Brig USA named No. 2 distributor worldwide

Sep 24, 2018 by Triton Staff

Brig USA has signed 15 dealers in the past 11 months, making it the No. 2 distributor worldwide for the Kharkov, Ukraine-based boatbuilder of rigid-hull inflatables.

Brig USA started in 2016 with two founding dealerships, Sirocco Marine-Fort Lauderdale and Sirocco Marine-Annapolis. Since then, it has added Sirocco Marine-Lake Erie in Marblehead, Ohio, and Sirocco Marine-West Florida in Punta Gorda, Florida. These four dealerships are flagship facilities, licensed through Brig USA. Additional new dealerships include: Brig West Michigan, Holland, Michigan; Edgewood Outfitters, Warwick, Rhode Island; Essex Marine Group, Essex, Connecticut; Hampton Watercraft, Hampton Bays, New York; Hawkeye Boat Sales, Dubuque, Iowa; Jerry’s Majestic, Walworth, Wisconsin; KO Sailing, Seabrook, Texas; Lake Cumberland Marine, Somerset, Kentucky; Moose Landing Marina, Naples, Maine; Performance Boat Center, Osage Beach, Missouri; Riverside Marine, Riverside, New Jersey; Team Marine PR, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Yarmouth Boat Yard, Yarmouth, Maine.

“Each of these dealerships is a leader in its own market,” said Boyd Tomkies, Brig USA’s chief executive officer. “That was important to us, because we want these relationships to benefit everyone involved. The dealers appreciate the Brig brand and the high quality of our boats, and they are valued partners in the effort to grow our U.S. business.”

Instead of sticking to the coasts and focusing on the tender market, Brig USA is ready to compete with hard-sided boats everywhere. That includes the inland lakes.

“Other inflatables are not our long-term competition, because we’re looking beyond tenders,” Tomkies said. “Our approach is to focus on watersports boats, pontoons, bowriders, center consoles. We’re targeting families who want a versatile, durable, stable and low-maintenance boat that will allow them to pursue a wide variety of activities on the water.”

This approach has yielded results. In the Brig International Dealer of the Year Award competition this summer, Brig USA took second place.

“The U.S. operation is still in its infancy,” said Neil Webster, who oversees No. 1 Brig distributor Sirocco Marine in Australia as well as Brig USA. “After three years, we are the second largest distributor by volume in the world. Brig USA is on track to outpace them all and take the No. 1 position in 2019.”

Tomkies and Webster both attribute the growing interest in the States to the massive Brig USA dealership in Fort Lauderdale. In 2017, Sirocco Marine-Fort Lauderdale outgrew its 10,000-square-foot location in Dania Beach and opened its current location; at 72,000 square feet, it’s the largest dedicated inflatable-boat dealer in the United States, and one of the largest in the world.

The new facility has the full line of Brig Boats on display, as well as Fluid Watercraft, tenders and recreational watercraft as well as commercial and government vessels.

For nearly 30 years, Brig Boats have been designed and built in Europe by a team of designers and engineers, including ex-military aeronautical engineers. The boats incorporate world-class materials such as ORCA Hypalon from France (rather than PVC), Italian steering wheels, Seadek fiberglass hulls, and Silvertex UV- and water-resistant upholstery fabrics from the United Kingdom.

During the 2018-19 boat show season, Brig will unveil the Eagle 8, a dayboat and cruiser. For more information, visit www.siroccomarine.com and https://brigusa.com.

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