Larry, you sentimental, emotional old dog you.

You're probably one of those guys that thinks they should keep the plant open, Brunswick shouldn't earn a profit, Irwin Jacobs is your hero, and the whole industry should lose money in order to maintain tradition.

Dolinski was right about you!!

Big D

Mr. Furst - you hit it right on the head.  Brunswicks promises mean nothing.  By Just1 I also totally agree.  Numbers are very important to Brunswick and that is how I see they treat the employees that have taken great pride in building a high quality boat for many years.  Employees are just numbers - forget about their families and their community is that not what these college boys think. You cannot build a boat on a piece of paper but you would think they would know that - afterall they have the big degree that makes them know everything.

Mr Investor and risk taker, you "opted out of the sales end of this business".

So those who can't do teach?  I'd imagine you do "know what chapter 11 and 7 area all about".

You've still missed the point that Mr. Furst raised and I tried to point out.

To Tracy, Brian, Mr. Investor and 1941 it is all about Six Sigma developed by Toyota. Go lean and have your quality hit the skids. Thats what it is all about today

Mr. Furst wrote:

"There is a reason why Alumacraft has been the one to watch in their markethare gains in minnesota. They pay atention to their distribution and manage their business to move their dealers forward!"

It would seem, Mr Investor and risk taker, that the emotion and sentiment you speak of can be useful.  It was employed by Alumacraft to eliminate their excessive production capcacity by capturing Crestliner's market share.

Now go analyze some more numbers.

I was there for 8 years of the Crestliner ride and a very fun ride it was! Working with a VERY DEDICATED group on the Crestliner side and a similarly dedicated and proactive dealer network. If I remember correctly, it was something like 3500 annual unit sales to start and as Brian says, over 12,000 annual unit sales a decade later (and not just little cartoppers either). Now that's a real boom by anyone's definition.

Sorry to see it played to look like a house of cards by the new guys from Brunswick. It wasn't a house of cards or a numbers game shill. Crestliner was the real deal for that decade and every single line worker, manager, office staff, sales rep, and darn near every dealer understood we were involved in something a heck of a lot bigger than any one of us. It was like being in a whirlwind that just kept going and going.

I still whip out the ol' Billy Bobber Tshirt or the Antolik Open commemorative golf hat (first round I ever shot) from time to time. It's hard to believe it crumbled so fast.

Those fine craftsmen in Little Falls have proven themselves as a solid, hard-working, honest and true crew and I sure hope another great business comes in (or grows nearby) to provide an honest days work for every last person.

Nothing but great memories and great lessons--thanks all!

As a former dealer, now retired, I have watched helplessly as a once proud company and its great employees become victims of bean counters and uncaring larger corporate decisions.

In my opinion, the best Crestliner operation ever was under the ownership of Del Smith and his partners. They truly cared about not just the plant and employees, but the dealer network. We were so proud of the quality, the uniqueness of products (pocket battleships, lovingly), custom ordering, wonderful and informative brochures, top shelf parts/warranty department, efficient loaders in the shipping department, even crusty old Adolph, highly skilled employees in the welding, canvas, upholstery, paint and other departments. And, a friendly and fun office staff. Those were the days! And did we ever have a ball selling the boats. When we heard about the sale to absentee owners, we literally groaned, because the writing was on the wall. Each year, the company would implode a bit farther; too much emphasis on the male buyer and fishing models, less emphasis on family boating, lack of morale within the ranks. It was difficult to watch, but we dealers were paralyzed and had no strength in our meager numbers. A few years ago, when Brunswick decided to eliminate nearly all the individual dealers and assign larger specific territories to Crystal-Pierz Marine, I told my wife that that would be the death knell for Crestliner. Why would you put nearly all your money on one dealer group? It's craziness, that's what.

So what to do? I'd like to see local money, banks, individuals, employees and yes, even the union, to buy back the brand. Go back to what made your boats different and popular. Stay with welded aluminum, build product for the families, set quality standards that cannot be matched, repair your dealer network, build what you can honestly sell and buyers will knock your doors down to buy the boats. I guarantee it.

If you need a manufacturing model, look at Cobalt in Neodosha KS. They "get it" and they sell boats at a premium price.

Now, let me offer one more secret. You have a hidden asset that cannot be purchased or sold. Your former retail customers. Aluminum boats rarely wear out and I personally have seen literally every one of the boats I have sold still being used. Some have had mulitiple owners and repowers, some were passed down in the family. Imagine if those buyers could buy a new boat like the old boat? Somebody with some smarts should be able to find those buyers and contact them. Owner loyalty is fantastic and you could literally go to the bank with that loyalty.

So, what to offer? I'd like to recommend a 15' runabout, rated for 75hp and affordable as an entry model. And don't put every option on it. Just the basics, speedo/tach/horn, decent seating and a choice of 3 colors. Also, a 16' runabout with a 90hp rating, same equipment. Offer canvas, tilt wheel, coolers, storage covers, stereo, etc, but only through the dealership. Prerig is ok, but allow the dealers to offer the motors and trailers and the customer to choose his power. In other words, keep it simple. After you re-establish the brand and ONLY when customers ask for them, then build larger boats, but limit the length to around 21'. That size allows for easy trailering and launching.

That's it. I'd welcome your comments and rebuttals. Best of luck to all of you who really care and thanks for reading.

"— a net loss of $124 million, or $1.40 per diluted share, compared with a net loss of $66.3 million, or 75 cents per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2008."

Mr. Furst, this speaks volumes and you have little to go on except sentiment and emotion.  There is but little choice to eliminate excessive production capacity in an ever decreasing market.