Bayliner celebrates 20 years with Berowra Waters Wholesale

Bayliner celebrates 20 years with Berowra Waters Wholesale.

The Bayliner brand in Australia enjoys a proud heritage dating back to 1987 with Berowra Waters Wholesale. Yet the opportunity for Australians to enjoy these world class craft only came about due to the entrepreneurial spirit of David Hazlett of Berowra Waters Marina in seizing a unique opportunity as it came knocking. David Hazlett was approached by Ron Harper, who at the time had the distribution rights to Bayliner in Australia. The opportunity was to sell larger Bayliner 25ft, 26ft and 28ft cruisers on a commission basis from Berowra Waters Marina.

Then from small beginnings, big things grew.

Berowra Waters Marina was appointed distributor for non-trailerable Bayliner boats in New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania in 1988.

Then in July 1988, David Hazlett attended his first Dealer Meeting in San Diego and in turn Berowra Waters Marina placed its first order for 3 boats; the 2655, 2855 and 3055 models. At that time the only American brands in Australia were Bayliner, Searay, Regal and a number of other assorted brands.

Market conditions in 1988 and 1989 were reasonably strong until in 1990 when Paul Keating’s “recession we had to have” arrived. The following 3 years saw very slow sales and it was only in 1993 that the market began returning to its previous levels. The recession had left only two surviving American brands in Australia – Bayliner and Searay.

Berowra Waters Marina took over the Bayliner distribution in Victoria after the failure of the previous importer. The company’s growth continued when distribution in Western Australia was established when the company displayed boats at the Perth Boat Show and stayed there until the boats were sold and delivered.

From 1993 steady growth has been achieved with purchases from US Marine reaching a peak of 1000 boats in 2005.

The Queensland rights were purchased from the existing distributor in 1998. From 1995 until the present day, sub dealers have been appointed in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania, while dedicated dealerships have been opened in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. In fact there are now 18 dealerships Australiawide which cover all capital cities and major regional areas.

 
The Australian team has attended every dealer meeting held by US Marine and formed very close relationships with the people over the last 20 years. These people have included Veer Beri, George Armendariz, Phil Jenkins, Jim Hoag, Steve Wolpert, Jeff Minert, Katie Hansen, Paul Brookshire, Pat Blake, Craig Dixon, Kaydee Johnson and Todd Harris. The company has also had a close relationship with Dustan McCoy as President of Brunswick.

In Australia the company has been strong supporters of all boat shows around the country and has been recognised for the quality and appearance of its show stands. There has also been considerable investment in promotion of the brands through the magazine media which has no doubt contributed to the Bayliner success. This has also been due to the dedication and commitment of our loyal staff and dealers, some of whom have been with us almost from the beginning.

Major highlights have been:

·      2005 when Berowra Waters Marina imported 1000 boats

·      Contributing to the development of Australian Special Edition Boats

·      Providing input to change and product development

·      Achieving the position of #1 US Marine International dealer and #2 Worldwide Dealer

·      Providing input to international model cruisers for Europe and Australasia

Berowra Waters Wholesale, as the company is now known, is celebrating 20th years of Bayliner with the release of Special 20th Anniversary models which will be released to the market in the second half of this year. The company’s ongoing success has been due to the level of mutual trust and support between US Marine and Berowra Waters Wholesale and the company would like to thank all those who contributed to the growth during the last 20 years. The company looks forward to a continuation of this highly successful relationship and hope to celebrate other milestones in the future.