Bayliner wined and dined my father a half dozen times to entice him into becoming its dealer. His operation was the largest small boat dealership in its area of New England, and for 30 years, he was the *exclusive* Evinrude dealer in a densely populated coastal county. He also handled Mercuries. He never liked Bayliners, and referred to them as "jerry-built."

From 1947 until he died, he sold more than 500 outboard motors a year from his stores, accounting for a reasonably high percentage of *all* outboards sold in his home state for those years.

This is a killer. My father was in the boat business dating back to right after the Big War. When he died and I was looking through his
warehouse, I found wrapped in a nuclear fall-out bag (no kidding), a brand-new 1949 Evinrude 8015 50 hp outboard. The motor was a gift to my father from Evinrude for winning some outboard stock utility or hydroplane race. I gave the motor to a friend of my dad's, who worked at the shop
as head mechanic. I don't believe he ever used it and I'm sure it is still brand-new. I have no idea who might own it now.

He also built boats, and I worked on a few, both wood, glass covered wood and all fiberglass. After he died, however, we sold the biz and I've just been an occasional boat owner.

Besides, I worked off and on in the boat business and inherited it when he died. So, as I said, I'm knee-deep in boat heritage.