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Bryan Jones, head of Fairline Sales for the Americas, discussed the brand's presence at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show with Rightboat content director John Burnham. Highlighting the iconic British brand’s five-boat display, including 68- and 65-footers, Jones reinforced Fairline's commitment to engineering integrity, design quality, and manufacturing excellence.
Bryan Jones, head of Fairline sales for the Americas
Bryan Jones: So welcome to the Fairline stand at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. We're on the Squadron 50 here amongst our five-boat display. So we have the F//Line 33, we have a Targa 45 Open. We're on the Squadron 50 Flybridge. We have a remarkable Phantom 65, and our flagship model, the Squadron 65—all available here to view.
John Burnham: Tell people who you are and what you do with Fairline.
Jones: I'm Bryan Jones, the head of Fairline Sales for the Americas. I've worked at Fairline for a number of years, and within the industry for even longer and am delighted to be here in Fort Lauderdale.
Burnham: Fairline is an iconic British brand. What does the US buyer find to be pleasantly surprised about when they get aboard?
Jones: Fairline is all about engineering integrity. Not only are the lines beautiful—everyone talks about how beautiful a Fairline product looks at whatever size—but it's very much about the engineering, the design, and the manufacturing quality, and that's what people really see when they come on a Fairline. We don't produce the greatest number of products in the world, and we don't produce the biggest products in the world, but what the customer is buying is that Fairline engineering quality and manufacturing style.
Fairline F//Line 33
Burnham: I heard one of the smaller Fairlines described by one of your dealers as a trophy to be shown off in the front yard.
Jones: Well, as I said, the boats are beautiful, and I think a lot of customers fall in love with the brand just on the looks alone. Now that doesn't make a good quality boat. It's about the engineering that goes into the product. And we love to show people that if they come to the shipyard in the UK; we can show them how the boat is designed and engineered, and what goes into the hull to make it super strong so that when you're cruising, you've got real confidence in the Fairline product.
Burnham: Would you say that cruising is the central DNA of Fairline?
Jones: Well, it's actually fun from day one. That's the important thing—getting out and using the boat. But invariably, the product gives people the confidence to go farther afield. Where we are here in Florida, of course, you've got some great boating destinations, including the Caribbean. So for a lot of people, they're going to be taking their boats north-south at different times of the year, and over to the Caribbean as well, and that's lovely to see. We want people to use their boats because they've got the confidence to use them.
Fairline Squadron 68 and Targa 45 Open
Burnham: We're at the end of 2024, rolling into 2025. What are you particularly excited about aboard new fairline models?
Jones: We've got a fantastic new product development program coming, which I can't necessarily talk about today, but if you keep an eye on Fairline.com, you'll see those new products being announced over the course of the next few months. So it's super exciting what we've got coming. But more importantly right now, we've got these five boats available to sell today, available for immediate delivery. We've had a huge response this week already, and we're only halfway through the show,
Burnham: Do you characterize Fairlines as sport cruisers, sport yachts, or motor yachts?
Jones: Luxury sports motor yachts. They've all got fantastic sea keeping, a great turn of speed, and are very comfortable with great safety. So we want people to use their boats and have fun. But as I keep coming back to, we want them to do that with confidence, knowing that it's going to be a comfortable ride and a safe ride to get them those long distances. Some of these boats, particularly the Phantom 65 with its huge Caterpillar engines, you'll be very impressed at the turn of speed it has for a 65-footer.
Fairline Phantom 65
Burnham: What should buyers in today's market be thinking about in particular?
Jones: That's an easy answer. First and foremost, you've got to fall in love with the product, and you've got to enjoy using the product. And the other thing, of course, is the dealer network. The dealers are so vital to any customer journey, they are the point of contact. They're going to commission the boat, they're going to hand the boat over. You're going to have the training that goes with that, and then obviously the backup of the service and the support, maintenance, warranty, etc. So look for a good dealer. We've got some amazing dealers across the Americas, whether that's west coast or east coast, and indeed, farther afield into Canada, Central America, and South America. So good quality dealerships, great backup, and, of course, a great product—that makes a winning combination.
Burnham: Anything else we should know about Fairline?
Jones: Well, just to invite all of your Rightboat customers to come and see us. If not at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, come to one of the other many boat shows that we attend throughout the Americas.
