If someone wants to buy something, you ought to help them get what best suits their needs.
Michael Kusler, President Kusler Yachts
For more than a decade, Kusler Yachts has been helping people from all walks of life realize the dream of boat ownership. What started in San Diego has grown into a national operation with yacht sales locations in Southern California, Massachusetts and South Florida.
Through our time in business, we’ve earned a reputation that we’re proud of. Central to everything that we do is the commitment to doing right by our customers.
In an increasingly complicated world—in a yacht market full of many, many options, this commitment is not only a calling card, but a point of difference. What follows is a breakdown of what our commitment means—what it means to Kusler Yachts and what it means for the clients that we work with.
“If someone wants to buy something, you ought to help them get what best suits their needs.”
Honesty and Integrity
Honesty and integrity lie at the foundation of our commitment. This starts with simple things like, doing what you say, when you say you are going to do it. That this approach is unique or “old fashioned” perhaps says something about the world that we live in.
We believe in being up front and transparent from the beginning. Our process starts with a conversation.
As we talk about why you’d like to own a boat, your experience in boat ownership and your plans for how and where you’ll use the boat, we learn more than just background information. We begin to build a relationship that transcends yacht sales.
Relationships are built on understanding. Understanding of not just what you are looking for in a boat, but what matters to you. This is an important point.
Finding the Perfect Boat for You
We believe that the perfect boat is not one that is made or manufactured. A boat only becomes perfect when the right model is placed into the hands of the right person. Boat ownership is most enjoyable and most fulfilling when it empowers you to live out your dreams and aspirations.
There is no right or wrong vision for boat ownership. Some prospective boat owners dream of winning the Bisbee’s or the White Marlin Open. Others want a stable, comfortable platform that can host their growing families and older parents. Still others hope that a boat can help close business deals—after all putting clients on the fishing trip of a lifetime is a great way to generate repeat business.
This is one of the best things about working in yacht sales. There exist boats that can do all of these things—we just have to find them. By entering into the process with honesty, integrity and transparency, our team is committed to working with you to find the boat that is best for your situation.
Expertise and Knowledge
Expertise and knowledge are the second stage of our commitment. This stage is no less important than the first— expertise is the tool that allows us to use honesty and integrity in a way that serves our clients.
This step involves an intimate understanding of boats and boat systems. The modern landscape of sportfishers, center consoles and motor yachts is complex. Twenty years ago, if you wanted a 50’ boat, you were in the market for a sportfisher. These days the right 50’ foot vessel for you could be a center console, sportfisher, or motor yacht.
Each member of our team of full-time brokers is an experienced, knowledgeable boater. Boating experience is an essential component of anyone who hopes to be successful in yacht sales. Time on the water informs not only how to use boats in a practical sense, but provides the foundation for understanding which combinations of features and systems work best for people and how people use boats.
A Complex Landscape
Just how important are knowledge, expertise and experience? Consider the complexity of modern boating landscape. In the past decade boat building technology has undergone a revolution.
- Lightweight composite materials have largely replaced wood as the medium for sportfisher hulls.
- Advances in outboard engine technology and performance have allowed center console builders to produce the largest, most high-performance models in the history of the segment.
Beyond the physical changes to the hulls themselves, boating systems and applications have been transformed in the past decade. Consider:
- Stabilizers have gone from the stuff of science fiction to standard on many makes and models.
- Sonars– like the latest and greatest from Furuno, the Omni 360 degree sonar– that allow you to see what’s happening underwater in real time have gone from the secret of a hand full of captains to a must-have for boats that want to compete in tournaments.
- Satellite and WiFi enabled connectivity have transformed the boating experience.
At Kusler Yachts, our team of dedicated, professional brokers keep a finger on the pulse of the industry and its rapid advancement. We use our knowledge, expertise and experience to help clients navigate this complex environment.
Leverage and Ability
The third step in our commitment to helping clients get the boat that best serves their interest is defined by leverage and ability. This step involves understanding boating markets and how to operate within them.
Given the number of manufacturers, models and sizes, it should be no surprise that the boating market is complex. Adding to the complexity, yacht sales are high dollar transactions comprised of many steps (survey, financing, insurance, delivery, etc.). Not only are boat markets complex, but they are continuously moving and vary from segment to segment.
Understanding the Boat Market
Knowing how to best operate within the market requires an understanding of timing, leverage and such factors as available new and used inventory. A trademark of the Kusler Yachts approach lies in combining all of this information—the boating needs and budget of the client with boating expertise and knowledge of boating markets—for the benefit of the people that we work with.
Once we get a feel for how to best serve the needs of a client, we then search for the right boat for their situation. This may be a new or used boat, a sportfisher, motor yacht or center console, custom or production boat. It may involve purchasing a boat that is ready for delivery or taking a spot on a build list.
Once we discern which option is the right one, we then leverage our experience and expertise for the benefit of the client. This involves not only getting the right boat at a fair price, but using our network of connections to arrange services and yard work. We can help with warranty issues on new boats, help you arrange services, refits and installations with our network of trusted technicians and service providers, and even help with delivery of your yacht or with captain and crew recommendations.
In many ways, we tailor our services to the needs of a client. The process might look quite different for a first-time owner than for a long-time owner who is upgrading to his fourth sportfisher. But that is what it’s all about, after all, “If someone wants to buy something, you ought to help them get what best suits their needs.”
Thank You, We’d Love to Help You Get the Boat That Works Best For You
At Kusler Yachts we are proud of the reputation we have earned. We take quite a bit of pride in our work and feel good about helping people from all backgrounds and experience levels get into the boat that best serves their needs.
Our three locations, more than a decade in business, and long list of repeat clients stand testament to the power of our commitment. Next time you are in the market for a sportfisher, center console or motor yacht, we’d really like to help you.