The Grand Mariner is the Most Popular Pontoon
The Grand Mariner series hit the market in 2009, and has since become one of Harris FloteBote’s most popular models. For 2010, the Grand Mariner was refreshed with a shiny new crimped paneling and an upgraded helmstand with black vinyl-wrapped top panel, new steering wheel, black burl instrument panel and racing-inspired toggle switches. New to the Grand Mariner series is the Grand Mariner SL, an outboard pontoon with oversized lounger in the aft.
To learn more about the Grand Mariner, click link below:
http://www.harrisflotebote.com/Page.aspx/pageId/21672/Grand-Mariner—SEL—SL.aspx
To request a brochure, click link below:
http://www.harrisflotebote.com/Page.aspx/pageId/23910/Brochure.aspx
2010 Royal Heritage
The Royal Heritage Does it Again
The Royal Heritage has been completely re-designed for 2010. Starting with the exterior graphics package, Harris FloteBote has added a sophisticated graphic stripe to the new solid color fence panel, available in four jewel-tone shades. The interior seating has been upgraded with Flex-SteelTM furniture, custom-designed for this model. Two bow incliner systems with footrests are standard making the Royal Heritage the most comfortable boat around. The helmstand has been refreshed with a sleek new steering wheel, vinyl-wrapped instrument panel, and contemporary switches. The optional entertainment center has been designed with “smart storage” in mind; it includes a paper towel holder, a lazy-susan which holds cups and bottles of different sizes, a slide-out trash bin, and netted storage space with a cutting board and glass holders.
To learn more about the Royal Heritage, click link below:
http://www.harrisflotebote.com/Page.aspx/pageId/21671/Royal-Heritage.aspx
To request a brochure, click link below:
http://www.harrisflotebote.com/Page.aspx/pageId/23910/Brochure.aspx
2010 Crowne
The Crowne’s New Look is Supreme
The Crowne, Harris FloteBote’s longstanding flagship model, has been completely re-designed from the inside out. A beautiful new exterior graphics pattern, along with a darker, warmer gelcoat shade, makes the Crowne stand out even more. The fence, Bimini frame, rubrail, and ladder have been color-anodized a rich, bronze color to further distinguish this unique model. Harris FloteBote has re-upholstered all the interior furniture with fresh new patterns, accent vinyls, and thicker, softer foam. A new steering wheel, vinyl-wrapped upper panel, and upgraded switches complete the new helm design.
To learn more about Harris FloteBote’s most premium pontoon, click link below:
http://www.harrisflotebote.com/Page.aspx/pageId/21670/Crowne.aspx
To request a brochure, click link below:
http://www.harrisflotebote.com/Page.aspx/pageId/23910/Brochure.aspx
Harris FloteBote Pontoons
Harris FloteBote has Done it Again
2010 offers yet another astounding year full of design innovations, contemporary styling, and luxurious amenities. From the complete redesign of the Crowne and Royal Heritage to the launch of the brand new XTR Performance package, Harris FloteBote offers a rich assortment of marine craft excellence. The full line of 2010 models is now available at Harris FloteBote dealers nationwide.
To learn more about Harris FloteBote, visit our website:
http://www.harrisflotebote.com
To request a brochure, click link below:
http://www.harrisflotebote.com/Page.aspx/pageId/23910/Brochure.aspx
Night & Day
From sun-up to sundown and beyond, Harris FloteBote brings great times to Illinois’ Lake Vermillion
Anytime is the Right Time To get out on the water.
That’s the theory that Val Gilbert has put into action on Lake Vermillion in Illinois. With several boat-owning and fun-loving friends from the local Danville Boat Club, Val and her husband, Doug, put together weekend outings all summer long that combine the best of both worlds for boating. Friday nights are declared adults-only, with a moonlit cruise and potluck dinner party that embodies all the peacefulness of a summer evening. The next morning, though, another wave of guests arrives to infuse the party with a whole new kind of fun.
“Most of my friends are in education, or were before they retired,” Val explains as she prepares a plate of cheeses and deli meats for tonight’s get-together. “So we always had summers off, and I guess you could say we got in the habit of enjoying them to the fullest.” Doug and Val purchased their Harris FloteBote earlier this year, and when neighbors Chuck and Cheryl Schraeder added their Royal Heritage to the mix, the weekend outings benefitted from some deluxe additions.
The Royal features plush reclining seats and an entertainment center with a cooler and counter space that aids greatly in serving. “That’s what I noticed when we saw it at the boat show,” Cheryl says. “There were places to put things and it’s easy to clean up. It’s been so nice; everything I thought it would be.”
With both boats launched and the food unpacked, the crew slips easily into this pleasant routine. “We don’t usually plan too far ahead about what we’re going to bring,” Cheryl notes. “When it gets colder we’ll do chili or something in the crockpot,” Val adds. “Something simple that everyone can share.”
John and Lynn Childs and Mike and Martha Yusko are gathered in the bow of the Royal, enjoying drinks and chatting about work, kids and life on the lake. Cheryl’s bacon-wrapped ramaki vanish as quickly as usual. With a smile, Val serves up the dinner’s traditional closer: chocolates and red wine.
It’s a decidedly low-key affair, where the main activities include watching the sun set and feeling the summer breeze cool down for the night. Surprisingly, it’s the kind of night that makes a perfect prelude to Saturday afternoon’s rambunctious on-water antics.
It’s clear what makes the next day so different: kids. Little ones just have that special way of injecting every experience with wonder and enthusiasm. Sarah (3) and Hannah (6), the Schraeders’ grandkids, are no exception. Along with their parents, Mark and Sonya, the girls provide the energy for Saturday’s festivities. Leaping off the pontoons into the water, playing with toys and generally having a ball—these two obviously know how to make the most of a day on the water. The adults can’t help but follow suit, laughing and splashing along with the girls.
Mark and Sonya live right next door to Chuck and Cheryl, so the lucky grandparents enjoy plenty of quality time with the rest of the family. “The girls just love to go out on the pontoon,” Cheryl says. “Yep, there’s never a problem until it’s time to get out of the water and come home,” Chuck adds with fond smile.
But today, Hannah and Sarah don’t put up a fight. Having sufficiently tuckered herself out with an afternoon of daredevil jumps, Hannah is sound asleep in Sonya’s arms. The sun dips back down to the horizon; and we’re treated to another beautiful sunset on Lake Vermillion. The two Harris FloteBotes turn homeward, completing their outing in step with the gentle rhythm of night and day.
Story by Caitlin Garibaldi. Photos by Mike Calabro.
The Best Seat in the House
No matter which species of boating strikes Jimmy Skinner’s fancy, his 240 Classic can accommodate
Jimmy Skinner might be the owner of this Harris flotebote 240 Classic, but Ally is the queen. She sits in the captain’s chair, smelling the sweet breeze of Lake Martin, watching the scenery roll by, but never even touches the steering wheel. Actually, Jimmy and girlfriend Kathy Waters look pretty comfortable with the temporary arrangement: Jimmy slides up a chair between Ally’s throne and the plush portside lounger where Kathy sits. He steers with his right hand, has a clear view down the center of the boat, and is a couple of feet closer to Kathy than if he sat on the throne himself.
The “queen” is Jimmy’s dog; her companion, Harley, a black Labrador, currently claims the stern sun lounger as his domain. The captain’s chair really is fit for royalty: a high-back padded seat, with a helm design that looks like a luxury automobile’s—analog gauges, wood grain dash panel, beechnut burl steering wheel. I ask about Ally, and Jimmy says, “Yeah, that’s her seat,” feigning a defeated tone. “I have to coax her out of it when it’s really time to go.”
Jimmy owns the boat with his brother, Bobby, and they keep it at their family lakehouse in eastern Alabama. He says they were always more interested in Japanese boat motors like Yamaha and Suzuki, and harbored a tinge of cynicism about any others, despite owning the Jim Skinner Ford car dealership. They certainly know engines and engine performance, and in terms of boats, four-strokes and outboards, were convinced the Japanese brands were superior.
Austin Singleton, of Singleton Marine Group in Dadeville, Alabama, persuaded them to take out one of his Mercury Verado-powered Harris pontoons for the weekend. Bobby had his doubts about the test run: “I said you’re out of your mind. I’ve been around the lake a few times. It’s hard to beat those Japanese.” But by the end of the weekend the Skinner brothers had no interest in giving the pontoon back. Bobby promptly changed his tune. “It was unbelievable—I’d recommend it to anyone,” he says as a grin spreads across his face.
The 150-hp Mercury Verado FourStroke made believers out of the Skinners. They love to really crank on their Merc, but the ride stays smooth enough for Harley to catch a snooze on the aft lounger. “We felt the difference right away,” Jimmy says. “We’ll always get Mercury engines from now on.” As we glide across the glassy surface of Lake Martin,
cruising to catch a nice breeze and watch the sun work its way toward the horizon, Jimmy, Kathy and the two dogs are all smiles. It’s that familiar boater’s grin you get when the sun is on your face and the wind is in your hair: that “perfect 10” feeling when you don’t need anything else in the world. I’ve got one of those grins, too, from just watching them.
But Jimmy likes to use his Harris for more than just pleasure cruising. As we pull up to their home in Willow Point, part of the majestic Russell Lands development, a flock of kids comes tearing down the dock to climb aboard—only to then jump off over and over again. These kids know fun, and the Skinners’ FloteBote makes them come running. The crew, made up of the neighbors’ kids and their friends, is a rambunctious one, and the pontoon is well suited for this ramped-up playtime. The five-step ladder makes entering and exiting the water very easy, even for the kids, and highlights how suitable Harris pontoons are for watersports.
Jimmy, an avid believer in the power of the test drive, demonstrates some of the 240 Classic’s features in front of the dock. Its holeshot pops the Classic up on plane quickly. And the craft is outfitted with three pontoon tubes, eliminating the convergence of the typical two-tube wake and making it even easier for towing watersports enthusiasts. Skiers, boarders, knee-boarders, tubers—they all are accommodated by his
Classic’s maneuverability and speed.
The three-tube construction features a unique V-Step design, meaning the center tube is lower in the water, creating an effect much more like the hull of a sport boat than a large, floating deck. The center tube cuts through the water, improving ride and maneuverability; the towability factor blows away more traditional pontoons. The stepped running surface means the airflow under the deck is increased, too, so as Jimmy demonstrates what his Classic can do, he’s getting a hydrodynamic release that’s not only frees his boat to go faster, but also allowing it to reach running speeds more rapidly. The Harris, paired with a heavy-duty motor mount to handle all that Mercury horsepower, uses the weight of the motor to augment the center tube’s running surface. As Jimmy shows off the handling and acceleration of his 240 Classic, it’s obvious that all the design elements are working together to create a luxurious ride. It seems Jimmy and his brother have finally found the perfect pairing of classic boat and motor.
Jimmy looks like one happy Harris FloteBote owner. He’s got a motor that he really believes in, with all the varied performance capabilities that Harris FloteBotes are known for. His 240 Classic delivers all of the joys that Lake Martin has to offer, as well as all the requirements the dogs desire—with plenty of room left over for humans, too.
Story by Sarah Hess. Photos by Ken Boone.
