CTC – Unit company, which has brought to our parts of the world top American and European brands such as Sea Ray, Rinker, Jeanneau, Prestige Yachts and others, after more than a decade of operating in this business topped their business by opening of their ATV – Nautica Center, unique in Serbia and the region. In order to get an answer to our question of how to combine sales and full services with quality, trust and customer satisfaction in a single place, we have talked to Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
Today, when time is precious, and customer comfort and satisfaction are the core of every successful company’s aspirations, ATV & NAUTICA center has a recipe for high quality business and service. What benefits can a customer expect when they open the door to your store?
Our basic idea, which I hope we are implementing well, is a high quality offer, a wide product range and full service, which we provide to our clients. Also, equally important, if not even more, is professional staff, composed of true enthusiasts of both the ATV and nautical world. Our employees, sales personnel and also experienced technicians, will give you honest guidelines if you have any doubts about the vessel or equipment you are interested in.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
What does “full service” mean, what is the comprehensive service that ATV & NAUTICA offers to its clients?
We do not merely sell boats to our customers, we provide them with a complete care in a way that their boat is our concern, and their pleasure. We have created a system in which it is up to the client to just sail away and enjoy the joy of sailing, and we take the complete care of their vessel. CTC – Unit in Belgrade owns two marinas, one in the central zone of the city – in the area of the Belgrade Fair, and the other in Ostruznica, for users who prefer to be away from the city crowds. The concept of both marinas is designed so that the customer’s vessel is fully prepared to sail, while the client only has to turn the key and sail to the desired destination. The same is the case on their return to the marina.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
When the season is over, our clients only think about the start of the new season, and we take care of everything else. The vessels are pulled out of the water and cleaned from the algae, regular engine maintenance is completed, and they are placed in the winter hall, the so-called winter berths, where they wait for the end of winter. When the spring comes, before the very beginning of the season, the vessels are polished, coated with anti-algae agents and ready to welcome their owners in their places in the marinas at the beginning of May.
ATV & NAUTICA center is the exclusive importer and distributor of well-known nautical brands. Which ones would you single out as the most sought after in our region?
As I told you at the beginning, the quality of the range is our basic guideline. Without being modest, I can freely say I believe that we are the company with the best nautical offer in Serbia, and probably beyond Serbian borders. The offer is such that we cater to everyone’s taste and needs, whether you want a boat with an inboard or outboard engine, luxury boats of modern or practical style, or choose a boat for the river or the sea.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
Whatever your line of thinking, the brands we represent can respond to your requirements. Sea Ray as a premium American brand of sports speedboats and cruisers is certainly the best-selling brand in its class in our market. French Jeanneau, also, as the best-selling in its class, both in Europe and in our country, with vessels of 5 to 21 meters, holds a significant share in our range. CTC, our young brand that currently offers vessels of 4.5 m – 6.5 m in length, within which we are preparing a special novelty, has also been well accepted by the market and has an increasing number of satisfied customers. If you want a boat with an outboard engine, there are SUZUKI MARINE engines with which we make packages with the desired boat. And finally, from this year, a novelty, both on the world market and in our country, SAXDOR! It is an innovative concept that has already been accepted by customers and nautical professionals, and is now on our market. Currently there are two award-winning models in their fleet – 200 and 320. They are characterized by a very stable, maneuverable and fast hull, which can be powered by smaller engines, while providing top performance. Of course, each of the models has its own specifics. The Model 200 is a vessel that can be viewed as both a boat and a scooter and is a great recommendation if adrenaline ride is what you opt for. On the other hand, the Model 320, my favorite, has a lot of useful space and two side terraces, which can be lowered and which compensate for the lack of aft platform, since the boat is powered by outboard engines.
Have you ever seen a model that you thought was made entirely “to your liking”?
I have to admit this is a very difficult question. Each of the models I have come across so far had something to set it apart from the rest in my opinion. It is a question of personal affinity, and in the end everyone who is thinking of buying a boat should answer some of the following questions – where and when they will use the boat, how many people will be on board and whether there will be any children, how long it will take to set sail and so on. Only when you have all these answers, we can advise you on what vessel would be just right for you. If I had to choose, it would be the Sea Ray Sundancer 320. Anyone who steps on board this boat will understand why it is my choice. In short, this model is a perfect combination of two vessels – bowrider and sports cruiser, and it is characterized by practicality, luxury and comfort and really provides an unforgettable sailing experience.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
On cold winter days the boats on dry berths are in a “deep sleep”, but you still keep the attention of adrenaline enthusiasts through ATV and moto program. What is behind the slogan “Where we are going we do not need roads”?
We have determined the route in which we do not need a paved road – we want to spend time either sailing or exploring nature with ATVs. Believe me, no one who got off the road with the help of an ATV, with the idea of visiting a forest, a mountain peak or an unlimited space of a plain, has ever managed to remain indifferent.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
Our offer includes two brands of ATVs with which we have signed a distribution agreement, not only for the Serbian market, but for all markets of the EX-Yu region. Strength and power of the Russian Stels has already been felt by many, and from 2021 there is also the Segway, a brand previously known to many, which entered the ATV world with great ambition. What sets it apart from the competition are the hybrid models, the first in the ATV world. There are ATV, UTV and SSV vehicles from 570 cc to 1000 cc, with the most powerful engines in the class. I am very pleased with the fact that we will soon be presenting new models, so you will have the opportunity to try them in person.
You can take pride in CTC vessels manufactured under your brand in Poland. How was the idea of such a concept born and what is their distinctive feature?
As you very nicely put it, we take great pride in that venture. The idea for the CTC brand came from decades of nautical experience. CTC vessels are a genuine example of “best value for money”. The current range is 4.5 m – 6.5 m boats, with or without a cabin, powered by 40 hp – 200 hp engines. The best-selling model is the CTC 560 open with a 140 hp Suzuki engine. They are characterized by excellent buoyancy and handling, and whether you sail slowly or plane at the highest speed possible, you will feel very safe.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
We are preparing a spectacular novelty for this year, and on this occasion we can reveal to you and your readers that it is a modern boat of over ten meters, which is completely in line with today’s trends. The drive will be with outboard engines, and optionally with an inboard engine, and when everything is ready, you will be the first to know.
From 2020, members of the ATV & NAUTICA center, which own larger vessels, have had support at sea in cooperation with the partner marinas Porto Montenegro and Lazura in Montenegro. Does your turnkey service mean a peaceful sleep and a carefree time on the water?
That’s right. There are more and more boat owners who either tow their boats to the sea during the holidays or use and keep their boats exclusively at sea. We have signed contracts with several marinas in Montenegro, so that clients would not have to search for themselves, they just need to say the date of arrival and the name of the marina and their boat will be waiting for them moored in the marina. As I have stated several times, it is yours just to enjoy.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
The previous season was marked by the pandemic and this was felt in many areas of business. However, yachting has experienced unprecedented expansion worldwide. How has the new situation affected your functioning and positioning?
The new situation with the pandemic has contributed to a nautical boom all over the world. People realized that staying on their boat is the safest, since it is possible to avoid crowds on the beaches. Although 2021 was very successful, on the other hand it was very difficult, and we will see how it will be in the coming years. On the one hand, producers have full production, and on the other hand, there is a very difficult situation with the procurement of equipment and raw materials, which makes the production process much more complicated than before. Although it sounds totally incredible, we are now in a situation to sell in a way that we reserve a slot, but we do not know at what price or when the boat will be in production. It sounds completely unbelievable to customers, but it is the current reality in the nautical world. Believe me, we are now ordering some models of boats for 2023, and even for 2024. We are a company that has so far functioned in a way to provide boats in advance and sell them from our warehouse, which will still be the case with some models, but buyers must be aware that all future procurement is uncertain in all respects, and if there is a vessel that suits them, they should decide as soon as possible.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
Which sailing destinations would you recommend to our readers, and which are on your “to do” list?
I try to spend my free time on the Sava whenever I can. It doesn’t matter which boat is available at that moment, a scooter or a boat of five or ten meters, it is only important that it sails on the waves near Belgrade. Any destination with a boat is acceptable. Wherever you are, your boat is your beach, your deck chair, your beach bar. Everyone who has sailed knows that it is a truly priceless experience.
Vladimir Pašić, Managing Director of ATV & NAUTICA Center
Contact: ATV & NAUTICA BY CTC-UNIT
