Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The 12 Days of Christmas

1. Boat In a Tree
2. Black mooring lines
3. Outboard Motors
4. Life jackets
5. On water locations
6. Friends wakesurfing
7. Pairs of board shorts
8. Premium brands
9. Days at Toronto Boat Show
10. Weeks of summer
11. Person capacity
12. Licensed Technicians
















Friday, December 10, 2010

HO HO HO Merry Christmas!!!!

I wanted to let everyone know that Pride of Muskoka participated with two Nautiques in the annual Bracebridge Santa Clause Parade this past Saturday. Thanks to Jim Marshall and Mike Boland to initially get the boats/trucks/trailers to Mike Boland”s home .Mike graciously offered his place as a staging area and a heated shop came in handy for the kids on a chilly December morning. Mike Boland and his entire family, plus Jane Jackson, Lana Bissell, Cyndi Zator and family, Jimmy Marshall, Wendy Boland, Mike Thomas and family all chipped in to get the floats ready Sunday morning. We were later joined by Neil Brown and Chris Bannon’s family .Chris’s family included exchange students from Korea who immediately had a lifetime memory to send home. Jim and Mike B. did a great job driving the trucks and keeping us on time. Mike’s youngest son set a Canadian record of over 1000 horn honks in one hour while sitting on daddy’s lap helping with the driving .The children piled on the Nautiques. Cyndi, daughter and friend Lindsey, Chris, Mike T and the legendary “downtown Neil Brown walked the parade distributing candy. It is basically a jog the whole time as we had a large supply of candy(thanks for the shopping Jane) and we tried to get as many kids as possible. I know there were times I looked up from a crowd of eight children with there little mitts full of candy to find I had lagged 50 yards behind the float. All and all it was a great experience and I am sure from the smiles and yells I received form the street it was greatly appreciated by our community. I think everyone involved is already looking for ward to next year. Merry Christmas everyone !!


Mike Thomas




Monday, November 29, 2010

Welcome To Winter

Welcome to Winter Cottage Country

When I turned into Marina Rd and the snow bubbled up over the hood of my truck and onto my windshield, I knew that winter had hit us with a bang. The mild fall temperatures and dry forests are now laden with 45cm of snow in the Lake of Bays region. The overnight storm ended as quickly as it began today and we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunny day, though I felt a little like Rip Van Winkle - unsure if I had only slept through one evening.
It will be another few weeks before the main lakes freeze, but the small ponds are becoming solid and I actually saw a snowmobile go by my window today. Welcome to winter cottage country!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Seasons Changing


GREETINGS from Pride West


Well it looks like we are down to the last of the hard core boaters now. With Doug throwing in the towel yesterday and Alex with his daughter Debbie getting off the water last evening in the pitch black during a hail storm we now have only 2 left going back and forth to the island. Although Peirre is always one of the last to shut it down he will never beat Greg who lives on the island year around.


Although it looks like we are winding down it is not that way at all. We are still very busy completeing winter work so that boats are ready for the spring splash, training both in our service and sales deptments, and getting ready for the fast approaching boat show season. Please come and and say hi if you do attend any of the shows.
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve you.
From all the crewmwmbers at west.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Balsam in November


It’s a beautiful day here at Pride of Balsam, and the big news around here is our new Location manager…please welcome Tom Bath to our crew. We are all very excited to have him. He brings a ton on experience and great energy to the table.

The boats are all tucked away ready for a long winters’ nap. There is a skiff of snow on the docks and Jim finally had to put his pants on.

We are now getting our 185SS Crownline ready for the annual Fenelon Falls Christmas parade this Saturday at 5pm. It’s always a great time…last year’s attendance toped out at 15,000 people and this year we anticipate more. The showroom looking very nice so please stop in and take a peek

"Jimmer"

Friday, November 12, 2010

Wrapping Up

It has been a wonderful week in Muskoka Lakes with temperatures between 10 C and 14 C daily. The crew at Pride of Rosseau has been busy winterizing your boats, boat houses and our property. The photo was taken at 4:00pm today depicting the view from the marina with all of the boats and finger docks safely stowed away. - "Christina"


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Lest We Forget

A quick reminder to support our veterans unconditionally, just as they defended our country unconditionally. Take time on November 11th to reflect on the freedom they won for you and shake a veteran’s hand. A thank-you is all they ask for. I found a great website that creates a post-secondary scholarship legacy for the children and spouses of Canadian fallen military heroes. The charity is represented and chaired by some heavy weight Canadian industry and political icons. It is building positive outcomes for the families that were affected by military tragedy.

Check out the Canadian Hero Fund at www.11for11.ca

A Great Year

2010 is wrapping up into a successful season, with a much different character than 2009. Bad weather and a poor economy were replaced by great weather and an improved economy. The traffic on the lake and the customer visits here were stronger than I have seen in several years and the feeling going into the Toronto Boat Show is that Canada is really starting to hit its stride economically.
Driving to work this week feels more like we are heading out of fall and into winter. All the ponds have a skin of ice on them and there is a dusting of snow hiding in the ditches. All of our customer boats are off the lake and safely in our storage yard. We will be finishing the last few shrink wrapped boats before getting a head start on our winter work load. With over 300 boats in storage at Pride of Lake of Bays alone, it will take several weeks just to get through the regular maintenance, impeller services and tune-ups before we embark on the long term projects of fiberglass repairs, engine and drive work. We will be busy right up to the Boat Show, so we will be exciting to get a break from winter to visit with customers again



Monday, May 10, 2010

25th Anniversary


It is hard to believe that this week marks Pride serving customers for a quarter century. To stop and think about it is overwhelming. Somehow it doesn’t seem that long ago that there were just a few of us at a small fuel stop with a modest dock, but looking at the calendar it really has been 25 years. The years have brought us so much to be thankful for. As I take some time to reflect on this, I feel truly overwhelmed by the support you have provided us through the good, and yes the bad. THANK YOU. On a personal note, I can assure you that it has been a very large learning experience for both Karen and I. It’s hard to believe that 25 years ago I was raking gravel and fixing docks...part of me still reflects on that being the good old days.

So what does the future hold for Pride in the next 25 years? As owner of the company, I believe that we must continue to focus on you the customer - that is how it all started. We must focus on your needs and wants. We must continue and get better at listening to you. We must deliver what we say we will deliver in terms of products, services and experiences. These are my promises to you. I will continue to be laser focused on getting better and improving continuously.

I would like to close by sharing with you a quote that I do not think I would have appreciated 25 years ago, but now it seems to make a whole lot of sense to me.

“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” - Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Easter Swimming

For the past week Muskoka has been heating up. Spring is moving in quickly with warm sunny weather. We have all been enjoying the change in weather and we are just waiting for the ice to go out, so we can get some boats in the lake!
The lake is getting slushy and water is starting to pool on top of the ice.
With this warm weather and no snow in the forcast, we predict the ice will be out by Good Friday!
This could be the earliest ice out yet!!
Anyone up for a refreshing Easter swim?

Enter Pride Marine Group's Ice Out Contest
http://www.pridemarinegroup.com/custompage.asp?pg=ice_out_contest

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Lake Of Bays Wildlife

One morning we were lucky enough to find some wildlife waiting to entertain us at Pride of Lake of Bays. We pulled into the marina to see two "wolves" on the ice in front of the marina. We later discovered the "wolves" were actually coyotes. Some time during the previous night the coyotes had killed a deer and they were just now taking the time to snack on it.



At our Lake of Bays location, we are lucky enough to have a contact that is a professional photographer, Michael Bertelsen. We called him in and he set up a tent to photograph the coyotes. Michael sent a few of his pictures for me to show everyone.
To see more of Michael's photos, check out www.algonquinparkphototours.com

Our entertainment has lasted for quite a few days, as the coyotes came back for a few mornings and a pair of Bald eagles has been visiting the marina in the evenings.
And thats why we love Muskoka!











Friday, February 5, 2010

Top 10 Boat Names of 2009

The Top 10 Boat Names of 2009

1. Second Wind
2. Seas the Day
3. Lazy Daze
4. Jolly Roger
5. Bail Out
6. On the Rocks
7. Pegasus
8. Serenity Now
9. Namaste
10. Comfortably Numb

Monday, January 25, 2010

Beautiful Muskoka Weekend

Muskoka was full of people this weekend and everyone was out taking advantage of a beautiful winter day. The sun was bright, the skys were clear and the temperature was just right.

The lakes were busy with snowmobilers, hikers and cross country skiiers. It was a great weekend for snowshoeing through the forest or just walking the dog.

Deer were out wandering and the turkeys were strutting. The odd eagle could be spotted soaring over the lakes. Everyone and everything was out to enjoy the weather.

Our winter wonderland has spent the day melting away, but the snow is to start up again later today.

Muskoka is beautiful and it's weekends like this that show us how special it really is.





Thursday, January 14, 2010

Toronto Boat Show Booth Sets World Record

With over 22,000 square feet of floor space the Pride Marine Booth has been recognized as the largest single indoor boat display in the world. With 8 brands represented the booth was put together over 60 hours with the help of 30 people. The key changes for 2010 include the move to include both Hackercraft and Tiara Yachts in the booth. Previously they had been separate stand alone booths. Come down and see what its all about this week at the Toronto International Boat Show.



The much anticipated release of the new Nautique Ski 200 has been a huge success in Toronto. With a new hull design and retro look this new 20’ boat has slalom skiers around the globe talking. Nautique’s ski team is ecstatic with the new boat and wake shape. The interior features a 95” beam and the layout feels much larger than either the 196 or 206. Side storage is large and the boat is available either as an open or closed bow boat while maintaining the exact same weight.
We are proud to announce the addition of Chaparral boats to the Pride family. Pride will represent Chaparral for the Muskoka region including Haliburton and the edge of Georgian Bay. Chaparral offers a range of product from 18-40 feet in length and is well recognized for both quality and innovation in the boating industry. Their Extreme series leads the pack in terms of Wakeboarding outfitted inboard/outboards and have a very distinct look.
ChrisCraft stepped it up again this year with another Limited Edition model. The Red 20’ Lancer GT features a clear engine cover and a dark mahogany accent in place of the traditional teak. This shot shows last season’s Limited Edition model the “Silver Bullet”. The Chris Craft area is a must see for anyone coming to check out the show.

Keep watching for updates from the boatshow.
Don't miss out, the show ends this Sunday January 14th.