Luhrs Marine Group in Chapter 11

[avb3]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Plenty of companies have financial problems but some of them build great boats on top of that.

I just hope nobody who put a deposit on one will be out, although perusing the list of unsecured creditors, that doesn't appear to be the case. It looks like Textron is the big one who will be out; over 1 million.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Plenty of companies have financial problems but some of them build great boats on top of that.

I think my boat had six different companys that made them over a period of less than ten years.was said that people didnt want to "pay for quality" so it was difficult for anyone to stay in business very long..was also stated to be the first boat to be offered in kit form...fewer than 100 boats were ever built,I wouldnt consider that a production boat,maybe semi-custom? you got to hand it to Hunter for hanging in there as long as they have...People must be willing to pay for "no quality"(just joking ,as I know this is going to get Dons goat...or was that DOJs goat,oh well,long live any US company that can still turn a profit in this Liberiterian world...DVC

[sarafina]

heh... better watch out fer Bash's goat as well...

[jackdale]

I did a skippered charter on Mainship 40. Nice coastal cruiser. The bow and stern thruster made docking the single engine vessel effortless.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by sarafina

heh... better watch out fer Bash's goat as well...

Not a big concern.

I've come to know a number of Hunter employees over the years. Designers, customer service folk, two engineers, their main fiberglass layup guy, and a couple folks in the parts department. A handful of executives as well. They all seem to have the same southern accent, at least to my California ears, and they all seem to be good folk. And they all took the business of improving their product earnestly.

My heart goes out to them.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

just joking ,as I know this is going to get Dons goat...

I don't have a goat! It couldn't learn to use the head so I decided it would be best roasted with some garlic!

Other than that why would someone post something just to try and get my goat?

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

I don't have a goat! It couldn't learn to use the head so I decided it would be best roasted with some garlic!

Other than that why would someone post something just to try and get my goat?

Its like nail soup,I have a nail but need a goat and some garlic...and if we only had some potatos it would really be good....DVC

[Guero]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

hunters, lol

How Ironic, "lol" is the first thing that comes to my mind when I look at a Hans Christian 36. Certainly not the kind of boat who will bring more folks to the sport. People like you are the reasons I've love and hate relationship with sailing, there's too much "elitism" going now with the brands, especially from people with old boats slow boats.

Lot of well respected boats are from defunct manufacturers.

Hunters has made their part in bringing folks to the sport by offering comfortable, affordable and modern looking boats. A friend of mine just completed Tampa - Isla Mujeres Regatta in a Hunter 33. I've a Aloha 34 for sale (well respected brand from another defunct manufacturer) and replacing with a 2002 410 next week. I'm gonna sail that thing to Cayman Island from Key West. But I guess the 0.001% of sailors who do passages should stay way from those! Should stay away from Catalina and Beneteau as well.

Sorry for the venting, but I hate brand fascists in sailing. It's arrogant, childish and exactly the attitude that drives away so many of us young sailors (well i'm 35) from sailing. I've considering mother boats a lot of time cause of this nonstop criticizing and childish behavior form old boat owners. You'll notice the guy owning an Oyster 65 will usually not laugh at the Hunter 50, but the guy with the old slug full keel that can barely go 80 degrees upwind will say they are not sailboats. Anyway rant over

[speakeasy]

Pretty punchy post for a firstie. Welcome, Guero!

[CeesH]

Originally Posted by Guero

How Ironic, "lol" is the first thing that comes to my mind when I look at a Hans Christian 36. Certainly not the kind of boat who will bring more folks to the sport. People like you are the reasons I've love and hate relationship with sailing, there's too much "elitism" going now with the brands, especially from people with old boats slow boats.

Lot of well respected boats are from defunct manufacturers.

Hunters has made their part in bringing folks to the sport by offering comfortable, affordable and modern looking boats. A friend of mine just completed Tampa - Isla Mujeres Regatta in a Hunter 33. I've a Aloha 34 for sale (well respected brand from another defunct manufacturer) and replacing with a 2002 410 next week. I'm gonna sail that thing to Cayman Island from Key West. But I guess the 0.001% of sailors who do passages should stay way from those! Should stay away from Catalina and Beneteau as well.

Sorry for the venting, but I hate brand fascists in sailing. It's arrogant, childish and exactly the attitude that drives away so many of us young sailors (well i'm 35) from sailing. I've considering mother boats a lot of time cause of this nonstop criticizing and childish behavior form old boat owners. You'll notice the guy owning an Oyster 65 will usually not laugh at the Hunter 50, but the guy with the old slug full keel that can barely go 80 degrees upwind will say they are not sailboats. Anyway rant over

+1

PS. you forgot to mention BAVARIA. Also a hater by "the old glass" lovers.

CeesH

[Therapy]

Did someone say a Hunter sunk. My friend has one. Hope it wasn't his.

Just typing so to subscribe cuz it looks like it will be fun till shut down.

[Piglet]

Oh snap.

[sailorboy1]

what's the subject?

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

what's the subject?

I think it's something about going bankrupt if you own a Hunter.

Or is that Hunter is going bankrupt?

On a serious note, I wonder if there is a white knight in the wings, or if the sailboat section of Luhrs will resurrect? I'm pretty sure the power boat side is history.

[David_Old_Jersey]

I thought the original purpose of the thread was to alert folks who may be thinking of buying a Hunter to be careful about handing over large dollops of cash to a firm that has problems.....hence the original thread title.

I guess there is a reason that CF changed the thread title to something that won't clearly give a heads up to potential Hunter buyers.........

Although not an expert on US Chapter 11, IME when a parent company is facing financial problems it does tend to grab as much help (cash!) as it can from every last corner of a group to try and buy time, mostly perfectly legally. and usually by the time anything formal happens cash flow is stuffed, spare cash is gone, assets either don't exist anymore or have been secured against borrowing (to a bank / finance company)....for the whole group. Simply being profitable will not automatically save a business.

Suppliers tend to know fairly early when a firm is in trouble (delayed / extended payments are the main clue - plus good old fashioned gossip!) - and once that happens can be a self fulfilling prophecy from the impact on cash flow (not enough supplies = not enough product = not enough sales = not enough cash, and that even before customers start to hold back). Companies don't tend to say "we are in a world of sh#t and would be very surprised if we survived", at least not whilst they are still paddling hard.

Whether the Hunter Sailing boat subsidiary is techinically covered by the Luhr Marine Group Chapter 11 is (IMO) a moot point (albeit I would be surprised if it wasn't - or won't soon be).

I will also concede that I don't know what the usual MO is for folks in the US / with Hunter buying new boats - is it cash on delivery? Unsecured Stage Payments (aka unsecured lending = back of the Q as a creditor!) or Stage Payments secured against a specific hull, so that at least a buyer would get some sort of boat (even if only half of one!). When a boat builder goes pop (at least in the UK) always seems to be some buyers who are left holding the baby, at least in part - and are surprised that simply handing over large amounts of cash to people about whose financial situation they know little has gone badly . Same old story, everything is good - until it is not.

From the bits I have read (very little!) seems that the Hunter yacht end of the business has a future and that the buyers could well come out of it with a boat they have paid for. Could. Can't say I would be passing over large dollops of my cash at Hunter (or any company in that situation) at the moment though.....but that each to their own.