LOWRANCE SOUTH AFRICA Issue 14 | Page 21

OR SHAUN LAVERY SHAUN LAVERY When Shaun (aged 17) got his first boat, a 12’6 Skivee with a 15hp Yamaha motor – to his great shock, he spent more time upside down than right side up! “I certainly learned to skipper through my mistakes!” he said. N LAVERY Happily, he progressed and by 1995 was the proud owner of a 16’ Dorado. He enjoyed using this boat for several years, before the army kept him out of circulation. On his return, Shaun bought his first 16’ SeaCat - the first of many! Joining Yamaha SA 15 years ago as area manager for KZN and the Eastern Cape – he’s upgraded to newer skiboats umpteen times over. But his loyalty to Lowrance has remained steadfast since his first introduction to our units in 2004. His very first unit was an LCX model and then he moved onto an HDS 5 model. The HDS series served him well - playing a major role in his fishing exploits. “Liz and her team are so good at building relationships with their clients – it makes it a pleasure to deal with Lowrance. I change boats virtually every year and they make it so easy to change over my existing units or install newer models. People buy from people. For me it’s the association with the people that gives a product credibility. The Lowrance team makes you feel so comfortable – they listen to what you say and give you what you need. It gives you confidence in their product….to buy it and stick with it. I’ve had the Elite, 7, 8,9 and 12 models – and while they may not be the biggest, the Elite range is brilliant. They give me everything I need for successful fishing – and I always catch fish. I have to admit though, I now have my eye on the Carbon range – for the not so distant future!” Shaun’s best memories include his brother’s first Blue Marlin which he caught at Deep Gat in Sodwana in 2012 and a 45kg Copper in the Transkei - caught by a mate who’d never caught one before. Both anglers were using Shaun’s Elite 9 unit at the time . A far cry from his early days of bottom fishing - to sell fish for party money! His favourite spots to fish are Sodwana for Billfish and Cape Vidal and Mapelane for gamefishing. No wonder he needs to have the right units on board! He has been a Committee member at DSBC for the last 14 years – running the annual Durban Skiboat Club Festival together with Hilton Kidger – a huge undertaking in itself. He was Commodore of the club from 2009 – 2010 and Vice Commodore from then until the end of 2017.