SBT now selling its own brand of engines

SBT-branded engines replace Yamaha 1.1L, Sea-Doo 1.5L engines

For more than 20 years, SBT has worked to supply aftermarket PWC engines and parts to its ever-growing business. Recently, the company announced that it is now selling its own brand of engines to replace Yamaha 1.1L and Sea-Doo 1.5L factory engines. 

SBT president Cj Lammers told Powersports Business that the response to SBT’s decision has been quite positive. 

“A lot of people are very appreciative of it,” he said. “We’ve put all of our experience in remanufacturing 4-strokes into these engines, which are our own designs, and we’ve had a lot of success. The sales volumes have been exceeding the targets that we have set for the first two years, so our only problems are keeping up with the production.”

During the summer peak season, Lammers said the team at SBT is working around the clock to keep up with demand. “July and August are the toughest times because you’ve gone through all of your stock and you’re building it six days a week trying to keep up,” he said. “We anticipate by next year having a full supply on the shelf,” he added. 

“Our new engines are perfect for our international customers who do not want the hassle of shipping their old cores across the world. This program also helps customers who may have a badly damaged 4-stroke engine that would not get full core credit,” Erica Buczkowski, SBT’s international marketing manager, noted in a press release announcing the launch. 

While the core business is still at the center of what SBT does, Lammers added that this new engine program alleviates buyers from any damage concerns or unexpected charges for core damage. The new SBT-branded aftermarket engines retail starting at $2,595. The engines are shipped from SBT’s headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, via FedEx 3Day Express.

SBT distributes its engines to both dealers and consumers. Lammers explained the 4-stroke engines are a more popular choice for dealers, while consumers favor the 2-stroke options. “The 2-strokes tend to be more conducive to people installing it themselves. It’s a much simpler powertrain,” he said.

SBT has seen a 10 percent growth in sales for the first half of the year, and hopes to maintain that pace throughout the rest of 2017. The instability of the current economy has led to some business concerns for many in the industry. Lammers said the next few months will determine how the rest of the year will perform. “We’re currently on track, but we have recently seen blips from the economy,” he added.