Dear Tiki Water Sports Fans,
Sorry its been a while since we have posted anything to the blog but we've been really busy with all of the new and exciting things that have been happening at Tiki Water Sports. First let's talk about the new website www.tikiwatersports.com; it is a killer link. In it we have all of the latest information on our products and services. Our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Tikisailing has also taken off and is now up to 419 likes since we set it up four years ago. On it you get to see everything that is happening at the store and with all of us at Tiki Water Sports. Lately we have our Hobbie sales have been through the roof and now we are selling the Tohatsu 250 which promises to be a popular product. Finally the Miami International Boat Show and Strictly Sail is next week at Bayside Market Place and the Miami Beach Convention Center. http://www.miamiboatshow.com/. If you are interested in tickets call Bob Chester at 305-852-9298. We will have daily reports with pictures from the Boat Show for your guys to check out. Thanks for tuning in and we look forward to hearing from you.
Tiki Water Sports Blog
The official Tiki Water Sports, Inc. blog which keeps you informed on the latest products and services being offered by our company as well as all the latest news on sailing and kayaking we are doing down here and the Keys and what is being done elsewhere around Florida.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
A First Ever in the History of Sailing Competition
Tiki Water Sports, Inc. in conjunction with the World
Federation of Combat Sailing is proud to announce the first ever, history in the
making 2014 TIKI WATER SPORTS SAILING
DEMOLITION DERBY REGATTA AND MONSTER SAILBOAT COMPETITION. This is the first competition of its kind
to take place anywhere in the world.
It is a regatta which not only tests the skippers sailing and navigation skills but tests the skippers level of barbarity, cruelty, intimidation, and fierceness.
Points will be scored on the time it takes for each
competitor to complete the race (if applicable); number of hits scored against
an opposing sailboat; and monster design of the sailboat including intimidation and fear factor of the sailboat as well as the crew (points are deducted for wimpy looking sailboats and pathetic looking crew). We want to see the beast emerge from your sailboat and
crew.
Official rules are as follows:
Each sailboat will be a one class America’s Cup mono hull Sloop design sailboat twelve
meters in length using reinforced armored plated steel. Bowsprits are permitted with
blunt battering rams both for the asymmetrical spinnaker and ramming opposing sailboats but
absolutely no spear tip pointed bowsprits will be allowed. All sailboats will be permitted two sets of
replacement sails. NO HIGH TECH
WING SAILS ALLOWED!!! In addition to
sailing equipment, each boat may be equipped with a high pressure hand pumped
water hose in order to flood and sink opposing sailboats.
Boats will not be permitted to be equipped with any electronic or fuel
driven technology or propulsion whatsoever, this includes electric pumps, GPS,
radios or diesel engines. All boats must
either be rowed or towed to the starting position. Absolutely no deck mounted harpoon guns or flame
throwers will be permitted under any circumstances.
All sailboats will be subjected to a thorough inspection by the United
States Coast Guard for safety and Tiki Water Sports, Inc. as well as the World Federation of Combat
Sailing for any design and/or weapons violations.
Each sailboat entry will be allowed no more than a crew of
12 crew members. Points will be awarded for barbarity, ugliness and brutality of the crew however, all crew members MUST WEAR A UNITED STATES COAST GUARD APPROVED PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE; MUST BE SOBER (MEANING 0% BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL); AND BE FULLY CONSCIOUS, INTELLIGIBLE AND ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE COMMANDS GIVEN BY THEIR SKIPPER AND BE ABLE TO PHYSICALLY PERFORM THEM WITHOUT BEHAVING IN AN UNPREDICTABLE OR OTHERWISE CONFUSED MANNER. There will be a Stupid and Goofiness Competition at the post event dinner and festivities at which time all skippers and crew are welcome to return to their normal blood/alcohol level and make complete fools of themselves. Tiki Water Sports, Inc. and the World
Federation of Combat Sailing reserve the right to conduct sobriety tests and physical medical examinations the day of competition including but not limited to DNA testing of all samples submitted. Any
crew member found not to fit to compete will be disqualified; however, the
skipper has the option of press ganging by any means whatsoever, violence included an alternate crew member, who also must meet the above
mentioned criteria but to a lesser degree. Helmets are highly
recommended but not required. Tiki Water
Sports, Inc. and the World Federation of Combat Sailing are not liable for any
injuries that are reasonably foreseeable in such an event.
The object of the race is to make it to the finish line (if possible) while attempting to disable or otherwise sink your opponent’s sailboat. Any boat that does not score a hit during the
race is automatically disqualified, and the skipper and crew will be official labeled as wimps. The wimpy captain and crew will be painted completely in pink and must wear conical hats of shame otherwise known as the dunce cap. The opponents and spectators will be allowed to destroy or otherwise obliterate the wimp boat by using sledge hammers, incendiary devices and all manners of destructive force that can be brought to bear to shame and otherwise humiliate the wimpy skipper and crew. During the post regatta dinner and festivities the shamed skipper and crew must be subjected to embarrassing and
humiliating punishments determined by a panel made up of King Neptune, Davy Jones, and Admiral Triton; the punishments to be decided by the panel or randomly by drawing slips of paper from a hat with the name of the punishment written on it. Competitors and spectators may also suggest suitably embarrassing and humiliating punishments as long as said punishment does not maim, dismember, or cause death. If all sailboats and crews score hits during the regatta then the distinction of being declared wimps and to be treated accordingly as previously described will go to the sailboat, skipper and crew whose boat sinks first and to the sailboat, skipper and crew that comes in last because quite frankly if they can be beaten that easily then they are wimps.
No Molotov cocktails or any incendiary devices are allowed on the race course during competition. No grappling hooks; boarding equipment; or boarding parties. No ordinance designed to destroy rigging and or methods to
launch such ordinance are allowed. No hand to hand combat or water balloons, however, the
competing sailboat and crew may knock an opposing crew member over using their
high pressure water hose as long as the crew member was hit from a distance of
no less than twelve yards. Disabling an opponent’s rudder is permitted provided that
the above rules and proscriptions are observed. Finally the use of trained large marine animals such as whales to breach out of the water and fall over an opponent's sailboat is absolutely strictly forbidden.
Preferred beer of choice of one of the regatta officials who will remain anonymous. |
All entries must be made in person at Tiki Water Sports
located at mile marker 94.5 Key Largo, Florida on the Atlantic side of the
Overseas Highway of U.S. 1. No emails or
telephone calls please. The entry fee is
a case of beer (kegs are always welcomed). The quality of beer that
you use for your entry fee will determine your starting position in the regatta. Tiki Water Sports reserves the right to
reject any light beers, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee or other crappy beer
of questionable quality as an entry fee. Scoring and starting position improve tremendously for those who make a purchase from Tiki Water Sports especially if the purchase is the 2012 Horizon Cat which in that case you are almost certainly guaranteed total victory and the eternal gratitude of all of us at Tiki Water Sports. Top starting positions are also awarded for purchases of other high end sailboats, Hobie Cats, kayaks SUP paddle boards, Tohatsu and Torqueedo engines and especially our line of fiberglass cannons that don't go boom but look really cool if your going for the pirate look on your boat. Even though we would rather have you buy a boat, we could throw in some brownie points for the other stuff we sell.
The deadline for entries is Wednesday April 30, 2014 at
which time the date time and venue of the event will be announced. Good luck and may the best, the ugliest, the most brutal, the most barbaric and most frightening team win.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Tiki Offers Free Sailing Demos for Local South Florida and Florida Keys Yacht and Sailing Clubs
The staff of Tiki Water Sports
sends you greetings. We hope you are
having a great day. For those of you who visited us at this year’s Strictly
Sail venue at the Miami International Boat Show, thank you. For those who did not have a chance to go to
the Boat Show, we look forward to seeing you soon.
To those of you who belong to
local South Florida and Florida Keys yacht clubs and sailing clubs, the purpose
of this news letter is reach out to you and your clubs to let you know that
Tiki Water Sports conducts free demonstration sailing days on a regular
basis. We can help select the boats your
club would like us to present and bring them to your club for you and your
members to see and try out. If your club
would like to host a free demonstration sailing day for your club and
membership development, please have your club commodore or events coordinator call
Tiki Water Sports at 305-852-9298 at their earliest convenience to book a date. Thank you and we look forward to hearing from
you soon.
Very Truly Yours,
The Staff at Tiki Water Sports
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
2014 Miami International Boat Show: Final Report
Hunter 15 |
2014 Catalina Expo 14.2 |
Bob Chester also sold another Catalina 14.2 Expo to another customer and also sold the 2012 Hunter 22 which we had at the boat show and which will be going back to our yard to be prepared for its new owner. In addition to the Catalina 12.5 and 14.2 Expo, there was a lot of excitement about the Hunter 15 and the Hunter 18 which was at Sea Isle venue. Despite being a venue for power boat vendors and buyers, these two sailboats did manage to turn a couple of heads with its sleek design and sharp lines. the Hunter 18 looked absolutely cool with the blue hull and the two tone deck of white and tan. Despite being a cool daysailer, this boat is a fantastic race boat a great family boat.
Hunter 18 blue hull with two tone deck. |
Although not in our product line, we did have a chance to check out the Hunter 337 and the Hunter 40 which were also at the Sea Isle venue along with the Marlow motor yachts and we were quite impressed not only with the efficiency of their design but also by their simplicity. We had the pleasure to show these boats to several clients who were starting their adventure into the world of sailing and we wanted to show them what they should eventually aspire to when they grow in confidence with their sailing ability. The wonderful thing about our industry is that we get to work with a lot of wonderful people in many different areas and we get to benefit from what we all bring to the table as professionals.
From left to right, Bob Chester, Rich Hutchins, Barbara Short & Chip Short |
Horizon Day Cat |
Tyler Hutchins, a new generation of Hutchins ready to build high quality boats |
As we mentioned earlier we were happy to see our old friends from Clearwater, Florida, Com-Pac Yachts especially Rich Hutchins who was there with his nephew Tyler Hutchins and his family. While there was considerable interest in the Catalinas and Hunters, we also saw a lot of interest over the weekend in the Com-Pac line of sailboats, particularly the Picnic and Sunday Cat. One of the features which made these boats attractive was the ability to put a bimini top to provide shade from the sun but the other features which made the Com-Pac line of sailboats attractive were the ease of set up, the mast could be set up in a matter of minutes and also for those who need to navigate under bridges, the mast can be stepped while under way, as well as the ease in sailing the boats. They are perfect boats for beginners as well as "old salts." We also had a Com-Pac Horizon Day Cat which is new to the Com-Pac line. Although it does not have as large a cabin as its sister, the Horizon Cat, it does have a huge cockpit and you are able to set up a table in the cockpit for drinks and food which is a very cool feature.Tiki Water Sports was happy to have sold one of these boats to a local customer who took it with him back to his home last night. It was a great thing to see smile in this individuals face as he drove away with his new boat.
Hunter 22 sold to a customer in Key West, Florida |
We ask you to please leave your comments below and let us know how we are doing with this blog. If you have any questions about any of the boats you have seen here, please call us at (305) 852-9298 or write to us at fb@tikiwatersports.net. Our website is at www.tikiwatersports.net. Thank you for making this a great show and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Friday, February 14, 2014
2014 Miami International Boat Show: Day 2
We had an awesome show today. We couldn't have asked for better weather and definitely there was a lot of action not only at the Strictly Sail venue but also at Sea Isle. First and foremost, Felipe Barreda from our Coral Gables corporate office closed on a 2014 Catalina 14.2 Expo this afternoon with a gentlemen from Guatemala. Needless to say the gentlemen was very happy with his purchase and is looking forward to having a lot of fun with his new boat. We would like to congratulate Felipe on this sale. Felipe also escorted the gentlemen to see the Hunter 18 at Sea Isle as well as the Hunter 40 and the Torqueedo Engines which were there. We are looking forward to cultivating a very friendly relationship with this new customer and that we are able to help him enjoy his new found love for the sport of sailing for many more years to come.
We had a lot of action at the Sea Island venue, more than yesterday and we captured a lot of customer contact information for the Hunter 18. For any serious buyers who are willing to put down a 25% deposit on anyone of our boats, Tiki Water Sports will consider comping them their boat show tickets. Any Hunter purchase you make from the 15 up to the 22 you will get half off on the options package which would be the mainsail cover as well as the cushions. This special is only for the boat show.
If today is any indication of what tomorrow holds in store and since tomorrow is a day that most people have off, we should have an excellent sales day. If you have any questions, please call at 786-897-8600 or write to us at fb@tikiwatersports.net. We hope to see you tomorrow at the show.
We had a lot of action at the Sea Island venue, more than yesterday and we captured a lot of customer contact information for the Hunter 18. For any serious buyers who are willing to put down a 25% deposit on anyone of our boats, Tiki Water Sports will consider comping them their boat show tickets. Any Hunter purchase you make from the 15 up to the 22 you will get half off on the options package which would be the mainsail cover as well as the cushions. This special is only for the boat show.
If today is any indication of what tomorrow holds in store and since tomorrow is a day that most people have off, we should have an excellent sales day. If you have any questions, please call at 786-897-8600 or write to us at fb@tikiwatersports.net. We hope to see you tomorrow at the show.
2014 Miami International Boat Show: Day 1
Hunter 18 blue hull and two tone deck |
The first day of the show, the price of the ticket is higher. Yesterday it was $35.00 to get in. The reason behind this is to allow the industry professionals to network with each other and also allow the serious buyers to have a better look at the boats and access to the sales force. Yesterday Tiki Water Sports was pleased to meet Roberto from Guatemala who had an interest in the 2014 Catalina 14.2 Expo. This boat is simple to set up and simple to sail and is great for the person who is just starting to learn how to sail. After crunching the numbers with him, we were able to offer him this boat at at boat show special of $8,865.00 plus a reasonable shipping cost to Guatemala. We at Tiki Water Sports have extensive experience at selling our high quality products and shipping them all over the world because people around the world recognize the high quality of American made and American crafted sailing products.
We got to see our great friend Mr. Rich Hutchins from Com-Pac Yachts who was their with us presenting the line of quality Com-Pac boats that are out there. Not only did we have the usual boats out there like the popular Picnic Cat and Sunday Cat but, Mr. Hutchins brought with him a boat which promises to turn lots of heads at the show and certainly attracted a lot of attention yesterday on the first day of the show. Tiki Water Sports in conjunction with Com-Pac Yachts is proud to present the Horizon Day Cat. Like its older sibling this boat is big, 20 feet and has a wide beam but it built for people who are not interested in a weekend overnight boat and just want a big day sailor. It has a nice cuddy cabin to store things and a large open cockpit to accomodate alot of family and freinds. We had a chance to chat with Rich and he has told us, I I think we can agree with him that he has designed and built boats for every different age group out there and that it is not just limited to one particular type of individual.
This year as always we had the Hunter 22 at the strictly sail venue and on its trailer and as always there were some people that were impressed by its design, particularly the open transom concept which we think is a neat feature in the small Hunter sail boats. People can't seem to understand how it works and how water doesn't get into the cockpit but if you look closely at the design, the boat is bult so that the stern is lighter and while under sail lifts out of the water, hence the excellent performance features of the Hunter design. We had a chance to speak to Greg Emerson, Sales Manage for Marlow Hunter who showed us the Hunter 337 and the Hunter 40, not something that is generally in our product line but we do have a large network of Hunter dealers that we work with that han help our customers get into these larger boats. Marlow-Hunter is doing a lot of amazing things with the design of their sailboats and we are expecting them to have more spectacular things in the years to come. We received a lot of positive response to the Hunter 18 which was at the Sea Isle venue, especially the blue colored hull and the two toned deck. It gave a real classic look to the boat and added an attractive feature to its already enhanced performance. Additionally, the Hunter 15 was there as well which is a very popular boat for people who are just learning how to sail.
It was our pleasure to meet Mr. David Marlow, the owner of Marlow Hunter who had a lot of good things to say about Tiki's sales presentation and style. We hope that it is a good sign of things to come and that this will bode well for an excellent boat show.
We will as always keep you informed of everything that is going on this weekend and the great hot deals that you can expect from Tiki Water Sports. Again if you are serious about buying a boat and wish to find out how you can get discounted tickets to the boat show, please call 786-897-8600. Thank you once again for making Tiki Water Sports the best provider of marine products and services in the Florida Keys and South Florida since 1963 and we look forward to continuing our great service well into the future.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Countdown to the 2014 Miami International Boatshow
Hey folks, we are just nine days away from the 2014 Miami International Boat Show/Strictly Sail and Tiki Water Sports is gearing up for what we expect to be one of the best shows we have seen in a long time. As we had mentioned in our last blog post, we will have our Hunter 22 out there and we just wanted you to see a video of how amazing this sailing machine is. This boat is a sailor's boat and with the performance package that we have on our boat, this machine is set to fly across the water. Can you imagine yourself sailing this boat? We are positive that you can imagine it and for $26,805.00 you too can be having the ride of your life! Tiki will of course consider any reasonable offers made at the boat show.
Although not featured at the boat show, Tiki Water Sports would like to remind its customers that we are the authorized dealer for Hobie, Precision Boat Works and Future Beach kayaks and paddle boats as well as ATX SUP paddle boards. Please feel free to ask us any questions about those products when you come visit us at the boat show.
The Miami International Boat Show will take place from February 13, 2014 until February 17, 2014. Tiki Water Sports will be at the Strictly Sail venue at the Miami Marina which is located at Bayside Market Place in downtown Miami. For more information concerning the show, location, time dates and ticket prices, please go to click here. ANY CUSTOMERS WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT PURCHASING A BOAT, TIKI WATER SPORTS WILL OFFER A DISCOUNT TO TICKETS TO THE BOAT SHOW. All requests will be handled on a case by case basis. Please contact Robert Chester at (305) 852-9298 or bob@tikiwatersports.net to request a discount to the boat show.
For more information concerning Tiki Water Sports please go to www.tikiwatersports.net or call (305) 852-9298. Please do not forget to visit our Facebook page by clicking here and our Twitter page by following this link.
Tiki Water Sports is located on mile marker 94.5 on the ocean side of Key Largo, Florida. We have been providing high quality marine products and services to the Florida Keys and South Florida since 1963. We are authorized dealers for Marlow Hunter, Catalina, Com-Pac Yachts, Hobie, Precision Boat Works, Future Beach kayaks and paddle boats as well as ATX SUP paddle boats. We provide consignment services and act as agents for used boat purchases for commission.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)