PHOTO: BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Eric Laflamme is hoping to take the boating industry by storm with the introduction of the Arrowhead (at left).

In an effort to rock the boat in the competitive sport-fishing boat market, Winnipeg's newest company has taken a page from the auto industry.

Internautic Marine Group built a one-off, high-end concept boat to show off at the major boat shows and interest was so high at this week's Toronto Boat Show that company president Eric Laflamme said he's decided to move production ahead by about two years.

"We wanted to show people what we were capable of doing," Laflamme, who formed Internautic about a year ago after the merger of Misty River and Odyssea Leisure Products, said in an interview. "But there was so much interest and so many competitors taking pictures that we figure if we don't build it soon, someone else will."

In addition to showing that the Misty River brand is still alive and kicking, there are some who are saying Laflamme's entry into the market could shake up what is typically a very conservative, slow growth market.

"It doesn't take long for the young guys to become part of the old boys network," said one veteran of the sport fishing boat market in the Toronto area. "Eric and Internautics could revolutionize the business, especially out West."

It's the kind of message Laflamme is pleased to hear, because while he might not put it this way he is interested in being a disruptive force.

"We think we can add production innovation to a fairly stagnant industry," Laflamme said from his St. Boniface office in between boat shows in Toronto and Montreal. "We want to position ourselves as a high-tech, high-performance boat company."

Jo-Ann Searls, who is with Power Boating magazine in Mississauga, was duly impressed with Laflamme's stylish 21-foot aluminum boat, called the Arrowhead.

"They have definitely made a splash," Searls said. "People I have talked to say they have never seen that kind of concept boat at the shows. I think this is really going to appeal to the echo boom generation."

The Arrowhead would be "revolutionary" in many ways, not the least of which is the price tag. Fully "tricked-out," it is likely to retail at around $90,000, very expensive for a fishing boat that could otherwise be purchased for $10,000 to $15,000.

Laflamme said there are about 19 patents pending on the boat that features such things as a unique wrap-around centre instrument control console, complete front-to-back seating, a deck arrangement that converts easily into an obstruction-free fishing platform and a full array of electronic devices like a global positioning system, a sonar depth finder, a battery maintenance system and a trolling motor.

But perhaps most noteworthy is Internautic's ability to present a deep-V aluminum boat with all the design stylings traditionally only available from a fibreglass boat. In fact, Internautic bills itself as the only integrated manufacturer and marketer of aluminum and fibreglass boats under one roof.

While some in the business suggest Internautic is a threat to the industry, Andrew Klopak, president of Lund Boats Canada of Steinbach, is certainly not going to admit his firm is concerned by Internautic.

Not surprisingly, in a telephone interview from the Toronto International Boat Show, Klopak was reluctant to say anything about Internautic.

"Eric is fairly new to the business," Klopak said. "And it is a fairly stable market, but we have some expectation for growth in the aluminum market."

Klopak's operation in Steinbach has doubled its employment to about 250 during the last five years and makes about 5,000 aluminum boats, while Internautic employs about 25 people in Winnipeg and makes about 1,100 boats.

But Laflamme believes there is reason to hope for some new opportunities because of some potential changes in the dealership network. Last year, Lund's parent company, Genmar Holdings Inc., was sold to Brunswick Corp., also the owners of Mercury Marines, makers of Mercury outboard boat motors.

Laflamme believes there will be opportunities for Internautic to sell its boats to dealers who previously sold Lund boats, but sold other motor lines like Johnson, Evinrude, Honda or Yamaha.

Klopak said there are many benefits Lund will incur with its relationship with Brunswick, but would not comment on any new dealership dynamics.