Merlin II Musings

Finding a “real” dealer…
Well I hear ya guys… We special ordered our Bells from a dealer (Benchmark) two hours away, a drive not worth whining about. But now they’re out of business. According to Bell’s website Galyans (recently bought out by “Dick’s") has three Bell dealerships in my state (Ohio), one of which is just two hours away from me. There’s another Bell dealer in Northern Ohio, 4 hours away. Whether or not any of these places actually has a particular Bell canoe in stock is anybody’s guess… BTW, the Galyans where I bought our family tandem (Old Town) several years ago had a good sized outdoor test pond AND a surprisingly knowledgeable staff. In fact every Galyans I’ve been in has had a great staff – not just slack jawed twenty-something posers. Unfortunately with the Dick’s buy-out I wouldn’t expect that to last…



But as to Swift… I made two (count’ em TWO) 1500 mile round trips to Ontario to get ONE Swift Shearwater… Now THAT I whine about!

SW Ohio Bell Dealer
Arkay, Cinci has a new Bell dealer now. D&D Outfitters just sent me a postcard confirming he has Bell’s due in any day. Dave Robinson is the owner and great to deal with. He will let you demo the boats and he typically has the lowest price around. Been in business 17 years and knows his produts. He also sells Wenona and several kayak lines.

the long drive
"But as to Swift… I made two (count’ em TWO) 1500 mile round trips to Ontario to get ONE Swift Shearwater… Now THAT I whine about!"



Arkay, You don’t know how much better it makes me feel to know I’m not the only one making the long drive for the desired boat :slight_smile:




Dccjon –
Thanks for the tip on D&D in Cinci. I’ll be sure to check ‘em out. Actually Columbus is a couple of hours closer to me (I live in SE Ohio near Marietta), but Cinci is a lot more interesting to visit. In fact a good friend of mine is traveling there today to pick up his new We-no-nah Prospector. I get the impression D&D is well established yet still growing and working hard to develop a strong customer base. Handling two of the most respected brands of canoes is a good move, these two brands seem to attract two different types of paddlers (or such is my impression). Thanks for the tip. - Randall

understand
i don’t have a digital camera either, just enjoy looking at boats. enjoy your canoe.