The annual Correct Craft/Nautique owners’ reunion is set for Sept. 20, 2025 at White Lake Marine (WLM) where they will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of WLM along with Nautique’s centennial anniversary.
Courtesy photo - White Lake Marine
CELEBRATING 70 YEARS
Courtesy photo - White Lake Marine
White Lake Marine’s general manager, David deAndrade and Nathan Sanders, sales and marketing manager are getting the word out about the 70-year celebration of the existence of White Lake Marine and also the centennial for Correct Craft/Nautique boats.
Mark DeLap | Bladen Journal
Carl and Dianne deAnrade took over the White Lake Marina in 1985. After a slight name change and bringing their family aboard, the booming business has gone global in sales. They are excited to be hosting their annual Nautique owners’ reunion at White Lake on Sept. 20.
Mark DeLap | Bladen Journal
WHITE LAKE – The annual Correct Craft/Nautique owners’ reunion is set for Sept. 20, 2025 at White Lake Marine (WLM) where they will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of WLM along with Nautique’s centennial anniversary.
From an ancestry that came from the sea and the coast of Portugal, White Lake Marine’s owners Carl (Carlos) deAndrade, Dianne deAndrade and their son, David deAndrade are celebrating their 40th year in business with their anniversary date in September.
The business itself has been a familiar boat dealership in White Lake for 70 years selling Correct Craft with the Deandrades having taken over in 1985. Correct Craft founded the Correct Craft in 1925 as the Florida Variety Boat Company and they were well-known as talented boat makers that included powerboats, race boats and sailboats. After just over a decade, the demand for the popular powerboats. From an early advertisement that said, “the correct heel for your shoe” caused Meloon to create the correct craft for potential customers. The name was then changed to “Correct Craft.”
“We’re doing a reunion of Nautique owners,” Carl deAndrade said. “We hope it will be packed out.”
“We did one last year,” Dianne deAndrade said. “We had a really good turnout. We found out that so many people didn’t come because they did not find out about it until it was too late. This year we’ve already sent out ‘save the date’ invitations and I think it’s going to be a lot of people.”
There will be food, games, a boat parade around the lake and motivational speaker Chad Porter who is a motivational speaker & best selling author will also be there.
You can register at the link: https://www.cognitoforms.com/WhiteLakeMarine1/_100thYEARCORRECTCRAFTANNIVERSARY?fbclid=IwY2xjawMJesFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFRamJUWEd1b1ZweG9ZenZOAR53fH0YHxWcRg7BfeYix4X6Mv8q_7-F8d-9WrFTtbSPxLIlB-TdRz3nKcgrrQ_aem_2FI7M68Ge2CU1-22uvtX2A
White Lake Marine is located on White Lake which has become a booming tourist town and an advantageous area to live year-round. It is the oldest Correct Craft dealership in the world selling boats by the top-end and legendary boat makers of Nautique for 70 years.
The company has evolved with the boat industry and has managed to make a niche’ in the world boat selling market. Once a large seller of outboard motor boats, they have a “unique specialty” in the inboard boat market and stock a large selection of preowned inboards for sale. The also sell inboards on consignment and used boats that they have taken in on trade.
The dealership is more than a “full service” operation with little to no competition in this area from other boat dealers. They do full service on Pleasurecraft Marine Engines and is an Indmar Inboard service center. They stock a full line of Correct Craft parts, Fashion Nautique and PCM parts that can be shipped anywhere in North America.
As far as the many changes that have come in the past 40 years, deAndrade said that the internet was good for them. What it also does is take away the number of sales that they used to see at a boat show. They still do boat shows, but they’ve reduced the number of boat shows which shows a trend to work smarter and not harder – knowing that the sales field has changed. One of their bigger boat shows that still yields some good sales and leads is the Raleigh Boat Show at the convention center each year. They say that one of the biggest changes since they acquired the boat dealership was the fact that most of their sales first came from the White Lake Area and now most of the sales are from all over the world.
One of the surprises that Carl and Dianne had recently experienced was that their son, David found a vintage 1955 Nautique in incredible condition and now sits in their showroom. As incredible as that story is, another White Lake Marine miracle story was finding a 1957 Nautique that was actually sold in the WLM showroom, purchased by a Dr. Abernathy. That boat is still awaiting restoration.
Much has changed and much has been accomplished in the 70 years that this now booming business has been a regular business in White Lake. Their reach has gone global and on Sept. 20 the reunion will bring many boat owners to the celebration.