Volvo Penta Dealers Promote Forward Drive Wake Boats for Active Families
A global network of Volvo Penta dealers relies on propulsion products like Volvo Penta’s Forward Drive to enhance customers’ experience on the water. Likewise, Volvo Penta trusts its authorized dealers to provide high-quality marine engine service. It’s a partnership that produces many happy families — like those living their best lives while boating on Georgia’s Lake Lanier.
Atlanta Marine started in 1995 in Buford, Georgia, as a family-run dealership committed to “introducing an enjoyable and rewarding lifestyle to our customers that is healthy, relaxing and trouble-free.” Today, dealership owners Lisa and Kurt Backus, who can frequently be found spending time on Lake Lanier themselves, still have a passion for boating that they love sharing with fellow families through a robust inventory of versatile wake boats.
Mike Norris, Atlanta Marine’s Chaparral Boats product manager, caters to active families who enjoy watersports and a bit of adventure. He has worked with Volvo Penta for 25 years, offering marine engine solutions that his customers can rely on for everything from custom surf profiles to service and support.
“The most fun part of my job is selling these boats and seeing happy families — making memories and just the whole experience,” says Norris.
The Forward Drive Family
Boating memories come naturally to the Robers family, especially when they are living, working and playing on Lake Lanier. They recently spent three days exploring the lake and surfing behind a Chaparral Surf series wake boat with Volvo Penta’s Forward Drive system and noted that standouts were reliability, the performance of the forward facing drives and, of course, the surf.
Forward Drive’s DuoProp twin contra-rotating propellers pull wake boats through the water rather than pushing them, improving top speed and well as low speed and reverse handling.
A family-favorite feature, Water Sport Control, allows each surfer to personalize speed and trim and fine-tune individual settings for the perfect wake. Creating custom waves can be accomplished with the tap of a finger on the easy-to-use display with presets programmable for up to 20 surfers.
During his family’s Forward Drive experience, Joseph Robers observed that the orientation of the Forward Drive system appeared to reduce noise and exhaust emissions compared to conventional propulsion and appreciated the additional safety provided by the forward-facing propellers when swimming.
“Definitely when it came to safety with the kids, with the exhaust and the props being away from them, I definitely felt a lot safer with them behind the boat,” he said.
Wake Boat Service and Support
When Forward Drive families require maintenance and support, Volvo Penta dealer partners like Alanta Marine help them achieve customer satisfaction with enhanced service, parts availability and warranty coverage.
Volvo Penta offers dealers ongoing training on the latest technology, products, and repair processes to support their expertise. In addition, members of the dealer network must comply with operating standards, ensuring consistent high-quality experiences with customers.
When a repair or replacement is necessary, dealers are backed by a parts distribution network that includes warehouses around the world stocked with a reliable and readily available product line.
Atlanta Marine’s Mike Norris says creating customer relationships is key, and Volvo Penta products like Forward Drive help him build the type of trust valued by a large family of Lake Lanier boaters.
“My customers’ opinion on Volvo Penta has always been stellar,” says Norris. “The performance, the maintenance, the reliability. Honestly, we always get a five star on the Volvos.”
