Three months...thirty three states...100+ store visits. Follow the journey as the NuCanoe Frontier makes its way around the country.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Tour is Complete! Time for some R&R!


After 15,000+ miles, 75 days, and 33 states, the Nu Frontier Tour is complete!  Deanna & I are now off for a vacation….no cars, no phones, no hotels, no trailers, and, unfortunately, no Kobe.  We are taking a 7 day cruise from Miami to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Roatan, & Belize City.  We are certainly looking forward to some rest & relaxation!

We posted a few Frontier videos this morning that detail the Gear Vault, Universal Seat Bases, Freedom Track, and Crate Space.  We’ll have more pics & videos to post upon our return!

Have a great week!
Blake & Deanna

Saturday, December 3, 2011

A Loop Through Florida

Well, I didn't do a good job keeping the blog and schedule up-to-date during the Florida leg of the Nu Frontier Tour, but it was a success nonetheless!

Our first stop came during the Thanksgiving weekend at Sunjammers in Panama City Beach, FL.  Brad squeezed us in to his busy weekend, but he didn’t except our visit to take long.  Upon seeing the Frontier in person, his interest grew with everything he learned.  Within an hour, Brad was excited to become the NuCanoe dealer for NW Florida!  We’re glad to have Sunjammers on the NuCanoe team!

Sunday afternoon we drove through some serious rain storms en route to Jacksonville.  On Monday we made the rounds in Jacksonville, seeing All Wet Sports, Black Creek Outfitters,and Strike Zone Hunting & Fishing.  All were impressed with the Frontier and saw it as a great boat for the Jacksonville area.  We are confident we’ll have a dealer in this area by next spring!

Tuesday we met briefly with Mike Kogan, organizer of the largest kayak fishing tournament in the country, the Jax Kayak Fishing Classic. Mike loved the boat and is eager to have NuCanoe back on board for the Classic.  And we think it’ll be the perfect venue for hundreds of kayak anglers to see and try the Frontier 12’!
In the afternoon we drove south to Sebastian, FL to meet with Mike & Kristin from the Florida Outdoor Center.  It is located with Captain Hiram’s resort in beautiful Sebastian.  Fortunately for us, they wanted to get out on the water for a full evaluation, so we got to enjoy the beach afternoon sun!  For the next hour, Mike, Kristin tried the Frontier in every way possible:  solo, tandem, standing, sitting, paddling, trolling, and more.  Mike was so impressed with the turning he took to slaloming through the pier pilings!  The conclusion?  The Frontier is a perfect fit for their rental business.

Tom from Kayaks by Bo contacted us about dealer opportunities a few months back.  Wednesday we were able to meet him and show him the Frontier.  It was a great stop!  I’m not sure who was more excited…Tom about the Frontier, or us about having Kayaks By Bo on the NuCanoe team.

We then dashed across the state to the Cape Coral to see Jory at Florida Paddlesports.  They are a new dealer, so it was great to meet them and show them the Frontier.  Business will certainly be growing in SW Florida in 2012!
The final weekend of the Nu Frontier Tour was well spent at the St. Pete Boat Show with West Coast Kayaks.  Jerry & Kate have a great story and are very enthusiastic about the brands they sell...which now includes NuCanoe.  We were able to fitness our first retail sale, as West Coast Kayaks pre-sold a Frontier to a gentlemen (pictured right) who had been waiting for the perfect boat.  He found it, and he'll be among the first Frontier owners in Florida!