The Time is NOW to Arrange Upcoming Season of Boating!

Yes, I know it’s the middle of winter, but now’s the time to be making plans for the upcoming boating season!

GATEWAY PROGRAM: 

The Gateway Program Hard Schedule Bid for the months March - August occurs in February right after the Seattle Boat Show!  New entrants enter our new boat fleet initially on the bottom of the list... but the list rotates down two positions with each bid, so any new entrant prior to February will bid AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.  

Those who get a Gateway share after the bid will be taking time after all the other members have already bid, so it’s a big benefit to getting your share before the end of the show that starts next week and runs January 23 – February 2.

We have shares available in all the current Gateway boats including:

-         2013 28’ Aspen C90

-         2014 32’ Aspen C100

-         2014 Nordic Tug 39

And we currently have two all new boat models under construction:

-         2015 38’ Aspen C111

-         2015 40’ Nordic Tug (New modernized Stretched version of the 39 w/larger aft cockpit, gunnel doors, and many other improvements)

NEW NORDIC TUG OR ASPEN:

For potential new whole boat buyers, if you desire to own your prized Nordic Tug or Aspen this season, you need to have your boat under construction ASAP, as in now! 

Both Nordic Tugs and Aspen have order backlogs, so depending upon what you want you may already be looking at a delivery that’s late in the season.  The sooner you start the build process, the sooner you will be enjoying time in your quality new boat!

See you at the show and on the water!

Gateway Yachts to Buy Four Nordic Tugs in Innovative Order Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                   March 22, 2013

Gateway Yachts of Anacortes, WA and Nordic Tugs Inc. of Burlington, WA announce a multi-boat deal to place Nordic Tugs yachts into Gateway’s Fractional Ownership Program.

This four boat deal provides for the immediate purchase of a new Nordic Tug 34 along with options for two more Nordic Tug 34’s and one Nordic Tug 39. Total retail value of the deal exceeds $1.7 million at current list prices.

Gateway’s innovative Fractional Ownership Program dramatically lowers the cost of boat ownership, opening up the market to a much larger demographic. Gateway manages all aspects of yacht ownership providing top-quality all-inclusive service right down to the clean and shine. This successful approach is developing fierce customer loyalty and strong demand for Fractional Ownership and Charter services. “It’s the perfect solution for those aspiring to experience the joys of cruising in a Nordic Tug without the financial commitment of full ownership,” says George Armendariz, General Manager of Nordic Tugs.

“Combining that innovative service with Nordic Tugs’ top quality recreational trawlers is the perfect match,” claims Nate Martin, Founder of Gateway Yachts. Nordic Tugs are known for the attention to detail built into every fuel efficient tug styled yacht. They are the perfect year round cruiser for inland and offshore boating.

As a part of the purchase agreement, Gateway Yachts and Nordic Tugs will jointly market the program with Gateway focusing on the sale of fractional shares and Nordic Tugs’ dealers concentrating on the sale of whole boats. The program will be initially centered in the Pacific Northwest where Gateway Yachts will serve boaters seeking a professionally managed fractional share. Those wishing the ‘full ownership experience’ can rely on the staff of Nordic Northwest Yacht Sales. According to Martin, the program will gradually expand to other key boating areas across the country. Anacortes Trawler Fest (May 16^th to May 19^th) will be the launch event of this innovative marketing strategy.

The Gateway Program is patterned after Berkshire Hathaway’s Netjets corporate jet fractional ownership program. One eighth fractions of a Nordic Tug yacht includes 5 weeks of advance scheduled use per year plus unlimited open time availability. This ground-breaking program produces the lowest cost method of ownership as compared to charters or even most ‘fly-to-destination’ vacations.

The program’s concierge-level service creates a rewarding, hassle-free ownership experience. High operational availability is ensured by a fleet of new Nordic Tugs, with their traditional craftsmanship and durable build quality. “By featuring Nordic Tugs, which are made in America, the program turns a turbulent economy upside-down, proudly creating jobs right here in Washington State”, adds Martin.
Nordic Tugs are among the most fuel efficient in the industry. Along with the inherently ‘green’ characteristic of fractional ownership, this program is the most environmentally friendly power boating experience possible.

Fractional Ownership Program details can be found at www.GatewayYachts.com. Further information about Nordic Tugs is available at www.nordictugs.com.

PDF LINK: Joint Press Release

Gateway News - February 2013

- Seattle and Vancouver Shows Huge Success. Though overall traffic at both shows was down incrementally, sales and sales leads were up strongly for both Aspen and Gateway. The combined energy and marketing technique were quite evident in the Seattle display which had a much larger presence this year than last thanks to the combination of Aspen, Gateway, and input from investors and all who contributed. The power of sharing and working together was evident, it is a cornerstone of Gateway’s philosophy.

The Vancouver show was a test for Gateway to see if Canadians are willing to make the trip across the border and that was received quite positively. Again thank you to Aspen for the effort and for being open to the power of cooperation. We have many contacts to follow-up with and will be in touch shortly…

Gateway’s summer schedule is beginning to fill up, so if your goal is boating this season then acting soon is advisable. Demo rides are occuring now in the C90, and will begin shortly in Gateway’s new C100.

- GATEWAY & ASPEN WIN BEST BOAT DISPLAY, SEATTLE BOAT SHOW.

Through a massive combined effort, the Gateway/Aspen booth this year held a 100% full scale wood mockup with a picture display “How To Build a Boat 101,” an innovative Aspen C90, the Prototype Aspen C100 “Gateway II,” and nearly 300 square feet of custom wood decking made just for the show. Gateway played a large role in the C100, C110 investor relations, C110 mockup, and in setting up the display.

We believe this independently judged award substantiated the most innovative booth at the largest show on the west coast. Innovative way to build a boat, innovative boat, and innovative way to own a boat!

Thank you to all who contributed, a lot of long hours went into this year’s display.

GATEWAY FLEET TO GO ALL AIS

Gateway Yachts will become the first fractional/charter company to install AIS (Automated Information System) fleetwide.

Gateway’s C100 that is now in production at Aspen’s Snohomish facility will be the first in the Gateway fleet to feature the new AIS. All future Gateway boats will also come equipped with a Garmin 600 AIS receiver/transponder that integrates with the Garmin 200 VHF radio and chartplotter. Boats already in service will be upgraded with AIS this spring.

The AIS transponder lets others view & track your position and you can also view AIS equipped boats while navigating on the chartplotter (you can also have family members/friends track your trip progress too, please visit our new AIS tracking page). This integration also allows you to track and hail other AIS equipped boats while enroute (imagine keeping track of your friends on an owner’s cruise). This equipment represents a big jump in safety, especially for operations in a low visibility environments.

Gateway In the News...

Fractional yacht sales: Buyers share cost, time on the water

by Jacob Buckenmeyer | May 09, 2012

Dreaming of yacht ownership, but losing sleep at a quarter-million-dollar price tag?

Nathan Martin could make your dreams come true.

Martin is the owner of Gateway Yachts at Cap Sante Boat Haven, and he’s selling fractional shares of a 28-foot 2013 Aspen C90 diesel catamaran.

For $34,900, potential pleasure cruisers can own one-eighth of a fully loaded, fuel efficient luxury boat.

“If you can afford a car, you can afford a share,” Martin said.

The share includes five weeks of scheduled time on the boat every year, plus open time when no other owners are scheduled.

“That’s a big benefit for local owners,” Martin said. “If there’s a nice day in December, they can call me up and I’ll get the boat ready.”

A monthly management fee of $290 pays for moorage, insurance, maintenance and cleaning. Martin said he even handles concierge service, stocking the yacht with food and beverages, kayaks and other things owners might request.

Martin said his business is just another way that the pleasure boating industry is adapting to a tough economy.

“After 2007, boat sales took a tremendous hit,” he said.

Three years ago, looking to streamline the build process, Aspen contracted with Nordic Tugs in Burlington to build hulls for their yachts. Martin said his own partnership with Aspen didn’t just lower prices, but it made yacht ownership more practical to a marginal market.

“There’s two types of people who will be most interested,” he said. “It’s a low-risk, low-cost way for people new to boating to get into it.”

He said the other target group is experienced boaters who are tired of maintaining an expensive boat that they rarely use.

If one-eighth isn’t enough boat, Martin also sells larger shares (one-fourth and one-half), depending on how much boating his customers want each year.

Martin negotiates the schedule between the owners. If anyone doesn’t use their time, he tries to schedule a charter and pass the earnings on to the owner.

“And after seven years, the boat is sold and the money is divided back to the owners,” he said. “That way we keep the program young and fresh.”

According to a press release last week, Aspen plans to place four more yachts into Gateway’s fractional ownership program. It’s a $1.3 million retail deal for a new Aspen C90, which Martin said is coming this summer, and options for two more 28-foot Aspen C90s and a 36-foot C110.

At Trawler Fest next week at Cap Sante Boat Haven, Martin is teaming up with Aspen founder Larry Graf to market both outright and fractional ownership.

Martin said his boat, and an identical one from Aspen, will be docked stern-to-stern, and potential owners can explore both options.
Martin’s idea for fractional yacht ownership came from his days as a corporate pilot. He flew several jets for different corporations but rarely had a scheduling conflict. So he wondered why corporations didn’t share their aircraft.

Now fractional aircraft ownership companies such as NetJets make up more than half of corporate jet sales, Martin said.

Most of his potential customers have the money to buy a yacht fraction outright, but Martin said he founded his own financing business to bring ownership within even closer reach.

Buyers can put 30 percent down — as little as $10,500 — on their share of a yacht. Martin said traditional financing through a bank can be hard to obtain for fractional ownership.

Trawler Fest

Next week’s Trawler Fest is a celebration of the pleasure cruising lifestyle that begins Tuesday with Trawler Fest University at the Northwest Educational Service District 189 building, 1601 R Ave. Boats start arriving on Wednesday, and show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Seminars will cover topics from purchasing a trawler and refitting an older boat to anchoring tips and the latest navigational resources and technology.

General admission is $15 per day. Evening programs are extra and include cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, along with parties and shows begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the Seafarers’ Memorial Park Building. The award ceremony Saturday evening is at the Cap Sante Boat Haven hospitality tent.

Trawler Fest is produced by PassageMaker Magazine, a division of Dominion Enterprises.

GATEWAY TO BUY FOUR YACHTS IN INNOVATIVE ORDER ANNOUNCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    

                                                                          

GATEWAY TO BUY FOUR YACHTS IN INNOVATIVE ORDER ANNOUNCEMENT

Gateway Yachts of Anacortes, WA; and Aspen Power Catamarans of Snohomish, WA; announce a multi-yacht deal to place Aspen yachts into Gateway’s Fractional Ownership Program.

This four boat deal provides for the immediate purchase of a new Aspen C90 along with options for two more Aspen C90’s (28’) and one Aspen C110 (36’). Total retail value of the deal exceeds $1.3 million at current list prices. 

Gateway’s innovative fractional ownership program dramatically lowers the cost of yachting, opening up the market to a much larger demographic. Gateway manages all aspects of yacht ownership providing top-quality all-inclusive service right down to the clean and shine. This successful approach is developing fierce customer loyalty and strong demand for their Fractional Ownership and Charter services.

Combining that innovative service with Aspen’s innovative yachts is the perfect match. Aspen Power Catamarans holds an international patent on their fuel efficient design that is an Innovative Award Winner. Aspens are ultra stable boats incorporating state-of-the-art electronics and other design innovations that make them the perfect year round cruiser for Puget Sound to Southeast Alaska waters.

As a part of their purchase agreement, Gateway and Aspen will be jointly marketing their innovative products in a very innovative way. Beginning at the Anacortes Trawler Fest (May 17th to May 19th), look for two identical boats stern-to-stern… if you are interested in buying a whole boat, you talk to the fine folks at Aspen, or if you prefer a professionally managed fraction then you talk to Gateway.

The Gateway Program is similar to Berkshire’s Netjets corporate jet fractional ownership program, with 1/8 fractions of Aspen and Nordic yachts bringing 5 weeks of advance scheduled use per year plus unlimited open time availability. This ground-breaking program produces the lowest cost method of ownership there is, less expensive by far than sole ownership, an equivalent amount of charter, or even most fly-to-destination vacations.

The program’s concierge level service creates a better ownership experience, and an all-new fleet backed by quality manufacturers ensures high operability. Turning a turbulent economy upside-down, this program proudly creates and supports jobs right here in Washington State.

These yachts are the most fuel efficient in the industry; fractional ownership is inherently green; and that makes this program the most environmentally friendly power yachting experience possible.

Program details can be found at www.GatewayYachts.com.

CONTACT:
Larry Graf, Founder
Aspen Power Catamarans
15222 Connelly Road Snohomish, WA 98296
Phone: 360-668-4347

Nathan A. Martin, Founder
Gateway Yachts, LLC
2808 Morrison Ct. Anacortes, WA 98221
Phone: 253-229-1817

Unique Industry Teaming - Don’t Miss Trawler Fest!

Trawler Fest is coming to Anacortes May 15th through May 20th! This is the largest show of the year for Anacortes, and is also the most interesting as it includes ”Trawler Fest University,” online courses, seminars, and demonstrations that are interesting and educational. I hope everyone attends as it is a ton of fun!

This will be the first show in which Gateway Yachts is teaming up, stern to stern, with Aspen Power Catamarans of Snohomish, Washington. We will each have a brand new 2013 Aspen C90 at the show – if you want the whole enchilada, you see Larry Graf at Aspen, and if you want to smartly own a share professionally managed by Gateway, then you see us! Truly, this is a groundbreaking relationship that has the potential to reshape an entire industry as fractional ownership has already done with corporate aviation.

The relationship gets even more interesting when you consider that Aspen and Gateway have also teamed with Nordic Tugs of Burlington, Washington. Nordic Tugs, known for their quality construction, actually constructs the hulls for Aspen, doing the majority of the fiberglass work. The boats are then assembled and finished at Aspen’s manufacturing facility in Snohomish. So much cooperation would have been unthinkable in this industry just a short time ago – my how quickly the power of cooperating can spread!

See you at Trawler Fest, don’t miss it!

Gateway Purchases Brand New 2013 Aspen C90

Gateway Yachts is very pleased to announce the acquisition of a brand new, fully equipped, 28’ Aspen C90! This is the very same boat on display at the recent Seattle Boat Show. A beautiful boat, 1/8 shares are now available, as is our summer charter schedule located here: Charter Availability

This boat is equipped with a modern Common-Rail Cummins turbo-diesel engine that is quiet, smooth, and sips the fuel. In fact, this is the world’s most fuel efficient boat its size and typically cruises at 17 mph while only burning 4 to 5 gallons per hour, that’s less than $20 an hour even at today’s high fuel price!

It also comes equipped with the latest line in Garmin Electronics, radar, sonar; Jensen high power sound system with Sirius Radio; bow and stern thrusters with remote control; polished teak & holly table, cabinetry, and hardwood floors; Wallas Heater; power windlass; showers in lav & aft cockpit; Zodiac with kicker; and a myriad of other options and features. Gateway has equipped this boat with everything needed, right down to your own personal King Sized bed sheets and two kayaks for exploring fun!

The first share goes to the Hylarides of Stanwood who are excited to have their summer boating vacations already scheduled. The kicker for them is that they have already booked a charter over one of their unused weeks, thus returning a large portion of their annual management fees back to them, and thus lowering already dramatically low costs. As if that deal on a brand new quarter million dollar boat isn’t enough, they are also able to enjoy unlimited Open Time availability for short notice and short duration outings!

Demo rides are available now, call today to schedule yours, or visit us at the Anacortes Boat Show this coming Friday, the 23rd of March through Sunday, the 25th. See you there!

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!