heavier than Yamaha F150s).

Come in for a glimpse or possibly much, much more.

Stingray 250CS: Your Seagoing RV



Many families come to me every spring expressing their desire to own a cabin cruiser. These adventurous folks want to share the beauty and mystique of Maine waters with their loved ones; at night, they don't want to go home but rather stay on the water. Let the rolling tide lull them to sleep.

I can often see disappointment as I speak plainly of the cost of owning a cabin cruiser. Most are comparing the costs to with a bow rider a simple fishing boat. With a cabin cruiser you have a higher upfront cost, but the annual maintenance cost of seasonal layup for multiple engines, advanced systems, slips, fuel, and storage grows into the thousands.

Really when purchasing a cabin cruiser, it should be an alternative to a camp or an RV. The true joy of owning a cabin cruiser is the freedom experience of hopping from harbor to harbor every summer. There will always be new friends, abundant fish and wildlife, and new restaurants and shops.

Behold the 2013 Stingray 250 CS.

 

Stingray has built a truly remarkable and affordable cabin cruiser. With comfortable forward and rear cabin sleeping, a well appointed galley, and a patio-sized cockpit...the Stingray 250 CS is impressive. With Stingray's famous Z-Plane hull, this townhouse tops out at 50 mph with a single, fuel-friendly Mercruiser 350 MAG.



Built for lakes, rivers, and the ocean, you'll never run out of territory to explore. The high cockpit allows a great vantage for sightseeing, or sipping cocktails in the evening on your slip. Plenty if room in the 250CS for your friends and family to stretch out. Send your kids down to the cabin to eat popcorn and watch Madagascar, as you hold your girl in your arms and watch a low hung moon over the bay.



And the price...get ready for it...$69,995! No I'm not kidding. See what kind of waterfront real estate that will afford you these days.

  

Come to the Hampden showroom today to tour this beautiful Stingray and reserve your slip on the Penobscot. Make plans to spend this summer on the water at Hamlin's Marina.

 

 

 

 

 

Cancel All Your Plans For The Weekend...You Are Buying a Boat

I heard that you were planning some lame ski weekend up at Sugarloaf with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Anniston. Well call them up, and take a raincheck! This is no time for rubbing elbows with celebs.

Why? Because Hamlin's Marine is at both the Augusta Boat Show and the Orono Sportsman's Show  all weekend long.

Hamlin's has 42 boats on the road marked down just for you. If you really want a deal ask about our secret Holdover Hitlist! If you are able to snag a Hitlist boat, you'll feel like you just robbed us. Don't worry though, we won't call the cops.

In Augusta, you'll find a treasure trove of deals on Sweetwater, Aqua Patio, and San Pan Pontoons. Quality fit and finish and rugged construction set our pontoons apart...but this weekend, buy quality for even less as we engage on the battlefield with warriors from across the state.

Now if you want the comfort of a pontoon boat with more performance...make sure you consider our Hurricane Deckboats. Your whole family can rock out on a Hurricane; maybe call Affleck and Anniston to come along.

In Orono, we'll be showing off heavy hardware capable of hunting down fish, ducks, and even lobster. Polar Kraft, Eastern, Scout, and Skeeter will be there waiting for their adoption papers.
Remember, all these boats are powered by the most powerful outboard in the universe, Yamaha!

Hope to see you at a show this weekend, and let us know if we can do anything to make this your year. Hey, why don't you bring Ben and Jennifer along...I'm sure we've got a boat for them too.

2013 Mastercraft Xstar

The 2013 Portland Boat Show featured a boat unlike any other to land on the planet Earth.  The aptly named, Mastercraft Xstar:
http://hamlinsmarina.com/mastercraft-boats/item/761-2013-mastercraft-xstar, 
proved once and for all that a higher intelligence exists in our universe.

It has been said that the Xstar spent the last six years in development at the Mastercraft labs in Vonore, Tennessee.  This premise is obviously a farce, as no civilian agency could possibly manifest such a marvel of the imagination.  

Take for example the dash of this vessel.  From your seat at the helm, a vast array of touch controls begs you for input.  Just when you begin to formulate the number of options available at your fingertips, something else happens.  Digital gauges emerge from the dash like an alien emerging from a cocoon.

Start pressing buttons, and arrays of cool blue LED lights begin popping up all around you.  Press more buttons and powerful bass tones emit from an army of woofers and tweeters.  When that gets boring, hit another button and watch the wakeboard tower jump up and down at your command.  The experience is other-worldly.  Whoever or whatever created the Xstar is not of this dimensional plane.  It is simply not conceivable to expend this much creativity and effort on a recreational watercraft.  Surely, the Xstar must serve a greater purpose.

At this point, you may think I'm some sort of conspiracy theorist.  Maybe I'm some sort of quack?  You might think so until you lift the engine hatch and see a 7.4 liter, 522 horsepower engine looking back at you.  The Roger Penske inspired engine is painted orange just to cloak it's demonic intentions. 

What are you Xstar...Why are you here?

Teamwork Pays Off

Over the past two weeks, the Hamlin's Marina team added a paint booth and wood shop to our waterfront service facility. It was a superhuman effort and the resulting upgrade to our facility will help us to run more efficiently.

Whether we are rigging a new Scout, rebuilding an engine, installing a Garmin radar, or painting a sail boat...Hamlin's will be able to do it better, cleaner, and faster than ever before.

With the addition of boatbuilding and Puffin Dinghies this year, Hamlin's Marina will be a very busy place.

Hamlin's Marine welcomes Teresa Libby, Josh Cottrell, John Clark, Alyssa Haywood, and Jeromy Hamel to help us meet the challenge in 2013!

Early indications and our man at the Boston Show, Brandon Clark, are suggesting that 2013 will be a big year for boating. Factory promotions, new models, and favorable financing are making new boat orders roll in!

All of us at Hamlin's cannot wait to get you on the water this year! Check out our website http://www.hamlinsmarina.com for great deals on Godfrey pontoons, Mastercraft ski boats, Scout fishing boats, Polar Kraft fishing boats, Skeeter tournament boats, Hurricane deck boats, and Rinker cruisers.

Puffin Boats, LLC is Born at Hamlin's Marina

Hamlin’s Marina, established in 2006, is a family operated boat dealership, marina, and service center on the Penobscot River in Hampden, Maine.  Dan and Katie Higgins share ownership with Dave and Chris Hamlin who established Hamlin’s Marine in Waterville in 1984. 

Interesting facts about Hamlin’s Marina; http://www.hamlinsmarina.com

-        10,000 Sq. Foot Indoor Boat Showroom; http://www.hamlinsboatyard.com

-        32,000 Sq. Foot Service & Storage Center

-        Fiberglass Repair, Paint Booth, Gas/Diesel Repair, Fabrication

-        31 Slips on the Penobscot River; expanding to 70 over the next 5 years

-        On Site Restaurant, McLaughlin’s at the Marina, bar/restaurant/private parties

-        Boat lines:  Scout, Eastern, Sweetwater, Aqua Patio, San Pan, Hurricane, Mastercraft, Polar Kraft, Achilles, Rinker, & Skeeter

-        Engine lines: Yamaha (#1 dealership in Northeast 2011 & 2012), Honda, Mercruiser, & Yanmar Diesels

-        Home of Puffin Boats, LLC; http://www.puffindinghies.com

Puffin was introduced to the world by Dale Cottrell in 1984.   Using framing from his deck, Dale built the first plugs in Winterport.  He continued to work out of his small shop in Winterport with his sons, Josh & Seth.   Soon, they set up an extensive dealer network with annual sales in excess of 300 units.  Josh, still in high school, was delivering 12 boat loads all the way to Cape Cod!

The business expanded to Frankfort, where Dale partnered with his brother-in-law, Billy Doyle.  Together, Dale and Billy manufactured over 3000 dinghies that ended up in harbors across the world.  Eventually, Dale left the operation and went back to building wooden boats, his first love.

  

In late 2012, I was looking to hire a salesperson for my new showroom in Hampden.  It turns out that Josh Cottrell and I had a mutual friend in Steve Huff.  Steve thought that Josh Cottrell would be an excellent choice as a salesman, and he also thought that we might be interested in buying Puffin Dinghies which was on the market at the time.  After meeting, Josh Cottrell, we knew that he would be a great fit for our team at Hamlin’s and we hired him on.  The more we explored the opportunity with Puffin Dinghies, the more we felt that building classic boats was a natural fit for Hamlin’s Marina. 

Hamlin’s Marina formed a new company, Puffin Boats LLC, and we purchased the rights, molds, and tooling from Frankfort Boat Works in February of 2013.  Justin Sass will be heading up production at Puffin Boats, and he will have the benefit of the Cottrell family’s experience and history.

Puffin Boats, LLC will initially build 7’, 8’, & 10’ Puffins which can be rigged with oars, a small outboard, or a sail package.  We plan to build three series of boats, to include:

- Utility Series:  Puffin Dingies as the world knows them today.  They will continue to be available in 7', 8', and 10'.

- Designer Series:  10' (Sail, Motor, Row) using classic construction historically used by the Cottrell family.  These models will have the classic grey interior and wooden rails.  The Designer series will be available with an optional High Definition vinyl decorative wrap.

 

- Conservation Series: Same as designer series, except vinyl wraps will have Puffin themes such as polka dot (black & orange), zebra stripes (black & orange), and Puffin heads.  For each boat sold, we will make a donation to Project Puffin.