Scott Douglas joined MarineMax Wrightsville Beach in the parts department in March 1999, fresh out of UNCW. But you could say his professional field was foretold when he got started on a small, flat-bottomed jon boat at the age of 12. For Scott and his brother Todd, trips for Spanish mackerel near Oak Island on his dad’s Sea Ox boat were the bait for a developing love of fishing and the water.

Now Douglas is in his 23rd year of selling boats or “future dreams,” as he’s inclined to say. Appropriately, the first boat he sold was a 17-foot Sea Pro for $12,000. The Wrightsville Beach store is one of 77 nationwide and, with an expanding global presence, MarineMax is currently the largest lifestyle retailer of recreational boats and yachts in the world. 

Locally, MarineMax Wrightsville Beach was voted Best Boat Dealership by Wilmington Magazine in 2020, 2021 and 2022. As a sales consultant, Douglas has achieved the Chairmen Circle twice, the top sales achievement in the company, where the top 30 people are recognized out of 400 salespeople.

His first year with MarineMax working in the dealership’s parts department gave him the highly detailed knowledge that would later serve him well in sales. 

“Getting started in the parts end of the business,” he said, “allowed me to see how things work – wiring-wise or other aspects, the way the boat is constructed, why is the seat here, why do the electronics work this way. Understanding all those whys helps you to explain more to a buyer.”

Another building block for his career involved two summers as a crew member (essentially a first mate) of a commercial fishing boat during his last two years at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. There he learned a little bit of everything, and this experience later served as the impetus for receiving his 100-Ton Master Captain’s License. This license is especially useful when a marine insurance company requires a captain of record.

Douglas is quick to point out that his job is a “stress-free zone. I sleep well at night; I just love it. If I don’t know something, someone on our team will have the answer.”

A stress reliever for buyers, he adds, is the dealership’s one-stop services for financing and insurance.

“They don’t have to go their bank or insurance agent,” he said. “That simplifying piece extends to our handling of North Carolina registrations and everything they need to get started – life jackets, flares, fire extinguishers, all of it.”

His biggest challenge, he emphasized, is inventory. 

“Our manufacturers can’t build them fast enough. We’re just now getting to the point where we have some in stock – for almost two years we didn’t. We were selling a future dream.”

How did he and other team members deal with this obstacle? 

“Well, we’ve had to think creatively,” he said. “Often, we have to contact a client who we previously sold to. We’ll ask, ‘Hey can we look at your boat, take it out? We’ll top off the fuel for you, clean it.’ It’s not ideal, but you have to adapt and survive. I think it helps that we have such great relationships with our clients, who know that we will be there for them after the sale is made.”

That post-sale attention is what is so appealing to three-time MarineMax buyer Chris Corchiani, a former star point guard for N.C. State University who eventually was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the early ’90s. The CEO and owner of Raleigh-based Tryon Title, Corchiani owns a Galeon 640 (68 feet), preceded by a Galeon 50 (50 feet). 

“We have a natural personal rapport,” Corchiani said.  “He’s so low pressure, informative. I know if I’m in the Bahamas I can call him about anything. Like a mystery light flicks on, I can call him on a Sunday morning, and he’ll get the answer for me. In my business, customer service is everything. And for Scott and the company, the sales cycle kicks in day one of delivery.”

Douglas said many clients have bought multiple boats through him, referred siblings or friends … and now to their kids. Alluding to those Sunday morning calls, he strives to be available so that when owners call to anxiously convey that “the engine won’t start, that the kids’ day waterskiing may not happen,” he can be there to help.

Selling larger yachts is another part of the primarily high-end business for Douglas and MarineMax. On April 6, he closed on a 120-foot Ocean Alexander. This boat weighs in at 300 tons, with features such as a night vision camera, thermal imaging camera, global telephone and internet, a $60,000 lighting system that switches from green to blue, and overhead lighting that can be tied to music.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Douglas said. “The owner’s a great guy, a real techie who I worked with continuously for the last couple of years to help shepherd this through. I even flew to Taiwan this past summer to check on everything that had to be completed.”

MarineMax Wrightsville Beach each year hosts a Sport Boat Lunch Cruise Getaway up the Cape Fear River, with lunch at Elijah’s and an evening return to Wrightsville Beach. Another upcoming Getaway heads to Cape Lookout near Morehead City, with all reservations, dinner and cocktails set up by the dealership team. 

In his leisure time Douglas, a Leland resident, enjoys spending time with his family – his wife, Brittany, and his two young daughters. 
“The girls,” he said, with that ever-present stress-free smile, “are just starting to really enjoy dad taking them out fishing.”