BMO has a lively shuttle trip service that cannot be duplicated on the internet. I suspect it is that part of the business that props up the rest of it.
Part of the allure of BMO for my DIY needs is that they carry everything; fiberglass, dynel, minicel, resins & adhesives, rope, bungee and every imaginable buckle, clip or connector doohickie. Seats, yokes and thwarts. How many outfitters carry a variety of replacement gunwales and deck plates?
Another strong part of the business is the outstanding repair and outfitting done in their on-premises shop. Gunwale replacement, hull cracks repaired, Mikey Yee style WW outfitting and I believe BMO is the only trained and authorized Twintex repairer in the US.
BMO’s outfitting and repairs guy Kris has mad freaking skills and knowledge. Catching Kris when he had time to talk has been an education.
Last time I stopped in at Raquette River Outfitters, a year or two ago, I was pleasantly surprised at the inventory of paddling accessories and do-dads. It was a slow day for them, I was in no hurry, we chatted, and it was a great experience. I dropped some significant cash. Sadly, such experiences are rare these days.
I will stop at Raquette next time I’m in the area. I have stopped at Mountain Man a couple of times and found they had a good stock of paddles, pfd’s and tripping gear, but I never got much warmth or feedback from the staff. I don’t mean to diss an outfitter, and maybe it was me, but they were not busy and still kind of aloof, like I needed to pull out my Paddler Passport or produce my bona fides before I was taken seriously.
I gritted my teeth and bought a new PFD for my wife, who needed one for that trip. The second visit we were looking for new paddles for my sons and walk out empty handed with the cash in my wallet after a few minutes of too-cool-for-you. Well yes, I guess not, eh?
BMO has certainly sunk a lot of money into keeping a vast and complete stock of stuff like paddles and PFD’s. I don’t really need any more of that kind of gear, although I have occasionally left with a new paddle. What I enjoy most is that the BMO folks are nice people, with a good sense of humor, and they are all die hard paddlers who know their stuff.
I try to time my BMO visits for the slow times; off season or middle of the day + middle of the week. The shuttle and livery business requires a lot of personal staff time and client interaction during the fair-weather months, and I try not to pester the staff when they are busy. I’m not going to ask them to go into the shop and cut me a yard of fiberglass or peel ply or go down in the basement for $10 worth of minicel when they are swarmed.
But when things are slow I relish chatting with the owners and staff. I
always come away having learned something new, whether a new repair or outfitting trick or current info about what is new in the canoe world.
Nor will I go into a brick and mortar store to look and handle something personally (stoves) or try something on (PFD) only to buy it online for less money somewhere else."
Personally, I really dislike the "customer" who comes into the shop, picks the brain of the staff, test paddles boats (or whatever) and then hits the web because they can find it for less money.
That is especially egregious behavior. My most frequent paddling companion ran an outfitter shop, and I have other friends in that retail business. They would use a stronger term than “dislike” and have developed a radar to detect such customers. Don’t be that a$$hat.
Here’s a new wrinkle in outfitter shop business models. I contacted Harmony last week looking for a replacement part. I called the Customer Service 866 number on Harmony’s web site and heard “Hello, you have reached Austin Canoe and Kayak”.
AC&K already had a vigorous on-line presence, and it makes sense for a corporate manufacturer to outsource questions about repair parts and pieces.
