Rudy Marine cruises into town

Tom Rudy’s connection to the Delaware beaches runs deep.

As a youngster, his father bought him his first boat from Short’s Marine in Millsboro. At 16, he worked at Bob’s Marine in Bethany Beach. Now in 2011, he’s expanded his business, Rudy Marine, to Sussex County with a new facility at the Love Creek Bridge on Route 24.

In addition to being one of the largest Yamaha outboard dealers, Rudy also offers boat sales and repairs.

“We’ve seen a great demand in this area for an upscale, high-service, hands-on type of dealer,” he said. “That’s what we are.”

Rudy has always enjoyed getting his hands dirty. The business started in January 1987 when Rudy placed a classified advertisement in the newspaper for boat repairs. More than 24 years later, he owns one of the highest rated Yamaha outboard dealers in the country, according to the Yamaha Consumer Satisfaction Index Survey.

“I literally used to go to people’s houses and remove their gear cases and bring it back to my apartment and rebuilt it on my kitchen table,” he said.

About a year after his first ad, he purchased property on Maryland Avenue in Wilmington and built his first facility. Since then, he’s prided himself on providing a “no-pressure” sales environment while employing a knowledgeable staff that can answer any questions.

As a way to convey his friendly approach, Rudy offers a valet service for customers. Rather than haul their vessels to the facility, boaters may opt to dock their vessel at the Love Creek Marina or have a Rudy Marine employee come to their marina or home to pick up the boat. The service is offered for free for people who purchase a boat from the business.

The facility also has a full-time captain, Bill Ostrander, on staff who will take people out on the water for training on how to properly operate their new boat safely and effectively.

Anyone who buys a boat, boat package or motor may also take advantage of Rudy’s customer loyalty program, which gives the customer 15 percent off their next purchase.

The program will be expanded to all purchasing customers for the facility’s grand opening boat show this weekend. For the last decade, Rudy Marine has held the Rehoboth Beach Boat Show in the K-Mart parking lot on Coastal Highway. This year it will be held at the new facility.

The show will begin at 9 a.m., Saturday, July 2, to Monday, July 4. The show gives folks an opportunity to check out the boat inventory at Rudy Marine, which currently includes boats for all purposes - sport fishing, hunting or just recreational. Some of the brands offered are Sea Fox, War Eagle, Misty Harbor, Osprey Pilothouse and Nautic Star.

Rudy said he couldn’t have started and maintained his business without the help of his father, George.

“My main mentor and trainer was my father,” he said. “He trained me on how to operate a boat business (and) how to keep it organized. There’s so many aspects to running a boat business, from parts inventory to the invoicing, and he showed me how to do all of it.”

The facility, located at 20834 Boat Hole Blvd. in Lewes, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday and Monday. For more information, call 302-999-8735 or go to www.RudyMarine.com.