Dear Bumbleabout
We here at Ceasar Marine appreciate the great lengths that many of our customers go to before deciding upon a particular product for purchase. We are a young pro-active company looking to build a reputation for quality products and are committed to building a trusted after sales customer relation program. We welcome all critique, good and bad, in continuing to improve our future business relations. We have taken your comments onboard and will be updating the Ceasar Thunderbolt section of the website in due course, with more information relating to the topics you brought up also adding clearer images and line drawings of the X Class range.
To answer some of your questions now -
Q) “Some reviews from customers (what is it really like to crew; why they bought this design; why they are going to get another one)”
A) We are looking to add a customer based community section to our website where past Ceasar owners can get together online, discuss their boating activities, and speak to Ceasar representatives regarding ownership and upkeep of their Ceasar products.
Q) “Some impartial (or as impartial as they get) reviews in a RIB/ boating magazine plus a copy or link to the reviews on the manufacturers web site
A) At this moment in time we have been concentrating our efforts on promoting the P Class range of Ceasar products. A review of the P850 can be found on many of the leading RIB Magazines in the UK, with the ‘impartial as they get’ view upheld in some cases! Unfortunately not all RIB/boating magazines are happy in providing links directly to their websites. We are working on this and feel it is important to uphold a level of transparency and to promote impartial views on all of our products. We are confident that the views expressed will always be of a positive nature.
Q) “With a "different design" I would like a comparison (helming in different conditions; maintenance; ease of water-ski starts; launching or recovering; ease of towing; examples of family use which make it brilliant for purpose) between for example the Thunderbolt and an equivalent monohull RIB. I need to be told why it is so good!”
A) We will add this kind of information to the website over the coming months. However, we can answer these kind of questions over the phone in the meantime. It could be possible to tie this information in with a case study as mentioned during your first question. If you would like to discuss further our contact details are available on our website
www.ceasarmarine.com
Q) “Because of a skeptical audience who typically trust their lives at sea only to well proven designs, I would expect any different designs to have to work far harder to prove themselves (so you need more information on your web site than the competition)”
A) We here at Ceasar Marine feel strongly that the only way to fully push the sale of a product is through the customer demonstrating and testing it out for him/herself. We are never going to sell a new concept just through information itself. There has to be a balance between enticing the customer in, appealing to their sense of style and then forcing a dialogue. The fact that we are having this discussion now means we must be doing something right!
Q) “Do you include water-ski tow points on the transom as standard (possibly a selling point that would not cost a fortune to implement)?”
A) Yes we do and have now added this to the Thunderbolt text on our website. Thank you for highlighting this.
Q) “I would really like to see a drawing and or photograph of the deflated boat (I don't even know if the floorboards can be removed yet)”
A) We will be adding images of each of the deflated X Class Packages Ceasar Marine offer, and also a ‘how to’ for deflating and storing in the future. We have already added deflated Thundercat images to the website.
The floor of the Thunderbolt is constructed of marine plywood with a fiberglass outer lining. There are two floor boards joined in the centre by an aluminum strip. If the boat is deflated then these can be removed. Depending on the seating and rigging layout it is possible to fold the boat in half, lengthways for storage. To remove the cabling and electronics from the engine is a fairly lengthy job and we would not recommend doing this unless the boat was to be stored for a prolonged period.
Q) “I would like to see some description of the assembly/ deflation process with approximate timing for experienced users.”
A) See above.
Q) “With an outboard trolley and some quick release bolts can I partially deflate at the end of the day and load the boat onto a large roof rack? Or use wheels at the rear and wheel up a beach rather than having to leave at a mooring?”
A) At 5.3m the Ceasar Thunderbolt is a fairly large leisure craft with a minimum 60hp engine. We would not recommend the Ceasar Thunderbolt be transported by roof rack on any vehicle. Again, to remove the cabling and electronics from the engine is a fairly lengthy job and we would not recommend doing this unless the boat was to be stored for a prolonged period. We would recommend trailering the boat on a bunker trailer. However, due to the fact that it is lightweight you will be able to maneuver the Ceasar Thunderbolt out of the water and over a short distance on trolley wheels.
Q) “I need an idiots guide to the deck space in comparison to an equivalent sized RIB (what can I fit and where) - I think this is a huge selling point, but I can't currently see photographs of 4/6/7 people sitting with a couple of waterproof bags on the deck to work out how good.”
A) We will be updating the Thunderbolt image gallery in due course and will strive to add some images showing the ample deck space available along with some text describing possible seating arrangements.
Please feel free to call us to discuss further, details on our website. Or if you would like to arrange a demonstration we now have a dealer network throughout the UK with M.I.RIBs based in Chichester being the closest X Class dealer to Southampton. Again the contact details are available in the dealer locator section of our website.
Regards,
Ceasar
You listed pretty much the same questions I had and things I was looking for when I visited the Gemini dealer on Vancouver Island. From some some of your previous questions, I suspected you might have had an engineering background 
. While I am now in professional sales, my academic background is in biomechanics/athletic injuries.
