I'm an owner of an Argentine Antares 44i. The latest update is the boats are still being built in
Argentina, and the yard is in full operation. The North American group - i.e. 'sales and marketing' is no longer around. The Argentine yard and current
boat owners are working together along with Rhumbline to create a market presence for the
boat without the previous overhead/structure.
The current direction is similar to how a Chris White boat is purchased. There is no formal 'Chris White' company, but an owner can
purchase a Chris White design and have it built at one of several yards.
In this case, the yard in Argentina for the Antares 44i is fully functional, exclusively building the Antares 44i. The yard has always been a stand alone entity, even when Rob/Jeff of Antares NA where still in the
game.
Antares 'may' still be at the
boat show, as an email went out asking existing owners if their boat was available for Annapolis/Miami. It is always a juggling act for a boat at a show, since there are never any 'new' boats in inventory. All boats are privately owned - even the ones at the boat shows.
The logistics for the website and how and who answers
new boat injuries is still be working on, and new changes should be in place in the future.
As an owner, I believe the Antares is the best 44ft cat on the market. We've been
living aboard our boat now full-time for 4.5 years, and it's excellent. I know Memo and Santiago (owners of the Argentine yard) well, and would not hesitate to have them build me another Antares....but the 'new' Antares 50...which has already been designed by Ted...... :-)
The Antares brand is strong, and will continue to survive. How it looks organizationally in NA is still being resolved, but one thing for certain, the boat yard has not changed, and is still backlogged with current builds of the Antares 44i.
Mark