[Rhodes22-list] now comes gb/concluded

[stan]

thanks Michael,

some day when you have nothing better to do, you have to show me how you 
made it come out the way I wanted it to.

ss

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael D. Weisner" <mweisner at ebsmed.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 11:24 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] now comes gb/concluded


> (Stan, I think that this may be a bit easier to read - Mike W)
>
> Now Comes GB / Concluded
>
> Dear Rhodies,
>
>        Thanks for your thoughtful responses. You have started the wheels
> rolling. "General Boats Certificate of Support" program is now at a 
> printer
> who specializes in "Certificate of Origin" numbered boat forms. We will 
> post
> a copy as soon as it comes in (as soon as we learn how). We have also 
> added
> a page, "A word about Private Rhodes Sales and Purchases" to include with
> all boat show handouts and inquiries mailings. We will also send this page
> to the List with the hope that List members will collectively agree to it
> being periodically posted for the advantage of List buyers and List 
> sellers
> who prefer direct transactions.
>
>        Your e-mails deserve a response, so here goes:
>
> 1.     A few of you suggested we may be breaking some law..
>
>        As an engineer, I only had four courses on business law but I
> suspect that a "voluntary" program would not be breaking any law - any 
> more
> than those trying to intimidate opinions at "Town Hall Meetings" by 
> posting
> unconcealed weapons on their bodies.
>
>        I did suggest the imagery that one might look at the Lo/Ro as a
> sales tax but I did not mean literally - rather as a concept no different
> than the commission (sales tax) a broker puts on a house or car or boat,
> every time he or she sells the same item over again to another buyer.
>
>        A few said that we can not legally deny service. If we are out of
> business, this is a mute argument. Our position merely points out that our
> limited resources, of necessity, have to be prioritized. (Try an American
> Express card without a Costco number and see if they give you the 
> discounted
> gas or try calling HP with a question and see how this works with 
> for-profit
> companies.)
>
>
> 2.     There was a response hint that this discussion was inappropriate 
> for
> a List that should be focused on a narrow menu. I am with David Bradley.
>>From GB's perspective there have never been any problems with any subjects
> any List members wanted to bring up on the List. We like the
> knocking-of-the-boat topics - it gives us an opportunity to correct our
> conceptions or, the knockers' misconceptions. Personally I feel it is this
> broadmindedness that makes the List so much more interesting than other
> lists and note that many who do take sabbaticals usually return or quietly
> keep monitoring. More to this issue, however, is the fact that Bob Keller
> and others' responses of interest in GB's future appear to make this kind 
> of
> discussion relative.
>
>
> 3.     So, re Chris's joined concerns re Business Plans: Physically we 
> feel
> up to another 50 years but have to face the facts of life; and changing
> facts of business life. GB is burning thru capital running in circles 
> trying
> to bite its tail helping outside private sales and purchases. If no 
> solution
> to that spinning, the business plan is self evident. On the other hand a
> money making GB will attract one of you out there; or encourage our 
> current
> employees (who have now evolved into an unbelievably expert crew) to step 
> up
> to more responsibility; or a well heeled builder falling behind with his
> current clunker, to come to recognize the Rhodes and make an offer too 
> good
> to refuse. If your concern is Long Term Business Plan then your concern 
> has
> to be with the Current Term Plan: A solution to the subsidizing of freebee
> bites being taken out of the tail that has been wagging this dog.
>
>
> 4.     The two way street: Todd, tongue in cheek, wants GB in turn to pay
> for leads obtained for boats to buy back and graciously waives all prior
> fees he feels due. Wrong on two counts: These boats may be so bad that we
> deserve a commission for doing an innocent buyer the great favor of 
> getting
> that disaster off the market. Remember, originally our boats were built 
> for
> us by shoddy contractors or by counterfeiters, no longer around to service
> their buyers. Like a bank taking torn bills out of circulation, we have a
> graveyard of hulls that will not be returned to circulation. For the good
> boats you let us buy, your fee should come from the owners for helping get
> his or her boat sold.
>
>
> 5.     Re Scott's question of who pays the Lo/Ro commission
>
>        Many of you approached the "who pays" question with a buyer's
> mindset. The final, now in-the-works program, concluded that the seller is
> the more motivated and rewarded, having only one boat to sell, while the
> buyer has many to choose from.
>
>
> 6     Retroactive?
>
>        No. Never gave that a thought, David Culp. Current owners are
> grandfathered in our good favor. Our disfavor, so far, has only been
> bestowed on sellers who, advised of the program, demonstrated no interest 
> in
> GB's burden in making private sales possible or what effect their freely
> dipping into GB's resources would have on GB's ability to stay in business
> under their myopic terms.
>
>
> 7.     There was a response suggesting that maybe GB should be the direct
> seller of ALL used Rhodes.
>
>        We are not for this. David Culp is correct. This would be a 
> conflict
> of interest. If we have a prospect who can afford going recycled, we might
> find it difficult to encourage them to buy your listed Used Boat instead.
> Where prospects are budget bound, or where location is a consideration, we
> always direct them to the List or to private sellers we are aware of. We
> want private buyers and sellers completely free to do what works best for
> them. But we do want them to emerge from denial and face the reality that
> almost every Rhodes sold and bought has, in some way, been the result of
> GB's efforts of time and money - and that those contributions have to be, 
> at
> least, partially amortized.
>
>
> 8.     Rick's Blackberry Theory - and why it is not our problem.
>
>        It probably is true that less sailboats are being sold because more
> people have become couch potatoes eating berries. But the Rhodes is 
> getting
> a bigger share of this shrinking market. But the largest share of Rhodes
> sales is becoming private sales. GB must be reimbursed for part of all it
> does in making this market - there are no alternates.
>
>
> 9.     Ruffled Feathers:
>
>        For those like John who seem miffed because I implied that a used
> boat they were buying is not up to our standards, we are pleased they have
> ended up with a boat they are happy with and will not go down the road 
> that
> talks about how older and new boat construction differs.
>
>
> 10.     The Parts part of the Business.
>
>        Ben's focus on parts and the few like Rick, reviewing their right 
> to
> buy parts from whomever they wish and god bless capitalism, is an issue I 
> do
> not take issue with - I do not want to dilute the private boat
> selling/buying issue here, with One exceptional reminder: There are enough
> proprietary parts of a Rhodes that just are not available elsewhere and
> therefore would not be available to Rhodes owners if the Rhodes is ushered
> into boat Heaven, tomorrow.
>
>
> 11.    I think Mary Lou suggested, perhaps member dues. Sounds attractive
> but, not being a joiner by nature, I tend to shy from this direction and
> tend to like a direction with as little record keeping and repetitive 
> nature
> as possible.


> We hope that when you digest what we have worked out with the GB 
> Certificate
> of Support program, it will earn your support for its valuable 
> contribution
> to Private Buyers, to Private Sellers and to Prime Care Provider: GB. Soon
> almost every potential private Rhodes buyer will be aware of his or her
> choice as to whether they should buy their Rhodes from a private seller 
> who
> can or, who has elected not to, sell his or her Rhodes with a GB 
> Certificate
> of Support numbered document.
>
>ss __________________________________________________