In January of 1997, I decided that I was going to buy a boat. I had visited every web site known. When I came across the Stingray page, I liked the way it looked and I liked the price of the 190rs for my first boat. For the '97 Georgia boat show, I made it my business to be there. I looked for the nearest dealer and there was one in Roswell, GA at the time. I called and they were not too friendly. So, I telephoned Mark's Marine, located in Clayton, GA, about 2.5 hours away from me, and spoke with the owner, Mark Levesque. He welcomed my call and gave me the location of his booth for the boat show. I had viewed all of the specs and read all of the reviews on the boat and they were all good.

On the day of the boat show I got up early, ready to buy my boat. When I arrived, the first thing I saw at Mark's booth was my 190rs. It had class and style. When I met Mark and his staff, they were very friendly and helpful. They helped me pick my colors and options and the deal was done. In March, Mark called and told me my boat was in. That Saturday I drove to Clayton, GA to pick it up. Mark knew it was my first boat. He spent at least 3 hours going over boating and safety tips, giving me a lot of goodies, and wishing me well.

The following weekend, I hit Parksville Lake in Ducktown, TN, where I have a vacation home. I got her off the trailer and picked up my friend and off we went. The ride was the most enjoyable one I have ever experienced. The boat felt solid and it planed very quickly. With the Merc 3.0, this was enough for me. The boat is very comfortable and easy to handle. I opened the throttle and pushed it to about 50 mph and took a turn at about 40 mph. I was shocked at how it handled the turn with no rear end skipping. At that moment I knew I had the right boat. But at the end of the day when docking, the most rewarding of all was the compliments on how beautiful the boat was. That made my day and still one year later, it still gets compliments in and out of the water.

I love boating so much that I'm looking at the Stingray 240cs for next year. I want to thank Mark's Marine and his staff for making my first buy a pleasant one.