Boat builder hits sales record at Fort Lauderdale show

WANCHESE, N.C. – Sculley Boatbuilders, a builder of custom Carolina sportfishing yachts, debuted the new Sculley Custom 60 at the 2003 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and released of some of the company’s new marketing materials, including a 30 second TV spot that aired on The Weather Channel during the show, the company reported in statement Friday.

“The average custom Carolina boat builder sells only a few boats per year at best, and to go to a boat show and come away empty handed is not uncommon,” said the company’s marketing director, Jimmy Sculley. “But as many people in the sportfishing community are becoming aware of, Sculley is not your average builder.”

Only last February, Sculley debuted a newly launched Custom 60 at the Miami International Boat Show and sold not only the new 60, but also the 58 that the Sculley’s had been fishing tournaments and going to shows with for several years now.

The 2003 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show has been the best single show for Sculley thus-far, selling not only the new Custom 60, but also taking orders for a 58, a 64, and a 74 Custom Carolina Sportfisherman. There are also numerous other deals pending due to the interest generated by the new Custom 60, and from the company’s growing reputation as an unparalleled builder of luxury sportfishing yachts, Sculley reported.

With the four boats sold at the Fort Lauderdale show, and the two sold at the Miami show in February, Sculley has brought its total sales for the year to 6 vessels, 3 of them being custom built from the design stage. With more contracts pending, this number is likely to rise over the coming weeks, the company predicted.

The newly sold Sculley Custom 60 will be on display at the Miami International Boat Show in February of 2004 due to an agreement with the vessel’s new owner.

Sculley will now have vessels operating along the Eastern Seaboard, the Gulf Coast, and in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. As more vessels are bought and made available for public scrutiny, and as Sculley continues to fine-tune its marketing strategies, the number of Sculley vessels on the market should rise dramatically, the company predicted.

• For more of the latest news, click here.