Houseboat Magazine

Destination Yachts New for 2013, Destination Yachts is building a fiberglass twin hull for the coastal areas as well as launching its ELITE SERIES. The fiberglass twin hull was designed for the coastal markets to deal with the salt and brackish waters that can be hard on aluminum hulls. The fiberglass, although not maintenance-free, will take a lot less effort to maintain. The ELITE SERIES feature a new full hull line with great added features, yet doesn't go overboard in price. The iPad operations system with a new style and look is unique to Destination Yacht boats and is the first one set to be delivered to Lake Mead in Nevada in January. Destination Yachts also recently partnered up with Skipper Buds/Lake Pleasant (Silver Seas Yachts affiliate). It is the official Destination Yachts dealer for the western states including: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming (www.silverseasyachts.com). 2012 Recap: Destination Yachts felt the need to enhance its customer service and sell reach. In mid-2012, the builder refocused on working with its partners in key areas of the country including establishing an office in Arizona. This now provides quality service people who will be factory trained and located in the market areas and not just in Indiana. The builder is also working with Port Royale on Lake Lanier and Park Marine on Lake Altoona in Georgia to cover the southeastern market. Date Founded: 1998 Location: Montgomery, IN. Best-Selling Model or Floor Plan: 18' X 85' Smallest Houseboat Built to Date: 10' X 35' Largest Houseboat Built to Date: 20' X 100' Hull Design: Twin Hull / Full Hull Aluminum Water Application: Lakes, Rivers and Intracoastal In-House Transportation: Yes In-House Interior Designer: Yes 812-486-2628 www.destinationyachts.com Manufacturer Comment: "Destination Yachts is the world's largest full line houseboat manufacturer. By offering highquality twin hulls both in aluminum and fiberglass, the Catamaran-style hull and the industry's leading edge design full hull, has set our company apart from all others. This, along with our Amish craftsmanship and a standard of quality, allows a great product for our customers." Sheldon Graber, President Gibson Boats 2012 Recap: Last year Gibson Boats continued to explore new cost-effective, innovative and environmentally-friendly ways to build new boats and is currently in place to pass those savings and efforts on to its customers. While 2012 was not a break out year for boat production in the industry, ongoing efforts continue to explore the needs of both the personal and commercial market for the boats with new design as in the trawler design, party boat, medical boat, water boat and others to support the needs of the family houseboat/cruiser or commercial application. For over 44 years, Gibson Boats has produced a hybrid cross between a houseboat and a cabin cruiser. The Gibson boat offers cruiser-like performance with houseboat-like amenities and ranges from 44 to 59 feet in length. Gibson Boats can be found literally all over the world because all boats are saltwater ready, which gives the Gibson owner thousand of miles of Intracoastal waterways to explore with its fiberglass modified V-hull.  After Gibson's previous facility was destroyed in a tornado in early spring of 2006, a new manufacturing facility was built in Portland, Tenn. Gibson uses an extensive hand-laid process when building all of its hulls. Many staff members have been building boats for over 25 years. This level of experience contributes to the quality and tradition known worldwide as Gibson Boats. Date Founded: 1968 Location: Portland, Tenn. Best-Selling Model or Floor Plan: 50' Classic Smallest Houseboat Built to Date: 44' Largest Houseboat Built to Date: 16' X 59' Hull Design: Fiberglass Water Application: Lakes, Rivers and Intracoastal In-House Transportation: Yes (Exclusive) In-House Interior Designer: Yes 615-325-9320 www.gibsonboats.com Manufacturer Comment: "Deciding on a houseboat is similar to selecting the right tool for a job. Depending upon the intended use of the boat and its performance, the Gibson Boat cruising capabilities on lakes, rivers and Intracoastal provides thousands of miles of waterways to explore." — Ivan Ryan, Marketing Legacy Lake Yacht Legacy Lake Yacht has always believed in giving a person everything he needs on a boat standard, which has helped them continue to grow over the years Its boats are designed to plane through the water with a highly maneuverable hull and the standard bow thruster helps aid docking in windy conditions. Legacy Lake Yacht Sales has been around since 1975 and is currently one of the largest boat dealers in the four-state area. They have built 29 boats for river cruising, lake cruising and Intracoastal waterways, and efforts span the difference between fiberglass and aluminum boats. The parent company Kentuckiana Yacht Sales in Kentucky, was founded after being the largest Gibson dealer for 17 years and wanting to bring its own design to the market. The first boat was launched in 2004 with models ranging from 58 to 95 feet. 2012 Recap: The boating business has picked up more than expected, even though the houseboat market is still at an all-time low. Legacy has seen a few good signs of business picking up, especially in the used houseboat market. Date Founded: 2004 Location: Gilbertsville, KY Best-Selling Model or Floor Plan: 65' Standard Smallest Houseboat Built to Date: 58' Largest Houseboat Built to Date: 95' Hull Design: Aluminum V-Hull with V Drive Propulsion Water Application: Lakes, Rivers and Intracoastal In-House Transportation: Yes In-House Interior Designer: Yes 270-362-8343 www.kentuckianayacht.com Manufacturer Comment: "We have a V-hull-drive standard houseboat. We make almost everything standard so there are very few options." — Don Toby, Owner/CEO WWW.HOUSEBOATMAGAZINE.COM  21

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