Monday, January 23, 2012

Gateway in the News…

Having an innovative product is garnering some attention surrounding the shows that begin this week. Both the Sportsman’s Show and the Seattle Boat Show view Gateway’s concept as new and are using our concept to draw people in. We’ve already had a couple of articles and are running ads in three periodicals, but here’s the latest which just appeared in the Everett Herald:
Seattle Boat Show has much to offer boaters and outdoor enthusiasts

By Wayne Kruse,

As the hoary old saw goes: "There are two really happy days in a boater's life -- the day he buys his boat, and the day he sells it."

The quip never fails to bring a knowing look to those who take their recreation on the water. And there's a lot more rustic humor floating around as well: "Definition of a boat -- a hole surrounded by water down which you throw money," or something along those lines. You get the picture.

But where there's that much smoke, there is usually a little fire, and the folks at Gateway Yachts in Anacortes propose making your boating experience significantly less expensive and a lot less trouble. They'll be at the Seattle Boat Show, which opens Jan. 27, selling a fractional ownership plan for a range of Hewescraft, Nordic Tugs and Aspen models.
As a saltwater sport fisherman, for instance, you purchase a one-eighth chunk of a 22-foot Hewescraft Ocean Pro aluminum salmon fishing machine (an $80,000 boat) for about $11,000, and then block out five weeks over the next year for your boating pleasure. You're also eligible to use the boat during "open time" when other fractional owners are not aboard.

"A one-eighth share pencils out to be less than what you lose immediately on purchase of a new boat in off-the-lot depreciation," Gateway Yachts owner Nathan Martin said.

Your boat is moored in Anacortes, clean and well maintained, and ready for use at your instructions, for a management fee starting at about $235 per month. All craft are new or relatively new, and standard -- no pre-owned or miscellaneous boats here -- and equipped with the latest electronics: GPS, radar, remote-controlled autopilot, bow and stern thrusters and so forth.

Martin said the plan has specific tax advantages not found in such gigs as the old timeshare-condominium bubble.

"It's really more similar to the aircraft industry," Martin said, "where more than half the new business jets go into fractional ownership."

Shares come in one-eighth, one-quarter, and one-half blocks, or larger in one-eighth increments. After an initial two-year commitment, Martin said, owners can sell at any time, or Gateway will sell for a reasonable brokerage fee.

So what happens if a specific event -- say the Anacortes Salmon Derby -- is of major interest to more than one of the fractional share owners? Do you duke it out on the docks, or what?

"That type of thing is certainly an issue," Martin said. "We try to avoid it with a very comprehensive scheduling plan, and a formula involving 'tie-breakers.' A half-share owner, for instance, gets priority over an eighth-share owner, and senior owners -- those who bought first -- have priority. We act as referee if and when a conflict comes along."

For more information catch them at the show, go to gatewayyachts.com or call 800-573-0102.
See you at the show!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Upcoming Shows – Get Your VIP Tickets…

Yes, it’s already time to start thinking about the upcoming boat season as the big shows are now right around the corner. We’ll be at the Seattle Boat Show, the Puyallup Sportsmen’s Show, and the Anacortes Boat Show.

Gateway Yachts will have a booth inside Century Link Field at the Seattle Boat Show beginning January 25th, where Aspen will have a new C-90 on display under the roof as well. We still have VIP tickets available for opening night, so if you call or email your address we’ll send them to you – each ticket is good for two guests. Don’t miss the opening night gala!

And since Gateway now has its first Aspen C-90 in the water, we invite all interested parties to demo this terrific boat in Anacortes following the show. 
  • January 27th - February 5th, 2012 - Seattle Boat Show, CenturyLink Field and Lake Union. Don't miss the biggest event of the year and the start of the new boating season!



We’ll simultaneously have another booth in operation at the Sportsmen’s Show in Puyallup where our focus is on fishing and the Hewescraft Pacific Explorer and Ocean Pro.

Come on down and talk to Captain Ozzie – heck, he likes the Fractional Program and Hewescraft so much that he bought a share of the Pacific Explorer for himself and his photography business!
  • January 25th - January 29th, 2012 - Washington Sportsmen's Show, Puyallup Fairgrounds. This is the only Sportsmen's show in Washington State, and it's a big deal to fishermen! See all you sportsmen there!



Based in Anacortes, Gateway will have an Aspen on the water for viewing at Cap Sante Marina, our home port. This is an excellent opportunity to see the boat and all that Anacortes and San Juan Islands have to offer. Stay until after the show and we can give you a personalized taste of our concierge service and one of the most beautiful places on the planet!
  • March 23rd - March 25th, 2012 - Anacortes Boat Show, Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes, WA. Gateway to the San Juans, kick off the 2012 boating season the right way, with Gateway!




See you there!