Meet the Crew – Sam Sulley
Sam joined us back in 2010 while on his gap year. He is a Pommy and was travelling with his lovely girl Nikki across to Australia, New Zealand and Asia after finishing his accounting degree at Durham university. His family holidayed at Abersoch in Wales, the home of the U.K Chaparral dealer, where Sam worked during several of his school holidays, and where he caught the marine industry bug.
It occurred to him that he had a fair bit of knowledge about Chaparral Boats, so why not reach out to the Aussie Chaparral dealer so he could earn some $$ while traveling. We agreed to give him a go over the Christmas period for a few weeks and 8 months later he, and we, were hooked! Sam and Nikki are now naturalised Aussie’s and have an Aussie son, Jack!
Like all of our jobs here, Sam’s role is wide and varied. Principally he is the Chaparral Australia, wholesale manager, so he looks after our dealer network across Australia and New Zealand, but Sam is also a general manager for Aussie Boat Sales.
With extensive knowledge on all our boat brands, Sam specialises in sales for Cruisers Yachts, Chaparral, Robalo and Honda – but also sells Stejcraft, Polycraft and accessories.
Sam’s accounting degree has come in handy in his G.M role, but he also has a keen interest in electrical and electronics – so he is full of information and advice on marine technology such as lithium batteries, trolling motors, solar power systems, battery chargers, GPS and Sounder set ups and their connectivity, auto pilots, stereo’s, trim tabs and other speciality areas that many of our boat owner’s request. He has a wealth of mechanical knowledge as well.
Sam’s ‘Tech’ brain naturally translates to him being a brilliant Navigator, having learned how to sail with our yacht crew. He also loves water skiing and wake surfing, which is something we all do regularly, and spending time relaxing on Nikki’s houseboat at Lake Eildon. Sam is also a Rugby Union tragic – having played when he was younger, but now is fully qualified as a referee. If you ever want to stir him up, mention how well England did at the last world cup!
Sam – like all of the ABS staff is passionate about boating, loves getting out on the water and loves sharing his knowledge. Come and say G’day to Pommy Sam, he is sure to help you with your boating needs and like all of us, will assist you with friendly, honest and professional advice.
