Press Release
Boats.com Extends Jump Start Program for Manufacturers - More than 90 boat companies and 3,500 dealers are Affiliates with more joining the marine industry's number one online resource each month
By Ken Grimes, [email protected]
LAKE FOREST, IL, December 5, 2025 - Today, boats.com, Inc., (www.boats.com) announced the extension of its "Jump Start" program for boats.com Affiliates - an industry first that has helped numerous marine manufacturers quickly get their products and dealer networks onto the Internet and immediately in front of a new breed of consumer. Based on the tremendous success in 2001 where Jump Start drove a six-fold increase in registered dealers, the program will now run through the end of 2002, opening the doors for another complete selling season.
"The Jump Start initiative has firmly cemented our position as the
industry's primary online resource and it has helped boats.com reach a
critical mass of dealer members, but most importantly, it achieved similar
success for our Manufacturer Affiliates and their dealer networks," said
Paul Rabe, president, chief operating officer and co-founder, boats.com.
"Our OEM partners recognized that they needed a majority of their dealers
participating online to take advantage of this new medium - boats.com has given them a solution."
Boats.com worked closely with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and Marine Retailers Association of America to create a program that would provide a level playing field for all manufacturers and continue to encourage the marine industry to work together to grow the sport of boating.
"The NMMA's support of boats.com was built on the vision of providing a level playing field for all manufacturers and their dealers working together to help introduce new boaters to our sport," said Thom Dammrich, president, National Marine Manufacturers Association. "The Jump Start program makes it very attractive for manufacturers to use this channel to market their product and to drive consumers from the Web to their dealerships."
The Jump Start program is now available to all boats.com Manufacturer Affiliates through the end of 2002. Through a NetAccess subscription, Jump Start creates a premium program designed to upgrade a manufacturer's base level affiliation by offering additional Internet links, direct consumer emails and monthly, customized traffic reports. The Dealer Listings component of Jump Start encourages manufacturers to help their dealer networks get "wired" by offering group rates for an entire dealer network.
"From a dealer perspective, the boats.com Jump Start initiative is a perfect blend of promotion and accountability," said Phil Keeter, Marine Retailers Association of America, president. "On boats.com, the OEM and the dealer are both involved in the entire process, so each can see the other's contributions and combined results - more traffic, more sales."
Currently, the Jump Start programs is open for enrollment and available to all boats.com Manufacturer Affiliates; which today number more than 90 and represent more than 2,300 models of new boats. Other manufacturers can join once they have registered as a boats.com Affiliate. By purchasing a Dealer Listings Services package through the Jump Start program, Manufacturer Affiliates are providing access to the boats.com pre-owned listing service and new boat showroom for their dealer network. Dealers included in the agreement can list an unlimited number of pre-owned boats on boats.com, complete with pictures and product specifications, have their own MarineSite(tm) and have new boat show rooms that showcase all of their products and services. Manufacturers that are involved in this new initiative are supporting their dealer groups by bringing new technology and consumers to their showrooms in a very cost effective and efficient manner.
For more information out about the Jump Start program or boats.com Affiliate program, manufacturers can call 847-604-8629 or email [email protected].
About boats.com
Through boats.com, marine dealers and manufacturers are utilizing a new channel of operation and consumer interaction. Boats.com enhances the capabilities of the boating industry by offering a range of unique products, online and offline that help sell, finance, insure and market all marine product lines. In addition to boats.com, the company operates other marine-oriented Web sites including YachtWorld, the world's leading Web marketplace for brokerage-listed boats.
With an established network of industry alliances - including the exclusive endorsements from the industry's two leading associations, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and the Marine Retailers Association of America (MRAA) - and strategic Internet alliances such as eBay Inc (www.boats.com/ebay), boats.com provides an unmatched level of consumer access to information, boat listings, accessories, and financial and insurance products for the marine industry.
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