Where we've come from this year...

[NCangler]

Hi folks. For those of you that have been with us since our early years (started in November 2004), you know that I've committed to keep the website going as long as their are Triumph/Logic boat owners that see the resource as a benefit and are thereby willing to pay for the subscription. The activity level has obviously dropped off the past few years, but we still have over many owners that continue to subscribe to the site. But I'd rather develop a future for the website rather than just maintain it. With that in mind let's brainstorm a bit on what we could do together to build the participation and information on the website for current owners of these boats!

With the announcement of the official closing of Triumph Boats and no potential business offer to resurrect it again, the existence of this website may be more important than ever for the hundreds if not thousands of Triumph Boat owners out there. So what can we do to make the website a better resource for you and them? Here are a few ideas that I have and I'd like to solicit yours.

First, in 2016 we migrated all the forums, photos, articles, etc from our old vBulletin based forum website to this newer, more robust Xenforo based website which offered better search capabilities. We are about to upgrade the site software to the newest Xenforo version which will bring some new functionality which I think we'll all enjoy. One of the challenges of the move from vBulletin to Xenforo was tackling some database issues where some of the URL links were not working correctly. I've worked over the past year at fixing as many of those links as I could find, but I'm sure there are many that are still not working. If the link posted by a member was to an "off server" site owned by someone else and that link no longer works then there is nothing that I can do about that. However, if the link was to a photo hosted on performanceoutdoors.net or to a thread with the www.performanceoutdoors.net/... URL in it then I should be able to fix that link. Here is where you can help me. If you are searching for something and come across a URL link that is not working. Please use the "Report" link under that post to send me a message and I will attempt to fix that link. I will then let yo know when it is fixed. This would be a great help in relinking any currently missing information that folks are interested in.

Second, what do you think about a monthly podcast where I would interview one of the folks at Merritt Marine or a former Triumph Boats engineer or one of our members, to talk about Triumph Boats and maintenance or modifications associated with them? I would post the podcast in a new forum here and members can make comments or ask follow up questions. If you like this idea then use this thread to give me some ideas on podcast content or questions that you'd like answered or addressed and we'll start working on the idea.

Third, we will work on getting the segments that were produced on the Maintenance and Modifications for Triumph Boat Owners DVD posted to a media section here. Then perhaps we can look at some more content ideas for future video segments.

Fourth, I'm hoping to connect with someone who is more technically savvy on Triumph Boats to answer technical questions posted in the forums. I'm hoping they can also assist with some additional articles of benefit to Triumph owners.

What do you think? What ideas do you have to get the community more interested in posting and participating?

Let me know your ideas!

Blessings
Randy
administrator

 

[NetWorx]

Randy, as I have previously communicated, I am very thankful for what you have done to provide Triumph owners a place to learn and get plenty of ideas and and knowledge. Not being very savvy navigating the site, the thought has never crossed my mind that a membership was not value added for me. It has had immense value over the ownership of both my Triumphs 170 and 210.
My thought is in order to stimulate additional memberships, it would be valuable if there was a way to obtain emails for all Triumph owners state by state. Not sure if these lists can be accessed via DMV or not.
I have to believe there are many owners that are not aware of this resource.
I for one will continue to explore ideas.
Thanks again!!!

 

[mrgreencms]

I want to thank you for this site. Since becoming a member it has been very valuable resource for me and I have learned a lot. I agree with your ideas and I am looking forward to seeing them come to fruition.

 

[Genelie]

Lots of great ideas. As long as we and others still own thier boats, me going on 16 years now. This site and Merritt Marine are very important and I personally glad both are here for info.

 

[Dave LeGear]

Happy New Year everyone and I trust all your Holidays were great, you got all the cool toys you wanted AND all your favorite Collage Football Teams won!

As Randy made mention, I am working on some new content ideas as well as revamping some past things to help bring new life, back to our site. I also feel it is critical, that we not only secure your help and ideas, but also have an expansion of new content to help spur this growth. If not, the site will simply die a slow death... Just because Triumph died, and as I have always joked "who's lifetime?" when they made mention of the their hull warranty... We here as a group, do not need too suffer the same fate!

As such, I am working with Randy on how to expand the site audience to a even larger, but very targeted group of users. I feel the KB (Knowledge Base) aspect of the site, has been one of it's greatest strong suits and will not go away. These ideas on how to expand the user group though is logical, and in keeping with the current users and product line

Please (as always) feel free to reach out either in this thread, or to us in a PM with your ideas and we would love to hear them! Also, some fortunate member / buddies of mine here, may find themselves "enlisted" as SME's (Subject Matter Experts) to help watch over the expansion and those postings, this as we (as the say goes) "spur the Bull out of the chute" for the site. We will also, never ever forget the Family Friendly aspect the site was and is founded upon. The next generations of Outdoors Men and Women, need a safe haven to engage and share in such for sure...

In closing, I am very excited about the new direction and content it should bring. Not only for Triumph Boats in general, but other "related" products. Our site and it's KB layout, is almost perfect for many things all related back to the original product not to mention, also heavy in Fishing at the same time.

Many Blessings to all for the New Year!
Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

Good Morning All!
Since many if not most of you are frozen in (even we have the heat on here in SWFL) I asked that you take a few moments to ensure all your log in information is correct including location. The fastest way I know how to reach this section is once you log in, hover your mouse over your screen name (top right of the page) and once the box expands out... Just click on the "your profile page" link.

If you need any help with such, please feel free to drop me a PM

If you are really bored (or need an excuse to stay out of sight ) a review of your photo albums for old content to remove as well, this as new content (like cool upgrades) to post would also come in handy. Consider it all early Spring Cleaning again, if you need any help with such just let us know

Thanks Everybody and stay warm!
Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

Good Afternoon!
As some may have discovered, some of the past, but still relevant surveys are now back to the top of the home page again.

Some of these go way back and I cannot even edited the choices. Those I will have to re-post once I figure out how to archive the past data, and then see if I can bring it back. My gut / programming skills tells me that I may just have create new ones for the those I cannot edit.

Be that as it may, I just wanted to remind everybody that you have to scroll to the very top of those threads to actually find the survey and vote on them. Most if not all (will double check here soon) are no longer be locked down, and and you can re-vote if you have voted before. This way we can secure the most recent information.

Hope this helps (more things on the way) and let us know if you need any help or having problems casting your votes

Dave

 

[k9reno]

Hello
Many of you know of me. I have been involved from the beginning when I bought my 210 in 2003. I remember on an earlier version of this site there was a chat room feature. I always like just sitting around chatting with other owners. Talking about the boats or just shooting the bull in general. I know I have not been around much in recent years (very busy), but that will change in 383 days. I think it would be cool if we could find some way to support more social interaction amongst members even if it just shooting the bull when bored.
I also enjoyed the fishing tourneys ( an organizational nightmare I know) which explained why I like driving 1000 miles to fish. Just getting to know the others on a more personal level was great. Not pushing anything, just airing it out there.

Dick

 

[Dave LeGear]

Good Morning!
As I have been digging around looking for ways to both condense the layout, and reorganize some of our wealth of knowledge here... While doing this, I stumbled into some pictures that I have not even seen, or had forgotten about...

As such (for now, looking for other programming options) came up with the quick idea of having a "Best of the Best" upgrade idea picture thread for each model of Triumph. And will post / pin that single thread for each respective model forum section.

Basically, we are looking for non-factory upgrade ideas that really help push the functional envelop for others to review and incorporate on their boats. This or for the used shopper, too see how they can use those same ideas to help build a boat for "their personal" Fishing and Boating needs. Be it Lake, Flats, Near or Offshore

Please feel free to add those picture links (or send them to me) and we will post them those" Best of the Best" threads for each model

And stay tuned, many more site updates planned...

Tight Lines!
Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

Good Evening Everybody!

There has been and is, an ongoing major rebuild of all of our past forums and the adding of new ones, this as information is being sorted and dropped into those newer sections Please feel free to send us a note with your ideas on the newer layout, and things (topics) you would like to see added?

And though we have a great site search tool, we are trying to make it as visual as possible... This to help you quickly pick off the information and discussion topics you would like to both read, and add your personal experiences, reviews, and tips upon Once signed in and a member, this page link below, will make a great place to start so you can scroll down the entire list and then jump in both feet 1st and become involved!

https://www.performanceoutdoors.net/forums/

Randy and I have even more sweeping changes and updates planned for the site, and we both feel pretty confident y'all will love the changes and larger scope of the site. We have shared some of our ideas with others, and everybody seems to really like the vision and the planned expansion so stay tuned for even more cool stuff

Tight Lines!
Dave

p.s. The new chat room section is working well, so feel free to log in and enjoy that returned feature that we had years ago

 

[NCangler]

Thanks for all the work Dave!

 

[Dave LeGear]

Good Morning All!
As many of our members and non members alike have seen. We have added quite a few new Forum sections / topics for everybody to jump in and start adding questions, tips, product reviews and related content to those sections. We have even more planned naturally as we grow the site

I wanted to take the time to thank again, Gene (Genelie) and Richard (K9 Reno) for their wiliness to help out as Subject Matter Experts and topic Moderators for some recent additions to the site. Randy and I both anticipate site activity level to increase quite a bit, so having their help in fielding questions, as well as the extra eyes to help watch over things is most appreciated! As we update the site software, they will be Knighted with some new cool titles

If you are interested in lending a hand and have a real passion for one or more of our forum topics (like Paddle Sports or Cooking as an example) please feel free to send Randy or I a note. We would love to hear just how rabid you are in helping seed that growth, and manage those respective sections that you love!

Which reminds me, I just want to reassure some who have asked if we are changing our mode of operation? The answer is, not a chance...

The reason this site has survived all these years (before there was much Social Media present) and where others have failed is simple. Everybody here, has done a simply wonderful job of keeping with the purpose of the site and that is... As both a Knowledge Base of information much of it by trial and error. And as a Think Tank as we have strived to help each other out, not only with repairs and targeted upgrades for our boats. But also related information to help enjoy Fishing the Outdoors even more (again) much of it by trial and error. This or as I like to say, products and tips that have great ROI

So please feel free to not only add your real world experiences, reviews, cool upgrades, etc. to our targeted past and present forums. But don't be shy, ask questions when facing something relating to what you are trying to address? Trust me, we have all seen sites where it became a huge flame war for no logical reason. And of course, there is always some Kool Aid drinkers in the crowd who feel that X Brand is the second coming, and nothing else is even worth consideration... We simply do not have that here and again, it's because we are a Think Tank looking for the best ROI, and that "Return on Investment" might even be with what you currently have, it might just need repaired / upgraded

Thanks again for all your help, and much more to come in the near future. This as we are working to upgrade and relaunch the site with some real cool stuff

Dave

 

[Goods]

Hi folks. For those of you that have been with us since our early years (started in November 2004), you know that I've committed to keep the website going as long as their are Triumph/Logic boat owners that see the resource as a benefit and are thereby willing to pay for the subscription. The activity level has obviously dropped off the past few years, but we still have over many owners that continue to subscribe to the site. But I'd rather develop a future for the website rather than just maintain it. With that in mind let's brainstorm a bit on what we could do together to build the participation and information on the website for current owners of these b

With the announcement of the official closing of Triumph Boats and no potential business offer to resurrect it again, the existence of this website may be more important than ever for the hundreds if not thousands of Triumph Boat owners out there. So what can we do to make the website a better resource for you and them? Here are a few ideas that I have and I'd like to solicit yours.

First, in 2016 we migrated all the forums, photos, articles, etc from our old vBulletin based forum website to this newer, more robust Xenforo based website which offered better search capabilities. We are about to upgrade the site software to the newest Xenforo version which will bring some new functionality which I think we'll all enjoy. One of the challenges of the move from vBulletin to Xenforo was tackling some database issues where some of the URL links were not working correctly. I've worked over the past year at fixing as many of those links as I could find, but I'm sure there are many that are still not working. If the link posted by a member was to an "off server" site owned by someone else and that link no longer works then there is nothing that I can do about that. However, if the link was to a photo hosted on performanceoutdoors.net or to a thread with the www.performanceoutdoors.net/... URL in it then I should be able to fix that link. Here is where you can help me. If you are searching for something and come across a URL link that is not working. Please use the "Report" link under that post to send me a message and I will attempt to fix that link. I will then let yo know when it is fixed. This would be a great help in relinking any currently missing information that folks are interested in.

Second, what do you think about a weekly or monthly podcast where I would interview one of the folks at Merritt Marine or a former Triumph Boats engineer or one of our members, to talk about Triumph Boats and maintenance or modifications associated with them? I would post the podcast in a new forum here and members can make comments or ask follow up questions. If you like this idea then use this thread to give me some ideas on podcast content or questions that you'd like answered or addressed and we'll start working on the idea.

Third, I'm going to get the segments that were produced on the Maintenance and Modifications for Triumph Boat Owners DVD posted to a media section here. I've been planning on doing this for sometime but just haven't found the time to get it done. I hope to have that completed by the spring of 2018. Then perhaps we can look at some more content ideas for future video segments.

Fourth, I'm hoping to connect with someone who is more technically savvy on Triumph Boats to answer technical questions posted in the forums. I'm hoping they can also assist with some additional articles of benefit to Triumph owners.

Fifth, what if we had an Owner of the Month feature article where owners submit photos of their boats with some description on when they bought it, how they use it (fishing, skiing, pleasure, etc) and some detailed info on modifications they've made to their boat?

What do you think? What ideas do you have to get the community more interested in posting and participating? On a side note, Dave LeGear, aka Putershark, is assisting with additional content ideas as well. Thanks to Dave for his many years of service here!

Let me know your ideas!
Blessings
Randy

Excellent! Ok, on the membership piece, a reminder in the member link that shows current status, when payment is due, the amount and address to send along with payment options would be helpful.
Next, if a member is having issues getting in (as I did) a special notice or link is needed for assistance.
Information from Merritt and or prior factory experts is vital for us. Maybe a special of the month post from all of us could be logged for items to be researched or communicated moving forward. Some responses may need to come from the pros while some can come from some of us proficient in that area from experience or by profession.
Great idea of owner of the month. All of us I'm sure have made or would like to make modifications to our boats. Sharing that by owner would be fun and we could get to know each other a little.
Topics?:
Electrical improvements. I've made them but not as "clean" as it could have been. Randy, your boat is a great example. Sharing how it's from the Merritt clan would be good, interesting and make our repairs that much safer. Maybe they could charge a fee for providing and sharing the information??
Interior repairs - all types.
Just a start.

 

[Dave LeGear]

Good Afternoon!
And to save on quoted space by Tom (Goods) great input, I am just going to insert it below...

"Excellent! Ok, on the membership piece, a reminder in the member link that shows current status, when payment is due, the amount and address to send along with payment options would be helpful.
Next, if a member is having issues getting in (as I did) a special notice or link is needed for assistance.
Information from Merritt and or prior factory experts is vital for us. Maybe a special of the month post from all of us could be logged for items to be researched or communicated moving forward. Some responses may need to come from the pros while some can come from some of us proficient in that area from experience or by profession.
Great idea of owner of the month. All of us I'm sure have made or would like to make modifications to our boats. Sharing that by owner would be fun and we could get to know each other a little.
Topics?:
Electrical improvements. I've made them but not as "clean" as it could have been. Randy, your boat is a great example. Sharing how it's from the Merritt clan would be good, interesting and make our repairs that much safer. Maybe they could charge a fee for providing and sharing the information??
Interior repairs - all types.
Just a start."


Thanks again for the feedback Tom! I just wanted to cover some of your ideas so Randy and I can work with them for everyone's benefit

1. Membership reminder... Great Idea and will look into the newer back in software and see what tools we can bring online for such.
2. Assistance link... Another great idea and will incorporate a "contact us" into the next "about us" page that will be open to all levels of membership and if not there, will look into creating a special link for such
3. Both Merritt and Prior Factory experts... Have been contacted about the changes and looking forward to helping out once we cut over I think most will be excited with some of the newer planned features and content of the upgraded site
4. Special of the Month post... Another good idea feel free Tom (or others) to find ones you like and we will be happy to move them up in the list for viewing and comment
5. Owner of the month... For now, and I know they are not built out for all models as of yet. But we have "The Best of the Best Upgrades" Threads. Please feel free to add to those threads for the models that now have them. What would be a great help, is to find and shoot over to me postings for the models that we do not have just yet and I will be happy to build them
6. Electrical Improvements... Those we have in several forums and forums sub sections. If general in nature, I would just post them in each respective model section. Now IF it has to deal with other add on items, we have set up entire sections and sub sections targeted just for Trolling Motors, Marine Electronics, etc. If you cannot view or find them, please let me know and I will be happy to help! This is all part of your membership here already
7. Interior repairs... We have that Randy and I just built out an entire section for such, and I have been digging around looking for generalized content that has been hidden in other forums, to move in that dedicated section. You can find it here https://www.performanceoutdoors.net/forums/boat-covers-upholstery-detailing-topics.81/

Thanks again for your Input Tom! And if you find something that needs moved into a more specialized / target forum, please let us know and we will look it over and move it if we can Just send myself or Randy a PM with the thread URL address you see in the address line of your browser, or a number where we can reach you and will be happy to call and find it with you

Best,
Dave

 

[NCangler]

Hi guys. You can always check the status of your Premium Member subscription by going to the link below.

https://www.performanceoutdoors.net/account/upgrades

You can find that by clicking on your username at the top of the page (beside your INBOX) and then clicking on Account Upgrades. The system should also send a reminder one week before your subscription expires and one week after. We will look into seeing if we can enhance that to make it simpler.

The Premium Member subscription is usually purchased via PayPal, but if you would rather send payment via check or another online service you can do so. Instructions are on the Subscribe page that has a link at the top of every page. And you can always use the Contact Us link at the bottom of any page to ask about subscribing, renewing, payment options, etc. Thanks for your interest in the Premium Member subscription! It is currently our primary vehicle for paying for everything we are doing with the website.

Finally, we had a Support Ticket system at one time but simply using the Contact Us link at the bottom of every page accomplishes the same thing. It is available to any registered member, Premium or not.

 

[KTMO]

A podcast would be a lot of fun to listen to, I just got off the phone with Carl at Merritt and you could tell he has a world of knowledge on these boats. I am sure it’s been said a million times here but they are incredible to work with, I am floored at the customer service they provide.