Aug 1 – Skeeter Ride & Drive Follow Up

Skeeter Boat Center would like to thank everyone that spent part of their saturday with us testing one of the Skeeter Boats we had on hand at this last Ride and Drive out of Copeland Park / Clinton Street Boat landing in LaCrosse, WI this past saturday. The weather looked dicey on the drive over from Eau Claire but by the time 10 AM rolled around the dark clouds parted and the sun popped out making this event a success from start to finish!

We had the full lineup on hand with 3 bass boats, a 1950 and an 1880, two tillers and a fish-n-ski. No matter where your interests might fall if you made this event we had a boat on hand that would fit your fishing style!

The Skeeter Boat Center registration tent was the first stop for anyone interested in a test drive. Safety is stressed at all of our Ride N Drive events so one of the first steps before getting behind the wheel is getting fitted with a life vest. Dan Meyer, manager of Skeeter Boat Center, is shown in this photo manning the tent and keeping everything organized and running smoothly.

We had guests of all ages and interests in attendance. Some were seasoned veterans. Many would get their first chance to drive a higher end boat. Regardless, we were happy to see so many people come out and take a spin in one of the boats on hand and experience for themselves the ride, fit and finish and overall quality that Skeeter Boats has to offer.

James Holst was in attendance and in this photo is just about to take out Rob Abe and son in this pic and we’re pretty sure that his son’s HUGE smile was in response to James telling him “I’ll drive us out. You get to drive us back.”

Word is that Rob’s son drove the 1950 like an old hand and knew exactly what the throttle was for and how to put it to good use.

Thanks for coming out. Its great to see kids out with their parents at the Ride N Drives.

Jimmy Johnson’s bass boat was a popular ride at this event. Here we have Jimmy returning from one of MANY laps with a guest interested in seeing what a Skeeter bass boat is all about.

The results are in. Nothing but smiles!

The Skeeter WX 2000T is one of the most popular boats at these events for two reasons. 1) it is one incredible fishing platform that catches everyone’s eye at the first glance. 2) we’ve equipped it with an 1197 Humminbird! For anyone that wants to experience side imaging technology this is the platform to do it in. The 2000T was sent out over and over with loads of boaters interested in the ride quality, roominess and handling characteristics of the big tiller as well as getting a chance to see exactly what side imaging from Humminbird is all about.

Nobody returned disapointed.

Well, the August 1 Ride N Drive out of Copeland Park is a wrap but we’re not done with our Ride N Drives for the year. Not even close! Our next event will be held on Sep 10 – Sep 11 2009 at the Chippewa Flowage Musky Hunt in Hayward,WI. Mark this one on your calendars and if you are interested in attending and would like additional information on the event, give me a call. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

A special thanks go out to all of the Skeeter Pros in attendance at these events. They bring a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to answering any and all questions thrown there way by our guests and we couldn’t pull these Ride and Drives off without them! Thanks guys! Having a mix of experienced bass, walleye and muskie guys on hand that have a passion for sharing their knowledge of fishing, boats and electronics with all comers makes these events such an overwhelming success.

Nice job SBC! Looks like a great day for a ride in LaCrosse. Quite a few smiles in those pictures.

There sure was a lot of smiles. It was really nice to see that most of the people went out in a couple of differnt boats.

Thanks to all of the guys that made this possible! It was nice to finally meet James and Dan in person.

With my wife and two little boys along, we chose to ride in a 1880 and 1950. Each boat showed their different strengths and impressed me right off the bat. We started with the 1950. Walking up to the boat I was thinking, wow that looks like a big boat. What I really should say is that it has immense sides. They seem to go on forever. I was glad that they had a step ladder to help people get in. After driving around for a bit James gave me a very detailed tour of the 1950 and I was simply amazed with the layout of the boat and the well thought out “extras”. I see these “extras” as tools to help prevent problems for the owner and make fishing easier. When he opened up the first storage compartment on the front deck I was amazed as to to how deep it was. It could truly serve as nap quarters for my 3 and 1 year olds. This platform was more than I had even imagined, and I definitely go into things with very high expectations. I think it is safe to say that James and I both wished that there had been some real waves to hit on Saturday to really run the 1950 through the gauntlet. I would love to take this out to Lake Erie, or any “big” water, for a week. My guess is that my body would thank me for it too. BTW, the 1950 we ran had a Yami 225 4-stroke and T8 hanging on the back.

The 1880 we drove next had a Yami HPDI 200 on the back along with a T8. The combination of this hull and motor is athletic, quick, fast, precise…… Before I got behind the wheel James told me that this would seem more like a bass boat. I know this is James Holst talking, but I did say to myself “Okay”. But I do have to agree that this is one aggressive set-up. I coudn’t believe how quickly it got onto plain with the the people on board. I was in such awe of how this boat handled that I forgot to even open one hatch in the 1880. I doubt that the compartments are as cavernous as the 1950, but if they are even half as big most will anglers will be just fine. I can’t imagine what the new 1880’s are going to offer the angler.

As a little side note, it was nice to finally see the H-Birds SI in action. I can certainly see the advantages of using them wether you fish rivers or lakes!

Again thanks to everyone at Skeeter Boat Center and a special thanks to James for spending about 2 hours with me and my family!

If you have never been to one of these events, I can only say that it is a lot of fun for the whole family. The two bonuses are that you get to ride and drive a bunch of great boats and meet some VERY nice and Intelligent individuals.

Thanks,

FDR