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Author Topic:   Boston Whaler Lays Off 70 Employees

Feejer posted 12-06-2008 07:38 AM ET (US)
[Posted without any sort of quotation or attribution, an article from another website, perhaps from http://www.wftv.com/news/18214044/detail.html, which specifies that it is copyright 2008 by wftv.com. with all rights reserved, and that the material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I do have to laugh about a prohibition against "rewritten" as that would probably have stopped them from publishing it in the first place. The article announced that Boston Whaler has laid off about 70 employees.--jimh]
tombro posted 12-06-2008 07:46 AM ET (US)
[I] was not surprised by the layoffs, but rather the production totals. If correct, one boat produced a month is truly an unsettling sign of the times. Wow!
draftsman posted 12-06-2008 09:03 AM ET (US)
Everglades also shut their doors for at least a month, Edgewater just hanging on. Not good signs.
alvispollard posted 12-06-2008 09:23 AM ET (US)
I question the one boat/mo. I was in the plant the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and saw at least a dozen boats in the assembly lines almost finished. Several others were out the door awaiting to be wrapped. Many others were wrapped awaiting to be shipped. Met some good people. Sorry to hear about the layoffs. 2009 will be a tough year in all sectors and especially in discretionary spending areas like boats.
Dan posted 12-06-2008 09:47 AM ET (US)
Wow, terrible news. So many skilled workers who will no longer be making Whalers.
My wife works at Newsday. Every December they lay off about 5 percent of the work force. Even if they make money -- this makes the bottom line look better. Among others, they fired the whole photography department and 2 sportswriters. A newspaper that tries to have local appeal, will now be unable to include photographs of local events. It doesn't make sense. Of course the firings always come before the holidays and new year -- which of course is the worst time to look for a job.
Feejer posted 12-06-2008 05:26 PM ET (US)
Time to have a 50% off sale.
fourdfish posted 12-06-2008 05:27 PM ET (US)
A sad situation! Almost an empty feeling! We all need to keep our hopes up that things will recover soon.
Whalerdog posted 12-06-2008 05:55 PM ET (US)
I feel for the millions who have lost their jobs. If you look at the 533,000 who lost their job this past month I guess you need to really multiply by the average family size to get the real number it impacts and then some to ommediate family. Sad but I don't think this will end for a long time. God Bless them.
spkrmakr posted 12-06-2008 05:57 PM ET (US)
Greetings all! I have enjoyed reading much information here for several weeks. To do my part to help the economy and Boston Whaler I purchased a new 2008 170 Montauk two weeks ago from Treasure Island Marina in Panama City, Florida. Though it has been too cold to go out much I suffered through and have made two trips into the water. I sure love the boat.
Sad to hear about the plant and the many who will be fearful for the holidays. Since it could be any of us we sure better be thankful for what we have. As a native of Central Florida I know the area around the plant well and there is not much in terms of industry or service to absorb these skilled but displaced souls. I will keep them all in my thoughts and prayers since many had a hand in building my new Whaler!
Bob
BlueMax posted 12-06-2008 06:45 PM ET (US)
I went down to Wilmington, North Carolina, today and as I passed my MarineMax dealer I was shocked to see it looking abandoned with the yard right off Hwy-17 empty except for two empty boat trailers and the building itself looking uninhabited. I don't know how long it has been like that. I was down there only two weeks ago and do not recall seeing all the boats gone from the yard. I surely would have noticed as I always look to see what is on display in every boatyard I pass especially theirs (even it is just someone's driveway, or a storage yard, or even simply boats for sale on the side of the road, I love to look). Now I think I understand no one answering the phone when I called last weekend to set up a year-end service appointment, I just figured they were still on Thanksgving break.
How do you handle any possible warranty service if there are no authorized dealers within 100 to 200 miles of you? Yes - I know "drive further" but... realistically, if Boston Whaler were to say "we only service what we sell and the last authorized dealer is right here at the manufacturing plant", would all of North America be expected to go to Florida for service? Just how does something like that work in reality? Would I now need to go to Myrtle Beach (two and a half hours of travel) - or Charleston (almost five hours of travel)? And that is assuming those dealers even still exist.
BlueMax posted 12-06-2008 06:53 PM ET (US)
PS - There was a sweet Edgewater 170 on display in the center courtyard at the mall. I didn't get a look at the price as my wife snarled "keep walkin'" when my eyes glazed over. Ha.
Man - You know you're getting older when you're in a mall full of teen-age and twenty-something college girls and the word "sweeeeet" inadvertently escapes your lips.... and the wife knows you're looking at the boat or car on display.... sheesh! ^@^ (for you deep)
catirruana posted 12-06-2008 08:43 PM ET (US)
Allvispolar you are right on questioning the production quantities. Whaler produces way more than 1 boat a month. The employee (Greg Eagle) was talking about a specific boat/model line that he worked on. I can't say the number of boats produced but there are in the dozens a week between all models that Whaler have.
fourdfish posted 12-07-2008 10:52 AM ET (US)
BlueMax--What about the Marine Max dealer in Wrightsville?
They have several boats up for auction on E-Bay including a
Dauntless.
BlueMax posted 12-07-2008 11:28 AM ET (US)
Fordy - I plan to check with them in Wrightsville, that is actually where I purchased my boat but the Wilmington store was their actual service department. I figured to call tomorrow (Monday) and see what the scoop is, they certainly don't have any room in Wrightsville to keep customer boats so I wonder how they will handle any servicing issues (there is a huge parking lot across from them, but it does not belong to them it is one of the other dealer's and a yacht club's - they told me once before that I could not even park there when I was visiting in the store and I had to go move the truck). This is certainly "interesting times" we have entered.
TRAFFICLAWYER posted 12-07-2008 11:31 AM ET (US)
"We were just turned around at the guard shack, taken upstairs and told we didn't have a job," said Greg Eagle.
A fine example of corporate cowardice.
Dan posted 12-07-2008 01:10 PM ET (US)
Funny commentary BlueMax. I often think life is one big connect the dots of humiliating moments. I wonder if 4 or 5 of the people who were laid off from Boston Whaler could start a business of fixing up classic whalers. For a set amount a person could drop off their classic whaler and get various work done. Just a thought. It's a shame to waste so much talent.
jimh posted 12-07-2008 04:43 PM ET (US)
I do not think there is any provision in the Boston Whaler Ten-Year Limited Hull Warranty that requires that the company make service outlets available at any certain maximum distance from the owner.
fourdfish posted 12-07-2008 06:39 PM ET (US)
I'm sure that is true Jim. However sales and repairs depends on the dealers and It will be more difficult to get back in business if your dealer network has been decimated. Just look at what happened to OMC.
TRAFFICLAWYER posted 12-07-2008 07:15 PM ET (US)
Perhaps, Mr.Whalerman should have sold me that blank 305.
Oh well, too late now.
BlueMax posted 12-07-2008 07:21 PM ET (US)
The Boston Whaler Warranty: http://www.whaler.com/warrantyinformation/
Key exclusions: (italicized emphais mine)
(5) Any Boston Whaler boat initially sold at retail by a party other than an authorized Boston Whaler dealer.
(8) Any Boston Whaler boat which has been altered or modified from Boston Whaler factory specifications, including penetration of the hull by anyone other than Boston Whaler factory personnel or Boston Whaler authorized dealer service personnel following factory specified procedures.
(13) Any failure or defect arising from a previous repair made by a non-authorized service provider, unless the repair was pre approved by Boston Whaler.
Owner’s Obligations: To initiate a warranty claim, it is the responsibility of the purchaser to contact an authorized Boston Whaler dealer immediately after discovery of any defect, describe the nature of the problem, and provide a hull serial number, date of purchase, and name of selling dealer. The authorized dealer will notify Boston Whaler, who is solely responsible for determining and authorizing in writing the remedial action(s) to be performed at either an authorized Boston Whaler dealership chosen by Boston Whaler or at the Boston Whaler factory. The purchaser should notify Boston Whaler of any boat being repaired by an authorized Boston Whaler dealer which has been at the dealership for fifteen (15) days, or of any claimed defect which was not corrected after one repair attempt. Our privacy policies are available at www.whaler.com.

That's the point of my question - if it is a BW corporate decision that eliminates authorized dealerships throughout an entire region - Is just a "too bad, so sad" situation? Is there any "reasonable expectation" for owners to have their boats serviced under warranty by some other dealership's certified technician more regionally located because BW had to scale back their presence?
I would imagine so long as BW is making a "good faith" attempt to honor their warranties while dealing with business/economic changes, they are still legally servicing their contracts - no matter how inconvenient it is to any group or region of owners, but - how about if they closed all dealerships west of the Mississippi - would everyone in Cali that has a current valid warranty be expected to ship their boat across the US for all hull work in order to maintain the coverage? Does that extreme situation fall under some sort of bankruptcy-type "hey, we just can't support you where you live anymore - you took a chance on buying from us when times were good and we had a presence in your region but now you're screwed - sorry 'bout that" clause - ? Could BW be "compelled" to allow non-BW affiliated certified technicians do hull repairs?
Not that I expect something like that to happen, and I'm sure the Mercury issue is less of a challenge as there are many certified Merc technicians available in other, non-BW affiliated service centers - I'm just curious to the big "what if" doomsday scenario of no authorized BW dealerships around because corporate had to scale back operations. Would hull work fall under the same category of engine repairs - so long as the tech doing the work is BW certified (fiberglass or whatever) you're Okay to use them (I'm thinking of exclusion item #13 here).
Discuss....
RLwhaler posted 12-08-2008 12:23 AM ET (US)
Marine Max in North Houston has been shut down for three weeks.Their location near Nasa is back up after the hurricane.

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Author	Topic: Boston Whaler Lays Off 70 Employees
Feejer	posted 12-06-2008 07:38 AM ET (US) [Posted without any sort of quotation or attribution, an article from another website, perhaps from http://www.wftv.com/news/18214044/detail.html, which specifies that it is copyright 2008 by wftv.com. with all rights reserved, and that the material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I do have to laugh about a prohibition against "rewritten" as that would probably have stopped them from publishing it in the first place. The article announced that Boston Whaler has laid off about 70 employees.--jimh]
tombro	posted 12-06-2008 07:46 AM ET (US) [I] was not surprised by the layoffs, but rather the production totals. If correct, one boat produced a month is truly an unsettling sign of the times. Wow!
draftsman	posted 12-06-2008 09:03 AM ET (US) Everglades also shut their doors for at least a month, Edgewater just hanging on. Not good signs.
alvispollard	posted 12-06-2008 09:23 AM ET (US) I question the one boat/mo. I was in the plant the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and saw at least a dozen boats in the assembly lines almost finished. Several others were out the door awaiting to be wrapped. Many others were wrapped awaiting to be shipped. Met some good people. Sorry to hear about the layoffs. 2009 will be a tough year in all sectors and especially in discretionary spending areas like boats.
Dan	posted 12-06-2008 09:47 AM ET (US) Wow, terrible news. So many skilled workers who will no longer be making Whalers. My wife works at Newsday. Every December they lay off about 5 percent of the work force. Even if they make money -- this makes the bottom line look better. Among others, they fired the whole photography department and 2 sportswriters. A newspaper that tries to have local appeal, will now be unable to include photographs of local events. It doesn't make sense. Of course the firings always come before the holidays and new year -- which of course is the worst time to look for a job.
Feejer	posted 12-06-2008 05:26 PM ET (US) Time to have a 50% off sale.
fourdfish	posted 12-06-2008 05:27 PM ET (US) A sad situation! Almost an empty feeling! We all need to keep our hopes up that things will recover soon.
Whalerdog	posted 12-06-2008 05:55 PM ET (US) I feel for the millions who have lost their jobs. If you look at the 533,000 who lost their job this past month I guess you need to really multiply by the average family size to get the real number it impacts and then some to ommediate family. Sad but I don't think this will end for a long time. God Bless them.
spkrmakr	posted 12-06-2008 05:57 PM ET (US) Greetings all! I have enjoyed reading much information here for several weeks. To do my part to help the economy and Boston Whaler I purchased a new 2008 170 Montauk two weeks ago from Treasure Island Marina in Panama City, Florida. Though it has been too cold to go out much I suffered through and have made two trips into the water. I sure love the boat. Sad to hear about the plant and the many who will be fearful for the holidays. Since it could be any of us we sure better be thankful for what we have. As a native of Central Florida I know the area around the plant well and there is not much in terms of industry or service to absorb these skilled but displaced souls. I will keep them all in my thoughts and prayers since many had a hand in building my new Whaler! Bob
BlueMax	posted 12-06-2008 06:45 PM ET (US) I went down to Wilmington, North Carolina, today and as I passed my MarineMax dealer I was shocked to see it looking abandoned with the yard right off Hwy-17 empty except for two empty boat trailers and the building itself looking uninhabited. I don't know how long it has been like that. I was down there only two weeks ago and do not recall seeing all the boats gone from the yard. I surely would have noticed as I always look to see what is on display in every boatyard I pass especially theirs (even it is just someone's driveway, or a storage yard, or even simply boats for sale on the side of the road, I love to look). Now I think I understand no one answering the phone when I called last weekend to set up a year-end service appointment, I just figured they were still on Thanksgving break. How do you handle any possible warranty service if there are no authorized dealers within 100 to 200 miles of you? Yes - I know "drive further" but... realistically, if Boston Whaler were to say "we only service what we sell and the last authorized dealer is right here at the manufacturing plant", would all of North America be expected to go to Florida for service? Just how does something like that work in reality? Would I now need to go to Myrtle Beach (two and a half hours of travel) - or Charleston (almost five hours of travel)? And that is assuming those dealers even still exist.
BlueMax	posted 12-06-2008 06:53 PM ET (US) PS - There was a sweet Edgewater 170 on display in the center courtyard at the mall. I didn't get a look at the price as my wife snarled "keep walkin'" when my eyes glazed over. Ha. Man - You know you're getting older when you're in a mall full of teen-age and twenty-something college girls and the word "sweeeeet" inadvertently escapes your lips.... and the wife knows you're looking at the boat or car on display.... sheesh! ^@^ (for you deep)
catirruana	posted 12-06-2008 08:43 PM ET (US) Allvispolar you are right on questioning the production quantities. Whaler produces way more than 1 boat a month. The employee (Greg Eagle) was talking about a specific boat/model line that he worked on. I can't say the number of boats produced but there are in the dozens a week between all models that Whaler have.
fourdfish	posted 12-07-2008 10:52 AM ET (US) BlueMax--What about the Marine Max dealer in Wrightsville? They have several boats up for auction on E-Bay including a Dauntless.
BlueMax	posted 12-07-2008 11:28 AM ET (US) Fordy - I plan to check with them in Wrightsville, that is actually where I purchased my boat but the Wilmington store was their actual service department. I figured to call tomorrow (Monday) and see what the scoop is, they certainly don't have any room in Wrightsville to keep customer boats so I wonder how they will handle any servicing issues (there is a huge parking lot across from them, but it does not belong to them it is one of the other dealer's and a yacht club's - they told me once before that I could not even park there when I was visiting in the store and I had to go move the truck). This is certainly "interesting times" we have entered.
TRAFFICLAWYER	posted 12-07-2008 11:31 AM ET (US) "We were just turned around at the guard shack, taken upstairs and told we didn't have a job," said Greg Eagle. A fine example of corporate cowardice.
Dan	posted 12-07-2008 01:10 PM ET (US) Funny commentary BlueMax. I often think life is one big connect the dots of humiliating moments. I wonder if 4 or 5 of the people who were laid off from Boston Whaler could start a business of fixing up classic whalers. For a set amount a person could drop off their classic whaler and get various work done. Just a thought. It's a shame to waste so much talent.
jimh	posted 12-07-2008 04:43 PM ET (US) I do not think there is any provision in the Boston Whaler Ten-Year Limited Hull Warranty that requires that the company make service outlets available at any certain maximum distance from the owner.
fourdfish	posted 12-07-2008 06:39 PM ET (US) I'm sure that is true Jim. However sales and repairs depends on the dealers and It will be more difficult to get back in business if your dealer network has been decimated. Just look at what happened to OMC.
TRAFFICLAWYER	posted 12-07-2008 07:15 PM ET (US) Perhaps, Mr.Whalerman should have sold me that blank 305. Oh well, too late now.
BlueMax	posted 12-07-2008 07:21 PM ET (US) The Boston Whaler Warranty: http://www.whaler.com/warrantyinformation/ Key exclusions: (italicized emphais mine) (5) Any Boston Whaler boat initially sold at retail by a party other than an authorized Boston Whaler dealer. (8) Any Boston Whaler boat which has been altered or modified from Boston Whaler factory specifications, including penetration of the hull by anyone other than Boston Whaler factory personnel or Boston Whaler authorized dealer service personnel following factory specified procedures. (13) Any failure or defect arising from a previous repair made by a non-authorized service provider, unless the repair was pre approved by Boston Whaler. Owner’s Obligations: To initiate a warranty claim, it is the responsibility of the purchaser to contact an authorized Boston Whaler dealer immediately after discovery of any defect, describe the nature of the problem, and provide a hull serial number, date of purchase, and name of selling dealer. The authorized dealer will notify Boston Whaler, who is solely responsible for determining and authorizing in writing the remedial action(s) to be performed at either an authorized Boston Whaler dealership chosen by Boston Whaler or at the Boston Whaler factory. The purchaser should notify Boston Whaler of any boat being repaired by an authorized Boston Whaler dealer which has been at the dealership for fifteen (15) days, or of any claimed defect which was not corrected after one repair attempt. Our privacy policies are available at www.whaler.com. That's the point of my question - if it is a BW corporate decision that eliminates authorized dealerships throughout an entire region - Is just a "too bad, so sad" situation? Is there any "reasonable expectation" for owners to have their boats serviced under warranty by some other dealership's certified technician more regionally located because BW had to scale back their presence? I would imagine so long as BW is making a "good faith" attempt to honor their warranties while dealing with business/economic changes, they are still legally servicing their contracts - no matter how inconvenient it is to any group or region of owners, but - how about if they closed all dealerships west of the Mississippi - would everyone in Cali that has a current valid warranty be expected to ship their boat across the US for all hull work in order to maintain the coverage? Does that extreme situation fall under some sort of bankruptcy-type "hey, we just can't support you where you live anymore - you took a chance on buying from us when times were good and we had a presence in your region but now you're screwed - sorry 'bout that" clause - ? Could BW be "compelled" to allow non-BW affiliated certified technicians do hull repairs? Not that I expect something like that to happen, and I'm sure the Mercury issue is less of a challenge as there are many certified Merc technicians available in other, non-BW affiliated service centers - I'm just curious to the big "what if" doomsday scenario of no authorized BW dealerships around because corporate had to scale back operations. Would hull work fall under the same category of engine repairs - so long as the tech doing the work is BW certified (fiberglass or whatever) you're Okay to use them (I'm thinking of exclusion item #13 here). Discuss....
RLwhaler	posted 12-08-2008 12:23 AM ET (US) Marine Max in North Houston has been shut down for three weeks.Their location near Nasa is back up after the hurricane.