Boating Industry Canada - February 2009

tion considerably explains Bolton. This facility will afford WestWinn and their dealers a significant cost advantage while providing their customers mass cus-tomization flexibility.

“Another competitive advantage our customers and dealers enjoy is our exclusive supply arrangement with Yamaha for J MAX 4-stroke jet propulsion,” says Bolton. “Three years of R & D for one purpose: to deliver a new level of jet boating excitement.”

Looking ahead Bolton believes the company has done a distinguished job succeeding in the boatbuilding business; something he attributes to a young entrepreneurial team with a large amount of collective experience between

them. He also feels what sets them apart is how they work together. Everyone is dedicated to building the right product at the right price and we always strive to over-deliver to earn unshakable customer loyalty.

“Our customer-centric dealer family is truly the cornerstone of our success,” says Bolton. “Some competitors sell factory direct. As a result, they don’t always have the ability to gather trustworthy feedback that enables them to quickly respond to changing trends and preferences. For us, the customer is first in everything we do. A successful simple practice we employ is to always think from our customer’s perspective before implementing.”

Although Bolton was anticipating a market correction he didn’t expect the all-encompassing global recession. Of course it means more effort staying on top of things, but he believes their bold

WestWinn has focused on building
a model that fits every need - from
its hard charging River Jet (above)
models to its crossover Hard-Top
series to their category leading
Kingfisher (left) ocean series.
32 models with over 250 exciting
options to choose from.

Byron Bolton Conducting R & D aboard a Kingfisher. Their company slogan is: “We Understand…We Fish Too!”

moves with products and customer care will provide West Winn and their dealers an edge.

This year WestWinn will focus on further developing its team, dealer family, product portfolio and remain steadfast to their vision. A new focus on growing their Kingfisher brand beyond its traditional west coast markets, will also be important.

“Our dealers are not carrying significant inventories. As a result, they can offer current ’09 products at competitive prices,” says Bolton.

Bolton concludes that WestWinn would not be where it is today without the support of his mentors, Bayliner’s Slim Sommerville and Ross Jardine, founder of Campion. “These men helped me clarify my vision and were employed as sounding boards when overcoming challenges,” explains Bolton. “I’m deeply passionate about every boat we build for many different reasons and count myself exceptionally lucky to be doing what I do.”