# SailNet is Done - 4 Year Old Thread!



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Financial troubles sink SailNet
Dot-com has filed for bankruptcy, will liquidate business

SailNet, an online shopping site for boating enthusiasts that expanded 
quickly during the dot-com boom, has declared bankruptcy and will be
sold off.
The North Charleston-based company and its affiliates, all operating
under the umbrella of MarineNet Inc., sought protection from creditors 
earlier this week in Columbia.
The once-high-flying company, which recently ceased operations, will not
be reorganized. "Everything will be liquidated," said Ivan N.
Nossokoff, the company''s bankruptcy attorney. 
SailNet listed nearly $1.4 million in debts and $211,000 in assets,
mostly office equipment, inventory and unpaid invoices.

The decision to close and liquidate the business "was simply a matter of
just not having enough money to continue to operate," Nossokoff said 
Wednesday. "It''s just that plain and simple."
The bankruptcy filing shows that revenue at SailNet sank by $1.2 million
last year, or 20 percent, to $4.7 million. Sales to date this year have
totaled slightly more than $2 million. 
The company listed its biggest creditor as Larry French, a Florida
resident who sold his St. Petersburg-based sail-making business to
SailNet about five years ago. He is owed about $420,000, according to a
court filing. 
Other major creditors include National Bank of South Carolina, which is
owed $350,000, and the owners of SailNet''s former and current corporate
offices in Mount Pleasant and North Charleston, respectively. The
landlords are owed a combined $131,809.

The company is scheduled to meet with creditors Aug. 24 at a hearing in
Charleston.
SailNet sought bankruptcy protection several days after The Post and
Courier reported the online retailer had stopped taking orders and that 
its Leeds Avenue offices had been closed for at least several weeks.
Customers who said they have been overcharged or have not received their
orders have been posting complaints about the company on Internet
message boards.
Nossokoff said it''s too early in the bankruptcy process to say how the
court will handle any unfilled orders or overcharges. He also was not
sure what will become of any personal information such as customers'' 
credit card numbers that might be stored in SailNet''s computer systems.

The liquidation plan spells the end of what had been a promising local
technology business.
SailNet was launched in 1994 in Detroit by Sam and Cheryl Boyle, who 
moved the venture to the Charleston area in 1999. The next year, the
couple sold a controlling stake for an undisclosed sum to IDG Ventures,
a San Francisco-based venture capital firm.
Flush with cash, SailNet began to expand through acquisitions in 2000, 
when it bought Johnson Sales Inc., a Florida business that manufactured
sails and other boat accessories. That same year it acquired
Boston-based competitor Boatscape.com.

At the same time, SailNet hired a crew of programmers, sales staff and
craftsmen. At its peak, the dot-com employed about 60 workers in the
Lowcountry and another 140 or so in Florida.
The Boyles last week told The Post and Courier that they parted ways 
with the company''s majority owners in December. The bankruptcy filing
listed about 30 other businesses and individuals as shareholders, whose
investments in the company are wiped out.
SailNet said in its bankruptcy filing that John Rublaitus, who was named 
president and chief executive officer in January, stepped down from
those positions Monday and is now serving as a consultant to the
company. Nossokoff said Rublaitus was traveling Wednesday and
unavailable for comment. 




John P. McDermott can be reached at 937-5572 or
[email protected]


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## PCP777 (Apr 7, 2009)

Well that sucks, I just joined. Will the forums still exist?


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## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

Don't sweat it...that post is almost 4 years old, and Sailnet is still here.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

PCP - You just revived a post from July 2005. SailNet is currently doing just fine and will be around for a long time...


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## PCP777 (Apr 7, 2009)

Ahhhh sorry, didn't mean to bump a dead thread. I have no idea how I even found it. 


That's good news.


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

Titanic sinks! Only consolation is naked Kate Winslet and plenty of "drinks on the rocks" jokes.


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Hell, really?? I thought that thing was damned unsinkable.

Hey I hear they are try to build boats out of glass fibers and some kind of resin? I say it will never take, you just can't beat reliable wood.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

The End Is Near. I won't say for whom, but time is running out for somebody.


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## Quickstep192 (Jan 6, 2001)

I'm glad to hear that was an old thread, but it does underscore the need for us to support our forum's sponsor......


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## anthon (Apr 4, 2009)

Did they get bought out?
You had me worried for a minute, thought the forum was going


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## PCP777 (Apr 7, 2009)

It's my fault, somehow I ended up bumping an ancient thread. 

So far this is my favorite sailing forum.


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## JimHawkins (Aug 25, 2006)

Quickstep192 said:


> I'm glad to hear that was an old thread, but it does underscore the need for us to support our forum's sponsor......


Ha! I knew it. This whole thread is just an attempt to promote Sailnet's business. They probably planned the whole thing out 5 years ago and invented the bankruptcy filing just to make it seem plausible. And now Quickstep jumps in pretending to be a regular sailor with advice to buy stuff at Sailnet. But look... he's only got 303 posts. I bet they all say the same thing in different threads. Watch out Quickstep. When the moderators track you down you'll be moved to the "Thread of Shame".


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## PCP777 (Apr 7, 2009)

JimHawkins said:


> Ha! I knew it. This whole thread is just an attempt to promote Sailnet's business. They probably planned the whole thing out 5 years ago and invented the bankruptcy filing just to make it seem plausible. And now Quickstep jumps in pretending to be a regular sailor with advice to buy stuff at Sailnet. But look... he's only got 303 posts. I bet they all say the same thing in different threads. Watch out Quickstep. When the moderators track you down you'll be moved to the "Thread of Shame".


And they subconsciously urged me to find and then bump a dead thread.


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## AjariBonten (Sep 7, 2007)

LOLOL Too Funny!


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## tap (Apr 1, 2009)

Maybe this thread is not as out of date as it seems. I've had an order "pending" for over a week and trying to call to ask about it just just gets "voice mail is not available at this time."


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

It is well known that the Jedi mind trick only works on weak minds at such a distance...    :laugher:laugher:laugher:laugher


PCP777 said:


> And they subconsciously urged me to find and then bump a dead thread.


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## FormerAdministrator (Jan 10, 2000)

tap said:


> Maybe this thread is not as out of date as it seems. I've had an order "pending" for over a week and trying to call to ask about it just just gets "voice mail is not available at this time."


TAP - we apologize for any troubles you've had contacting us this week. We are in the midst of switching over to an IP phone system and it's been a rough week. As soon as I read your message I had one of our customer service reps call you and leave a message as we follow up on your order and

THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS!

Have a great weekend - there will be a nice breeze on the Chesapeake Bay this weekend and I intend to exploit it!


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## PCP777 (Apr 7, 2009)

sailingdog said:


> It is well known that the Jedi mind trick only works on weak minds at such a distance...    :laugher:laugher:laugher:laugher


Yeah well you know how it is...just think how they'll be able to use me when I get off of work and start hitting the scotch. Someone better call homeland security.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Nah, the scotch will render what few brain cells were working useless and you'll be effectively out of their reach. 


PCP777 said:


> Yeah well you know how it is...just think how they'll be able to use me when I get off of work and start hitting the scotch. Someone better call homeland security.


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## PCP777 (Apr 7, 2009)

sailingdog said:


> Nah, the scotch will render what few brain cells were working useless and you'll be effectively out of their reach.


So we are all safe!


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## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

I always thought Jabba acted drunk...now we know why.



sailingdog said:


> Nah, the scotch will render what few brain cells were working useless and you'll be effectively out of their reach.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Now the Jedi are after me, for revealing these long-kept secrets...


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## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

Quick! Drink some scotch!!! Lots!


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## PCP777 (Apr 7, 2009)

Use the Force and the scotch mind cloaking device!!!!!!

Actually sounds real good right now, a good scotch and a great cigar.....one.more.hour.


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## fishermanjoe1 (Sep 30, 2012)

Sailnet is safe... Its Sailnet!!!!! LOL


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

kewl,

Am ignoramous thread from the dead! ah master Ignoramous Denby would be proud!

marty


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Just some drunks sailing around the harbor.
Nothing to see here.
Move on along.


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## sowanocna (Dec 8, 2013)

Where is the best place to ask a few questions about a specific older 36 foot monohull on sailnet?


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## Capnblu (Mar 17, 2006)

sowanocna said:


> Where is the best place to ask a few questions about a specific older 36 foot monohull on sailnet?


Find a really old thread that grabs everyones attention,... and start asking ...


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Sowa - I like your style.

I would answer your question - but SN is dead (and I don't know anything anyway).


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## manatee (Feb 27, 2013)

Welcome to Sailnet. Browse around, lots of interesting subfora here, and knowledgeable, helpful folk. Look at the boat review & gear areas, post enough (I think you need 10) to start your own thread in the general discussion area.

Depends on the questions, and your answers to some of our questions: do you already own it, thinking of buying, fixing it up? How do you intend to use it, how much do you know, do you know what you *don't* know, how deep are your pockets, how are you at DIY? The more you tell us, the more focused the help we can give.

 This site may give you some basic info about your boat.

If you want to see if your questions have been asked before, you can search the Sailnet site like this in your search engine:

"best anchor for 36' monohull" /site:http://www.sailnet.com/forums/

(1) Use the quotes, or you'll get lots of useless hits on single words in the search phrase.

(2) There is no {space} between the '/site:' and the 'http.....'.


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Okay - I'll be serious for a moment...

There's tons of info on here - as well as many, many salts that will talk you through just about anything.

While you're waiting for some responses you can start poking around in this thread: *The Salt's Corner Table*

It's a thread with some of the best info to some of the most asked questions around here - including yours. And you can see who some of the go-to guys are.

Enjoy.


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## sowanocna (Dec 8, 2013)

This is starting to piss me off. I just chatted with people a month ago. Has sailnet gone down since then?


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

To paraphrase Twain, (not Shania ).. the reports of SNs demise have been greatly exaggerated...

Tell us, Sowa, where in Ireland are you planning to sail?


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## sowanocna (Dec 8, 2013)

I want to sail in the Caribbean. If I sail, I will livea board in Malahide, near Dublin. When I registered here a month ago, I was asked to introduce myself, thats where I was able to live chat with people. Can anyone help with finding a live ,general sailing chat here? 
Thanks.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

There is a chat function, it should show up at the bottom of the page if you haven't turned it off.. if you have turned it off there should be a little red 'power button' icon to turn it back on (lower right)

You should also complete filling in your profile, you currently show as an American in the US.


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## sowanocna (Dec 8, 2013)

Faster, thanks for trying to help. When you say there is a chat option, do you mean, right above text window next to B-Bald, I, and U etc? If so that doesnt work.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

sowanocna said:


> Faster, thanks for trying to help. When you say there is a chat option, do you mean, right above text window next to B-Bald, I, and U etc? If so that doesnt work.


I have no idea what you mean by B, I and U but at the bottom right corner of your browser you should see minimized windows calle New Chat, General Chat and NN People Here. Click General Chat.

I believe the default is chat turned on.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

sowanocna said:


> Where is the best place to ask a few questions about a specific older 36 foot monohull on sailnet?


But if you're trying desperately to get into chat just to ask this question, you might be better off posting your question here where more people will see it:

Boat Review and Purchase Forum - SailNet Community

There's a boat show this weekend in Fargo, ND so not too many people in chat.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

sowanocna, if you have problems with the site, please post an explanation along with what browser you use here:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/sailnet-website-technical-support/

I am going to close this thread so that it doesn't get resurrected in another four years.


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