Marina Car Gives Visiting Boaters the Keys to New England
The rapid expansion of technology into every facet of our lives provides ample opportunities for new ideas that improve our economy as well as create new entrepreneurs.
Peter Rauscher is one such individual working to create additional visitor convenience, gainful relationships, as well as an untapped service for traveling mariners.
Rauscher, the son of a German father who stressed that learning about machinery was an essential life lesson for a youngster growing up on 20 acres in the coastal Maine town of Bristol, is building on his life experiences.
Along with two older brothers, Rauscher dabbled in cars and all sorts of boats very early; a Ford Escort GT was first at age 12. A Mercedes 240D arrived two years later—but never hit the road, followed by a succession of Hondas, Volvos, and pickup trucks. Sailing, lobstering, and powerboating were all on the agenda.
“I gravitated to unique vehicles, fun to drive vehicles that made me feel good. One of my early favorites was actually an F-150 short bed pickup with only rear-wheel drive,” Rauscher stated.
After doing home remodeling and new construction in the Boothbay area—just across the bay from Bristol—for a few years, Peter enrolled in the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island. After graduation, he pursued yachting from Islesboro before deciding that Portland offered a more vibrant list of opportunities.
Fifteen years ago, one of those opportunities led to Port Harbor Marine in South Portland. At first, he did the yeoman work of a deck hand, catering to the cleaning chores that have led to now being the Dock Master, overseeing a year-round, full-time crew of four, with sixteen on his summer crew. Along the way, there were stints in sales, boat prep, and even boat show presentation, all the time learning from the Soucy family about how important relationships and customer care were to the success of their business.
Currently, Port Harbor Marine is northern New England’s largest boat retailer, with their Spring Point Marina and Breakwater Marina in South Portland the busiest of their five locations.
Interacting with hundreds of boaters each day led to several conversations about, of all things, land transportation. When you get to a remote port—in Maine or elsewhere—how do you get around, how do you enjoy your port visit, Rauscher asked many of his guests. He helped manage Port Harbor’s courtesy car, but this was one vehicle with no concrete parameters to handle multiple users. There was no program, no structure, until Peter came up with both.
Named Marina Car, Peter’s fledgling business operates in three ports: Spring Point South Portland, Kingman’s Yacht Center in Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, plus Crocker’s Boatyard (founded in 1881) in New London, CT.
Seeking to offer a better experience than Uber, local taxis, or any current ride-share program, Peter works to offer upscale, late-model Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Volvo products for mariners used to elevated levels of both customer service and customer satisfaction.
“It is essential to build relationships with customers, that things be right. The car has to be clean, ready for them, where it is promised, and ready for them to expand on their port visit. We live in a great region; boaters know that and come here to experience what we have. I’m trying to give them additional value for their time with special treatment on-shore,” Peter relayed.
“My previous knowledge of cars, plus my 15 years at Port Harbor have shown me the path to make this relationship idea work. Marina Car offers value in a scalable product that is ready for expansion. No artificial intelligence needed; Marina-Car can streamline the marriage of recreational boating with shore-side automobiles for upscale customers in remote and urban ports all over the coast.”
“Marina Car is the facilitator of information, convenience, and quality,” said Rauscher.
Automakers are working to make autonomous driving a doable option. Marina Car and Peter Rauscher are working to make driving on land simple for drivers used to the world’s largest roadways.
For more info, go to: marina-car.com
