New Boat Models, Inflatable Boats, Company Expansions, Dealerships
Published: Thursday, September 27, 2018
Less than three years after Brig Boats began distributing its rigid-hull inflatables in the United States, it’s safe to say that American boaters officially have caught RIB fever. Not only has Brig USA signed a whopping 15 dealers in the last 11 months, it was just named the No. 2 distributor worldwide for the Kharkov, Ukraine-based boatbuilder.
Brig USA started in 2016 with two founding dealerships, Sirocco Marine-Fort Lauderdale and Sirocco Marine-Annapolis. Since then, it has added Sirocco Marine-Lake Erie in Marblehead, Ohio, and Sirocco Marine-West Florida in Punta Gorda, Florida. These four dealerships are flagship facilities, licensed through Brig USA and comprising the foundation of what is turning into a fast-growing U.S. dealer network. Additional new dealerships include:
Brig West Michigan, Holland, Michigan
Edgewood Outfitters, Warwick, Rhode Island
Essex Marine Group, Essex, Connecticut
Hampton Watercraft, Hampton Bays, New York
Hawkeye Boat Sales, Dubuque, Iowa
Jerry’s Majestic, Walworth, Wisconsin
KO Sailing, Seabrook, Texas
Lake Cumberland Marine, Somerset, Kentucky
Moose Landing Marina, Naples, Maine
Performance Boat Center, Osage Beach, Missouri
Riverside Marine, Riverside, New Jersey
Team Marine PR, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Yarmouth Boat Yard, Yarmouth, Maine
“Each of these dealerships is a leader in its own market,” says Boyd Tomkies, Brig USA’s chief executive officer. “That was important to us, because we want these relationships to benefit everyone involved. The dealers appreciate the Brig brand and the high quality of our boats, and they are valued partners in the effort to grow our U.S. business.”
Instead of sticking to the coasts and focusing on the tender market, Brig USA is ready to compete with hard-sided boats everywhere. That includes the inland lakes.
“Other inflatables are not our long-term competition, because we’re looking beyond tenders,” Tomkies says. “Our approach is to focus on watersports boats, pontoons, bowriders, center consoles. We’re targeting families who want a versatile, durable, stable and low-maintenance boat that will allow them to pursue a wide variety of activities on the water.”
This innovative approach definitely has yielded results. In the Brig International Dealer of the Year Award competition this summer, Brig USA took second place.
“The U.S. operation is still in its infancy,” says Neil Webster, who oversees No. 1 Brig distributor Sirocco Marine in Australia as well as Brig USA. “After three years, we are the second largest distributor by volume in the world, and that can only grow in the coming years (thanks to the) acceptance by the boating public. Brig USA is on track to outpace them all and take the No. 1 position in 2019.”
Tomkies and Webster both attribute the growing interest in the States to the massive Brig USA dealership in Fort Lauderdale. In 2017, Sirocco Marine-Fort Lauderdale outgrew its 10,000-square-foot location in Dania Beach and opened its current location; at 72,000 square feet, it’s the largest dedicated inflatable-boat dealer in the United States, and one of the largest in the world.
The new facility has the full line of Brig Boats on display, as well as Fluid Watercraft. Visitors are able to see a jaw-dropping 200 boats from 10 to 36 feet in length, ranging from tenders and recreational watercraft to commercial and government vessels.
“Our customers in the United States and Australia tell us the product is superb quality, great price, great performance—Brig ticks all the boxes,” Webster says. “We call them ‘Rigid Intelligent Boats.’”
For nearly 30 years, Brig Boats have been entirely designed and built in Europe by an expert team of designers and engineers, including ex-military aeronautical engineers. The boats incorporate world-class materials such as superior ORCA Hypalon from France (rather than PVC), Italian steering wheels, Seadek fiberglass hulls, and Silvertex UV- and water-resistant upholstery fabrics from the United Kingdom.
The company continually invests in research and development, and it’s renowned for its cutting-edge techniques and fabrication by hand to ensure the stability, performance, durability and longevity of every boat. During the 2018-19 boat show season, Brig will be unveiling the exciting, luxurious Eagle 8, a dayboat and cruiser.
For more information about Sirocco Marine and Brig Boats, visit www.siroccomarine.com and https://brigusa.com.
tags: Company Expansions, Dealerships, Inflatable Boats, New Boat Models
