We Hear You

You would think that the primary reason that Edson takes out space at a boat show would be to present and sell the products we make. That is true to a certain extent. But there is another very good reason to go to the boat shows. It is where we get a chance to look our customers straight in the eye and listen to what they have to say to us. It gives us a chance to connect with old friends in the boating industry and discuss where our customers have taken their boats during the year and the adventures they've had.

But more than anything, it gives us a chance to listen. To you, the boat owner. To you, the retail dealer. To you, the wholesale distributor. And to you, the boat builder. We hear what you want from us, what you like to see changed. What you would like us to do better. And on occasions we hear complaints. And we also get a lot of compliments. We never get tired of the compliments. But we also don't get tired of complaints or suggestions either. Edson customers are very bright people with enormous experience. Interacting with all of you is a bright spot of any boat show.

So keep going to the shows. Keep reading the blog. Keep making suggestions. And keep giving us new ideas. We're listening and what we hear is very good.

Watch Your Language! Sailing Jargon...

Sailing Jargon developed so that orders and instructions could be clear and the required actions could be properly taken for safe and proper maneuvering…..But sometimes what is said and what somebody heard are two different things.

One night I was sitting around with some non-sailors listening to one of them tell of his first experience sailing. It was hard of him to remember all of the correct nomenclature so I jumped in to help, but I preferred some of his terms better as being more descriptive. He had gotten a ride on a 35 footer for a Wednesday night beer can series. Lou described the experience fondly and looked forward to another opportunity to sail again.

“Everybody on the boat had a job. Mine was to sit on the high side except when I was cranking.” He began his tale.

“Grinding”, I said.

“Yeah, grinding that winch thing that pulls in the rope,” he continued.

“Sheet”, I interrupted.

“Yeah, for that sail out front. The one that sounds like a, um, a salami.”

“Genoa”, I said.

“Yeah, that one. The boats were all getting close together near the starting line. It was pretty scary and lots of people were yelling as the boats got closer and closer. I looked up front and it looked like we were about to crash into another boat. I was sure we were going to crash and crash hard. I was afraid someone would be hurt. Just then a guy on the front of our boat stared yelling “FALL OFF! FALL OFF!”….. So I did.”

At that point I had tears in my eyes from laughing but the other guys were silent and confused. I did some explaining and the other guys finally laughed but it was still funnier to a sailor then a non sailor.

Lou was picked up by a nearby boat and watched the balance of the racing from the yacht club. That was enough for the first ride. Although he was wet it did not dampen his experience and he is ready to sail again, but this time he may ask a couple of questions before he jumps!

Happy Sailing!

Ed Stiess

V.P. - Marine Division

Water, Water, Everywhere

You don’t need TV’s “The Weather Channel” to tell you that this year’s New England summer has been one of the rainiest in recent memories. Seems like every glance at a weather radar screen shows a myriad of rainbow colors, all indicating a downpour of biblical proportions centered over one or more of our favorite boating destinations. So you’d think that the wet weather combined with the recent economic downturn would make for empty anchorages and abandoned harbors? Not on your life!

We’re thrilled to report that our local islands are still filled with abundant numbers of sailboats and recreational fishing boats. Taking a sailboat to a recent regatta on Martha’s Vineyard, both Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound were alive with boats old and new, from decadent Mega-Yachts to elegant and simple Wianno Seniors. Maddie, the launch driver of 10years at the Edgartown Yacht Club said it was an incredibly busy weekend for her as she shuttled both racers and cruisers back and forth to their boats in Edgartown Harbor. I couldn’t help noticing the Edson Powerwheel and Pro Series Knob on the launch which made her job maneuvering in close quarters much easier.

Checking the fishing report in the local papers revealed that on the same weekend, a local fisherman pulled in a 59lb Striped Bass just south and west of Martha’s Vineyard. Other fishermen are reporting great fluke off Lucas Shoals in Vineyard Sound. And in just a week or so, the Bluefish will be running in Buzzards Bay making for a superb fishing season, rain notwithstanding.

Finally, Edson will once again be on board to support the Buzzards Bay Regatta, which typically sees over 1500 avid sailors participating in one of the largest multi-class regattas on the East Coast. From Lasers to the big IRC yachts, the fleet will be headed to South Dartmouth starting on August 7-9th. Rain or shine, there will be great racing and a great party afterwards. Why not join in the fun? And don’t forget your rain gear!

Recently I spent a wonderful day with Edson’s Foundry Manager, Bruce Perry, at the Wooden Boat Show in Mystic, CT.

Mystic Seaport is the perfect venue for this collection of classy vessels of all shapes, makes and sizes. We saw Brian Rieff Boat Builders and his prize Newport 29 – “Iolanthe”, Concordia Boatyard – “SAVU”, Rockport Marine- “Bernice”, Beetle Inc., Pease Boatworks – “First Light”, Amistad, a size 2 worm steerer, with past captain Bill Pickney just to name a few. The tents and grounds were full. Many must-touch type items.

The one item that I saw the most of were Edson Power Knobs. There were probably 10 – 12 sprinkled around the show and at use on seaport vessels. Power Knobs continue to be one of Edson’s most popular products.

If you have never been to Mystic Seaport and the Wooden Boat Show I highly recommend it.

Our best,

Hank Keene, General Manager

Bruce Perry, Foundry Manager

133' Dubois INMOCEAN Steering Inspection

It is always delightful to meet with a happy customer. This was the case a couple of weeks ago when I met Richard Hollis captain of Inmocean a 133’ Dubois designed sloop that was built at Fitzroy Yachts in New Zealand.

The boat had just arrived in Newport for some maintenance. They had sailed the boat 17,000 miles since it was launched eight months ago. Every mile hand steered! The first voyage was from New Zealand to San Francisco from there back to the South Pacific and then on to Panama and up to Newport. Richard liked the feedback and sensitivity provided by the mechanical steering and also liked the two speed aspect of the geared steerers. It allows them to have ultimate feel on a nice sailing day but you can shift to a lower gear for power when the weather gets rough. He also uses the high gear in the harbor for quicker maneuvering.

We built the system with torque transfer shafts which allow for no intrusion onto the living areas and smoothly transfer the mechanical advantage aft to the quadrant.

It was good to see the equipment was in excellent condition and needed little adjustment after such a vigorous cruise. It is also an honor to be on such a well appointed and well looked after yacht.

Ed Stiess

V.P. Marine Division

Shopping Made Easy

How do you like to shop? Are you a keyboard commando, hunting down the best internet bargains? Do you beat a path to the mailbox to get the next new mail order catalog? Or are you the type to drive to a mall or specialty shop to wander the aisles and browse through store displays?

This past July 4th weekend, I was able to get out for a while with family on our boat, but spent probably more time doing what many others were doing during a holiday weekend: shopping. My wife will tell you that shopping is a sport, even to the extent that she wears her light weight athletic shoes and puts her valuables in a small fanny pack so she can keep her hands free to shop for bargains. I suspect that having free hands in the mall keeps other shoppers at bay while searching for these mall treasures. I’ve often wondered why she doesn’t buy more online, since she hates to waste time and nothing seems to cut into recreational time more than a trip to the hardware store or to the mall to pick up a needed sink gasket or birthday gift.

But I’m starting to “get” the idea of a shopping experience. Sometimes if I have some gadget that I need (or simply want), I like to see, touch, and fondle the contraption before I plunk my dollars on the counter. Maybe I’ll find an alternative gadget that will either do the job better or looks nicer that I would have never seen if I shopped online. And I’ve also picked out a product at a retail store and then went back home to do a price comparison at home online, even though I hated it when someone did that to me when I was a store salesperson. Often the price differential between the online and in store purchase doesn’t outweigh the immediacy and instant gratification of taking the product home with you. In this economy, the store owner that has the product in stock, bought and paid for, will often be more inclined to price match or even beat a mail order or internet price, just to keep cash flow going. This is all good news to the consumer with cash to spend.

Last weekend, I visited three different stores that warranted making an immediate purchase, solely on the merits of the level of customer service they provided. In two cases, they were specialty single brand stores that carried items that my children wanted. Both of the brands spent considerable money in making the retail experience something special and the store clerks had all the answers to the questions we asked making sure we were satisfied with the purchases. The last purchase was from a technology company that has made a reputation for design innovation, packaging, and superlative customer service. I left the store with confidence that their products were the best for my application and despite the fact that other companies built similar or “knock off” products, I really couldn’t accept any substitute. And once again, the store with a focus on a certain line of products offered a level of expertise that would be difficult to duplicate in a variety store or retail superstore.

So, as I look back, there are going to be times where I’ll shop online and rely on research, product evaluations, and price comparisons to make my purchase. But other times, I’m going to try to buy direct from the company that made the product since I know that I’ll get a level of quality and the ease of purchase comes from knowing my money is spent on the proper product. I’m just glad that Edson offers an assortment of ways for our customers to shop, from the Edson online store which celebrated a second birthday last month, to phone sales using our print and online catalogs, and to the hundreds of marine retailers that sell and install Edson products to our worldwide customer base. Let us know how you like to shop and we’ll keep trying to make the buying experience rewarding to you.

"I'm not letting go of my Edson Wheel"

Summertime has arrived in New England, the boats are in the water and the Striped Bass are here, all the things that make me happy.

However, what really puts a smile on my face was the fishing guide from Florida who called to order a wheel nut for his new boat. He told me he needed a new wheel nut so he could put his “old” Edson Wheel on his “new” boat. He said, “I was damned if I was going to let my Edson Wheel go with my old boat, so I told the buyer you can have everything on the boat but the Edson Wheel, I’m not letting go of it.”

It made me proud to know that all of us at Edson are producing cool products that our customers don’t want to part with. They may sell boats, but they hold onto all their Edson products that are not screwed to the boat.

In this day and age of disposable and throw-away products, it’s nice to be swimming against the stream. For the past 150 years Edson has been making products we believe will stand the test of time. We’ve created quite a loyal following in the process. I can’t see any reason to change what we offer now. In the words of Ruskin – “There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey”. We live by these words at Edson and we work at producing the “best” everyday. We don’t think of our customers as “prey”, we think of you as friends.

The Striped Bass are running through Buzzards Bay so if you don’t find me at my desk I am probably “on the water – product testing”.

Fair Winds and Tides,

William Keene/President