Private charters
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Closing Arguments
Powerboat Adventures, From all reports, would appear to be one of the most successful examples of this type of operation. Based on the information which has been presented on this web site, however, this operation really does not appear to be quite as successful as it is cracked up to be - from many perspectives - including the bottom line.
Powerboat Adventures' recent acquisition of a larger boat, (which up to this time I have made a point of ignoring) will, no doubt, permit operating in rougher conditions and / or provide more passenger comfort and safety - and, therefore, fewer weather related cancellations. Presumably their tour agents and their customers will be very pleased with this turn of events
All in all, this acquisition will have, very likely, provided a tremendous improvement to their operation in general - at what capital costs or operating costs, however, is information I do not have access to. I have also noticed, in a recent photo, that Powerboat Adventures has now provided some shade structures and seating on the beach - so I will have to retract that criticism.
Leaving aside Powerboat Adventure recent boat acquisition, however, there is little question that "Product for Product" Panama Adventure Tours will far surpass Powerboat Adventures. Just how far is a matter of individual taste and judgement. Naturally, the value one places on a product or an activity depends on one's personal perspective.
My personal perspective, at this point in time, happens to be a "very bored" and a "very broke" one. Were I to be offered the opportunity to go on a Powerboat Adventures tour tomorrow (with the assurance that the sea conditions would be fairly calm) I would be prepared to pay perhaps as much as 50 dollars - just to get a break from the boredom.
Were I to be offered the opportunity to go on a tour with Panama Adventure Tours tomorrow, I would, perhaps, be prepared to pay as much as 500 dollars. Of course that is just my personal valuation (at this point in time) and clearly, seeing as I have never been on either tour, I certainly cannot be considered a qualified judge.
No doubt, a valuation, by a wide cross section of individuals - who had actually been on both tours, would result in a wide spectrum of results. However, I would be willing to wager a fair amount that a large segment (say 50% or more) of those valuations would be in the same ball park as mine.
The fact, that what success Powerboat Adventures does enjoy appears to be based largely on their very powerful "Brand", which they have earned - by means of a very well run "Branding" campaign, leads to some concerns. It could be argued that their current level of success does not rest on a very substantial foundation. It only takes one young boy shouting loudly that "The Emperor is as naked as the day that he was born" to spoil the whole parade.
This being said, "Branding" is a very powerful force in our culture today and the odds are very good that Powerboat Adventures (unlike some noticeable examples of high powered "Branding" such as "Enron" or "Bear Stearns") will continue on it's merry way - generating a high percentage of rave reviews - and somewhat decent profits for the owner.
The odds are also very good that, should the founder let it be known that he would not be averse to taking on a couple of financial partners, the line of those, with check books in hand, eager to sign on with Powerboat Adventures, would probably stretch half way around the block.
Unfortunately for Panama Adventure Tours, "Branding" is just as powerful a force when used in a negative sense. In fact, actual physical "Branding" (with a hot iron) has been used throughout history - as a punishment for witches and criminals and other pariahs of society.
After 50 years of futile efforts to create Panama Adventure Tours (or a close facsimile thereof) while no hot irons were involved, a brand has been clearly burned onto my forehead - for all to see. Whether the brand reads CRAZY OLD FOOL or simply LOSER is not clear - however, it most definitely does not read SUCCESSFUL YOUNG ENTREPENEUR.
Also rather unfortunately, at this time, I am a tad short on other "Brands" such as a gold "Rolex " watch or an "Armani" suit or a pair of "Louis Vuitton" shoes - to distract attention away from the "Brand" on my forehead. This being the case, and seeing that much of this branding on my forehead was actually applied in the Bahamas, the odds are pretty slim - that a line will be forming around the block in Nassau, any time soon, to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in Panama Adventure Tours.
One can only hope, as mentioned before, that all the rational people on the planet, who have managed to develop some degree of resistance to the epidemic of "mass insanity" ((known as "Branding") which is currently sweeping the planet, have moved to Panama - perhaps to Boquete. Whether or not Panama Adventure Tours becomes a reality could depend largely on this circumstance.
There is little doubt that, if and when Panama Adventure Tours does become a reality, it will inevitably become extraordinarily successful. The simple reason for this is that we will be offering a far superior "Product" than our competition (based on the simple criteria of "how happy and satisfied consumers are with the respective Products". While very effective "Branding and Marketing" campaigns, on the part of our competitors, may delay the inevitable, they cannot prevent it.
Powerboat Adventures was chosen for this comparison - for the reasons, previously alluded to, in the opening statement. However, many aspects of this comparison would also apply to other "Snorkeling / Booze Crooze" operations closer to home - such as. Calypso Cruises in Costa Rica - and a host of others further afield.
There is breaking news that there is a new operation just starting up out of Panama City - which goes by the name of Sea Las Perlas. They will be apparently doing combination passenger ferry / excursion operations to the Las Perlas islands. There is a very similar operation out of Nassau (Bahamas Ferries) which apparently does quite well - although their overheads are very high - and they have not appeared to put a significant dent in Powerboat Adventures' revenues.
From the Sea Las Perlas current web site, it would appear that they are very well capitalized and very knowledgeable about their "Product" - and extremely talented at the marketing end. Clearly however, they have a very large investment in their fleet and they will require substantial financial resources to develop and promote their "Product" to the stage where they are operating at a sufficient capacity to provide a decent return on their investment. While this operation will no doubt provide some "fierce competion" for the Panama City based market, our respective products will be very different.
This brings up another point regarding "Products" - which ones see examples of, time and time again, in the restaurant business. This is - a very small, very successful restaurant (operating at close to maximum capacity) deciding to open a much larger establishment - which ends up being a total failure. The reason for this failure is likely due to an aspect of any "Product" in the "hospitality sector" which, while intangible, is very important.
This could be described as "intimacy", "warmth", "spontaneity", "quality" "genuineness", "authenticity" or many other terms. Whatever term one uses, it is a crucial aspect of any "hospitality business" - particularly in regard to a certain segment of the market . This indefinable quality is what we intend to provide - in Spades - and will, we believe, provide a very important contribution to the overall success of Panama Adventure Tours.
Another rather obtuse and unusual aspect of our tours is that they will not have the same focus most "adventure tours" (to some degree) seem to share. This focus is, apparently, to leave the "comfort and safety" of your urban environment - to don your armor (protective gear) arm yourself with the latest high tech weapons of war (such as $10,000 mountain bikes) and to challenge the "hostile, dangerous and alien" natural elements "out there" to a battle to the death - or close to it.
Powerboat Adventures, to some extent, certainly shares this sort of flavor - "battling the seas aboard their 1000 h.p, war painted battlewagons!"- and "facing off against dangerous sharks and stingrays" Indeed, as described on a previous page, the trips can often turn into a battle - and some of their guests do come back with battle scars to show - when boasting about their great exploits.
Panama Adventure Tours are focused on demonstrating precisely the opposite - namely, that it is the urban environment which is "challenging, hostile, dangerous and alien". The natural environment is where safety and security lies - it is our ancient, peaceful home and should feel as comfortable as a favorite old pair of slippers.
We see our tours as a means of taking our guests "back to where they once belonged". We have no 1000 hp, "war painted battlewagons" - battling ferociously against the elements. Grand Illusion dances lightly with sparkling playful seas - and all aboard happily join in the dance.
Granted, when a 200 lb tuna takes the bait - on one of the lines streaming from Grand Illusion, what ensues could well be described as a "battle". However, unlike the scene on a typical sportfishing "battlewagon" (this term is actually often used in sport fishing circles) there are no 1000 hp diesel engines roaring in reverse - exhausting clouds of black smoke - nor any other evidence of the pandemonium of battle.
Aboard Grand Illusion, there is a only the quiet elemental, timeless struggle between angler and fish - with only the occasional whining of line being stripped from the reel - or a stifled grunt as it is being reeled back in - etched sharply against the natural stillness and serenity of the surroundings. Think "The old man and the sea" - not the latest episode of "Survivor".
Hopefully, these 6 web pages will have presented a convincing argument that Panama Adventure Tours is likely to be a substantially more financially successful operation than Powerboat Adventures. The main reason, for the likelihood of this occurrence, is that the "Product", provided by the former, will likely be far superior to the product - provided by the latter.
"Superior" in this case (as in the case of virtually all products) means that it "will make people happier". No doubt, people can be, and often are, incredibly irrational. However, they generally are rational enough to be prone to spend their money on "Products" , which, in their (quite possibly very irrational) judgement, will make them happy.
Having, hopefully, shown that Panama Adventure Tours "primary goal", of providing substantial financial returns for their investors, is likely to be achieved, it surely need not necessarily be considered a "bad thing" if, by chance, other tangential achievements are realized - to however infinitesimal a degree. In fact, if such achievements also contribute to "making people happy", this should make Panama Adventure Tours even more financially successful and therefore would actually be a "good thing".
For instance if, by chance, Panama Adventure Tours were to, in some infinitesimal way, contribute towards:
> Saving a few people from actually dying of boredom - or pretty close to it.
> Saving a few people from actually dying of blunt trauma to the head - or gunshot wounds.
> Saving a few species (including, quite possibly, homo sapiens) from going extinct.
> Providing an environment conducive to a rational exchange of ideas.
> Providing a few people with a really great tan.
> Saving a few whales.
> Providing a few laughs.
> Saving millions of barrels of oil.
> Saving millions of marine animals from death by millions of barrels of oil.
> Saving a husband from being nagged by his wife.
> Saving a wife from bring punched in the nose by her husband.
> Saving a child from being screamed at.
> Saving an individual from being torn to pieces by an angry mob.
> Saving a variety of individuals from a variety of misfortunes.
> Providing some tasty seafood dinners.
All of the above would appear to be likely to "make people happy" and therefore, should be considered "good things" - in regard to the bottom line. For more info. on such chance occurrences, please check out the following web pages
Powerboat Adventures (Bahamas) vs. Panama Adventure Tours
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Powerboat Adventures (Bahamas) vs. Panama Adventure Tours
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Links to provisional web pages for Panama Adventure Tours
Powerboat Adventures (Bahamas) vs. Panama Adventure Tours
* Rupert Holmes - "Escape" - better known as "The Piña Colada Song".
trading as:
Powerboat Adventures vs. Panama Adventure Tours vs. Powerboat Adventures
Panama Adventure Tours is not yet open for business.
Projected start up - Nov. 2010. This web site is currently just a rough draft.
However, "If you like Piña Coladas - - - and you have half a brain"*
- plus a nodding acquaintance with the English language,
you may find the current content interesting and remarkably rewarding - - - approximately 100% rewarding.
This particularly applies to those who live, work, play and / or own / operate a tourism related business in:
Chiriqui, Panama - or Panama City, Panama - or San Jose, Costa Rica - or would like to.
