As sample sizes go, two of anything is tiny. It makes any of sort of forecast or prediction fraught with peril. But what the hell? I like a good risk as much as the next guy, so here goes.
Lake Cumberland’s high-performance marine industry fortunes are on the rise. There. I said it.
Last year, Paul Michael and Tiffany Ison launched Cigarette Racing Kentucky. The Lake Cumberland-area concern is the vaunted brand’s first dealership in the Bluegrass State. To expanded their product portfolio, the couple launched Ison Marine, which carried the GSX/Glasstream center console, Hellkats catamaran and HydraFoam Marine decking product lines.
Last weekend during the 17th annual Lake Cumberland Thunder Run, locals Julie and Dan Weiss and Unlimited Marine owners Gary and Traci seeds and John and Kim Stivers announced they are adding to Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats offerings to their existing wake-surfing and fishing boat product lines. Located in Russell Spring, Unlimited Marine is the first Nor-Tech dealership in Kentucky.
As was obvious from this year’s Thunder Run, Lake Cumberland has a thriving go-fast powerboating scene. Equally obvious from the hardware present during the weekend? The economics make sense. Lake Cumberland draw would-be buyers of means not just from Kentucky, but from its neighboring states of Indiana, Ohio and more.
One look at the hardware, from plush yachts to big-dollar custom catamaran, rafted up last Saturday on Harmon Creek—a scene that photography cannot do justice—is ample evidence that the boat owners who frequent Lake Cumberland take their rides seriously.
Once again, two of anything—even first-time, leading-brand powerboat dealerships—is a small sample size, arguably too small for any such predictions.
Then again, it hurts no one if I’m wrong. And it’s great news if I’m right.