Cobaltchat.com

Hi everyone,

My name is Adam Pensel and my family and I own and operate Boats By George here in Lake George. We've been a Cobalt dealer since 1983. I was taking a look at the web analytics of our website and saw a couple of referrals from here. Had no idea this place existed prior to that!

I look forward to contributing to this forum. It's great to see so many people so passionate about these boats - I've grown up around them and seen a lot, and it's hard to not fall in love with these boats and this company. They're top notch - as good as it gets.

If anyone has any dealer related questions, feel free to write me here or send me a private message. You can also message us on Facebook at the following link. I'm pretty quick to respond there.

Now let's get boating season started! (I realize it's already on for some of you. We're still dealing with ice on Lake George. But hopefully, that won't last long.)

Welcome from Ky. Adam. You will add a different and very welcome perspective from the rest of us. One thing for sure is that this is a group that loves boating in general and Cobalts in particular. One of the best things here is that this is a very positive group very willing to offer help and suggestions. I thought I knew a good bit about boating, getting first boat in 1977. But some of the guys & gals on here are amazing, commenting on specs or solving issues that I have no clue about. Also, it's fun to see the personalities on here interact with each other, learning what they do, etc. Sorry for long response but I think you will enjoy this group.

Dub

Hey Adam, great to have you on the CChat forum. So glad you found us!

Like Dub said, very special group of folks here.

My aunt boats on Lake George, although she is not a Cobalt owner. Great lake though. So cool you that you're an owner/operator as well! You'll fit right in here and we welcome your expertise.

Feel free to post any pics as we love them.

....and yes, let's get this spring/summer season started. Now if only the weather would cooperate here in Erie PA!

Welcome aboard mate.

.

Welcome from Oklahoma Adam! You will find, or maybe already have, a great group of like minded folks here, and we are very passionate about our boats.

As Dub has already said, I'm sure you will add a very unique perspective to our group. Glad you found us!

First rule of the day... Pics. I know you own the dealership and may not have a personal boat, but an unspoken rule around here is you can't become a member without sharing pictures of your boat(s). Or it never happened..

So my dealer question... How has the acquisition affected Cobalt and are there any major changes coming up you can share with us?

Welcome aboard! It is cool to have a dealer on here.

But....pics of your personal boat or at least of your marina in general and some of your stock

Again, glad you found us. Its funny because I've actually searched questions before and this site is starting to pop up as some of the first links to hit.

Thanks for the warm welcome, y'all! Here's a pic from a photoshoot my family and I did last summer in a Cobalt CS3!

That's a great question about the acquisition of Cobalt by Malibu. As with any change, especially one as dramatic as this one was, we were nervous about what it meant for Cobalt and the future direction of the company, but we were cautiously optimistic based on what we had heard about Jack Springer and Malibu as a company from other dealers who were familiar with them.

Now that we're a little ways in, I can tell you that we're very happy with how things have progressed. Jack's expertise in certain areas has allowed Cobalt to grow in certain areas that we as dealers have been pushing for, and Malibu has learned a thing or two from Cobalt. This has been more of a merger than a buyout, even though it was a purchase on paper.

The quality of the boats that are being delivered to us is as good as it's ever been, and the upcoming product pipeline is extremely exciting. I wish I could divulge more info about what that is, but for now, I'll have to keep it quiet. You can expect Cobalt to be more efficient at bringing new product to market. This means more innovation, more new boats, and more things to be excited about.

Welcome from Rochester Adam.

I've been in your shop before - but only briefly as I was there for business. Lake George is fantastic and although it's not my home lake I'm involved with The Fund for Lake George.

I notice you aren't selling any Malibu's... yet... Any corporate pressure to do so? Thoughts on the brand itself?

Nice pic btw.

True Cobalt family

That's great that you're involved in the fund! I love the 190 Cobalt. Moves really nicely with that 5.0, too.

No pressure from corporate to carry the Malibu brand. They have a dealer here who does a nice job with them. If they ever asked us to carry it, it's certainly something we'd consider. Lake George isn't a huge lake for the water sports side of boating, but I think it's slowly growing. Maybe we could assist in that someday.

BoatsByGeorge wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:19 am That's great that you're involved in the fund! I love the 190 Cobalt. Moves really nicely with that 5.0, too.

No pressure from corporate to carry the Malibu brand. They have a dealer here who does a nice job with them. If they ever asked us to carry it, it's certainly something we'd consider. Lake George isn't a huge lake for the water sports side of boating, but I think it's slowly growing. Maybe we could assist in that someday.

It's nice that you called it "The Fund", as that is what it's known as to those familiar.

Next time I'm down that way I'll swing through and say hello.

As for the 190 - I love my boat. Some say it's the greatest boat ever created.

Welcome from Wisconsin. I've seen and heard alot about lake George. Thanks for joining. I think you and Ed Viking are the only two dealerships on here and I can say I hadn't seen Ed on here since I've been on here. Again welcome.

Welcome.
We’re at the other end of the State in western NY. John Nelan owns our dealership.
My mom and dad used to take us on vacation to Lake George for years. King Phillips on Bloody Pond I believe.
Story Town? A&W root beer barrel store? Gas Light Village?
We are going waaay back here. Like 1960’s.

Anyway, we hope to drag our boat up there some day soon for a few days.

BoatsByGeorge wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:01 am The quality of the boats that are being delivered to us is as good as it's ever been, and the upcoming product pipeline is extremely exciting. I wish I could divulge more info about what that is, but for now, I'll have to keep it quiet. You can expect Cobalt to be more efficient at bringing new product to market. This means more innovation, more new boats, and more things to be excited about.

This makes me very excited. I'm curious how the surf line will evolve....if at all....but I have to imagine it will. Really excited to see what we have in store for us regarding the future of cobalt boats.

Table Rockin wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 2:28 pm

BoatsByGeorge wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:01 am The quality of the boats that are being delivered to us is as good as it's ever been, and the upcoming product pipeline is extremely exciting. I wish I could divulge more info about what that is, but for now, I'll have to keep it quiet. You can expect Cobalt to be more efficient at bringing new product to market. This means more innovation, more new boats, and more things to be excited about.

This makes me very excited. I'm curious how the surf line will evolve....if at all....but I have to imagine it will. Really excited to see what we have in store for us regarding the future of cobalt boats.

If Cobalt and Malibu have a surf baby you can color me excited.

WOW....that is a GREAT Cobalt family picture. Very excited you're here Adam. I guess the "what do you do for a living" thread is now covered as well!