Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 7

87 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 7 WHITE LAKE MARINE For the joy of boating T aking in the rays out on a cool blue lake in a tweaked-out ski boat is a natural high. An absolute joy, especially in these trying times. For decades, White Lake Marine have been making that dream a reality for countless boating enthusiasts. Located on beautiful White Lake in Southeastern North Carolina, White Lake Marine is the oldest Correct Craft dealership in the world, selling pleasure boats built by the renowned makers of Nautique since 1955. The DeAndrade family have owned the business since 1985 and have stayed in the same location ever since. While the physical address hasn’t changed, the business landscape around White Lake Marine certainly has, with the industry itself having undergone massive demographic changes. “The ski boat world has always been a higher end market, but in the past 20 years that’s accelerated greatly, where the industry is now very much a high-end luxury market,” says David DeAndrade, Owner of White Lake Marine. Being in business so long, White Lake Marine are seeing a lot of family from previous clients returning, with new generations wanting to purchase their own legacy. “We frequently have individuals in the store, where I’m selling them a boat and my father sold their parents a boat before,” says DeAndrade. It’s these returning legacy clientele that push