On a lake in southeast Michigan, engineer, designer and inventor Bruce Jones had a problem: he was reluctant to take his pontoon out for a spur-of-the-moment ride. Sure, he’d wrestle the mooring cover if they had company or for a special event, but, a spontaneous boat ride, no way, too much hassle! Unsnapping and uncovering the boat was just too tedious and time-consuming. Jones knew there had to be a better, more efficient way. Thus, the Easy Cover™ was born.
Jones’s career has revolved around improving the way things work. The improvement of products, processes and the nuts and bolts of manufacturing operations has been his life’s work. Optimizing his own leisure time was a natural progression for Jones. Years in the automotive convertible top industry undoubtedly helped Jones bring his idea to life.
Evolving from initial concept to design to prototype, the Easy Cover™ became reality. From the original prototype with a hydraulic system, Jones has designed the Easy Cover™ to be operated by electric actuators for this automated power pontoon cover.
To market and sell the Easy Cover™, Jones partnered with Mike and Pat Apling, business principals of Devil’s Lake Water Sports, to form Vision Marine Products, llc. in 2016.
Installing the Easy Cover™ onto several of the Crest model pontoons at Devil’s Lake Water Sports provided consumers the opportunity to see it in action. This outlet has brought Vision Marine Products tremendous success, allowing the business to expand. Vision Marine is now capable of installing the Easy Cover™ on most pontoon brands and models.
Jones and the Apling have seen the potential of the Easy Cover™ at dealerships and the boat shows where they’ve featured the Easy Cover™. The excitement of people seeing the Easy Cover™ move from one position to the next in less than a minute shows the possibilities for the future of Vision Marine Products.
In response to the overwhelming success of the Easy Cover™ at Devil’s Lake Water Sports in Manitou Beach, Michigan, Vision Marine Products has secured two other dealers in the region to sell the Easy Cover™: Bud’s Marine in Huntsville, Ohio and Lakeside Motorsports in Mecosta, Michigan. Additional dealer relationships in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin are expected to be secured in the near future.
The success of the Easy Cover™ has been outstanding since Vision Marine’s inception. As more dealers sell the power pontoon cover, the more lines and models of pontoon boats are fitted with the Easy Cover™. The future of Vision Marine Products is a bright one.