Boundary Waters Blogger: A Canoe Trailer That Will Last

Jason, a friend of mine, runs an outfitting service and guide service for people taking trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The BWCAW is a 1.09 million acre wilderness area in Minnesota. On the other side of the border is Canada's Quetico Provencial Park. He recently bought a new canoe trailer and wrote about it on his blog. Boundary Waters Blogger: A Canoe Trailer That Will Last This is what he had to say about his new trailer.

Meet one of the most durable canoe trailers available. This photo shows our six-place canoe trailer with box by Remackel Welding. As we talked with other outfitters about canoe trailers that last the longest under heavy use, we repeatedly heard about the custom trailers by Dennis Remackel. He’s been making them by hand for several decades.

Jason's business is tough on equipment. When you or I buy camping gear, we may use it a few times a year. If we buy a canoe, we may be able to take it out a few weekends, and if we're lucky, we may get to go on a week long paddling trip. Jason's clients use his gear every day of the season. He buys high quaility stuff that lasts. If he trys to save a few pennies by buying cheap stuff, it ends up costing him dollars in replacement or repair costs. I did not ask, but I know he did not make the decision to buy the new trailer from Remackel Welding without a lot of thought.

So what's the point of this discussion?
Simply that Jason runs a first class business, and he pays a lot of attention to detail. (One of these days I ought to write an article on how he got started.) That attention to detail is why he bought the trailer he did, and it is why he bought it where he did. Here's a quick list from his post.

• Dennis gives people several options to customize their trailers."
•  . . . the trailer is dipped in molten zinc resulting in a trailer that won’t rust and never needs painting.
• The cool-factor is pretty high, and the practical durability factor is even higher.
• . . . wheel wells strong enough to stand on, and a plywood step on the tongue. The plywood is all marine grade.

If I were buying a trailer, I would go to Remackel based on what Jason wrote. Knowing the nature of the guiding and outfitting business, his remarks are pretty high praise.

What about you?

Do your customers talk about you and your products the way Jason talked about his new trailer? If not, what can you do so that they will? Here are a few things to try.

• Understand your customers and meet their needs. Remackel produces all sorts of trailers for all sorts of uses. It is not a one-size-fits-all operation.
• Offer customization. Jason needed extra durability so he went with a galvanized finish. Other people may be just as happy with less expensive finishes.
• Your reputation goes before you. Let it be a good one. Your customers can be your best salespeople. Offer them real value.