Short Marine Featured In Marine Business

After only 18 months as the NSW dealer for the US-built Grady-White Boats, Short Marine is already winning recognition for its sales results having recently been named as ‘Leading International Dealer in Sales Volume’ by Grady-White as well as picking up an ‘International Sales Achievement’ award for outstanding sales volumes.

The awards are recognition for the stream of business the dealership has picked up since it took on the Grady-White agency for NSW resulting in orders for 38 boats in that time.

Ryan Short, who runs the dealership in partnership with his brother, Sam, said the majority of the sales have been to Sydney owners, giving the brand a much higher profile on local waters over the past year.

“It’s good to see them all around the Harbour and being used,” he commented.

The popularity of the brand follows the trend in the US for larger centre and dual console outboard-powered boats, typically rigged with twin, triple or quad engines. While the local market still lags behind the US in terms of demand for these types of boats, Short said the same trend is growing strongly here, driven by the appeal of the latest outboard engines offering a combination of performance and ease of use.

“Outboards are getting bigger, the efficiency is there and they’re getting quieter and quieter. So we think the outboard market will continue to grow,” he said.

A good example of this trend is the impressive-looking Grady-White Canyon 376 currently berthed at dealership’s base at The Spit in Sydney which sports three of the latest Yamaha V8 425 XTO engines, the first boat with triple 425s in the country and the first in white.

Short said recent sales had been across almost the complete line-up of Grady-White models which range from 18 feet up to 45 feet. Such is the versatility of the designs that while some of the boats sold locally may only be used for days out on Sydney Harbour, others are being put through their paces as hard-working offshore fishing platforms. Delivery from the US for a new order can be as little as three months from the deposit being taken while the dealership also holds several stock boats for demos and shows.

Last year, the dealership had a presence both inside the halls at the Sydney International Boat Show as well as on the marina, highlighting the brand’s breadth of appeal. It’s a big ask for a single dealership to do both locations but Short said it was worth it with a number of sales clinched in the aftermath of the show.

“It definitely pays off to do the show,” he said. “Firstly you’ve got to be there and secondly if you do it right, if you make sure you manage your leads, it continues to happen for the next 6-12 months.”

The result of the hard work certainly seems to be paying off. Short Marine has doubled its staff numbers over the past year to 20 employees across both the dealership and its associated marine services business at Ferguson’s Boatshed and its Yamaha dealership.