Written by Matt Trulio
If the names Paul Michael Ison and Tiffany Crawford seem familiar to you, it’s likely because both have been in the news of late. The couple is opening a new Cigarette Racing Team dealership dubbed Cigarette Kentucky on the shores of the Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland. And as previously reported, Ison and Crawford will showcase a new Cigarette 42 Auroris center console at the Kuttawa Cannonball Run, May 31-June 1, in Kuttawa, Ky.
New to the powerboat dealership world, Ison Marine is taking on the GSX/Glasstream center console line. Photos courtesy/copyright GSX/Glasstream
Both Cigarette Kentucky and Cigarette Tennessee—the couple’s next dealership—fall under the Ison Marine umbrella. Now the company has taken on the “non-competitive” GSX Powerboats/Glasstream center-console brand. They have ordered 28-, 32- and 36-footers from the Dothan, Ala., company.
“We’re excited to partner with Ison Marine in the Kentucky and Tennessee region,” said Kruis Retherford, the owner of GSX/Glasstream. “Their innovative approach to the performance center-console market is exactly what we’ve all been waiting for. Myself and Tiffany are very like-minded in what we want for our brand and we can’t wait to see them dominate the market.”
Crawford agreed. “We want to have something for everyone in our area—we want to be able to offer high-quality boats at various price points,” she said. “GSX/Glasstream fits that perfectly.”
The director of marketing for GSX/Glasstream, Ashley Strong has known Crawford since they were in high school. Both have enjoyed boating on Lake Cumberland for most of their lives.
“Tiffany and I have experienced high-performance boating at its best through the years,” Strong said. “And Paul actually owned a Glasstream 328 SCX back in the day and absolutely loved it.
“We flew Tiffany and Paul Michael down to Panama City Beach (Fla.) last weekend for a couple of days of boating on a GSX 36,” she continued. “They were blown away with the ride and performance numbers they saw on the boat.”
GSX recently retooled the deck for its 36-footer.
Said Ison, “My 32-footer was really well-built. I’ve been impressed with the way they kept improving the product and making it better and better during the years. They are building beautiful boats.”
Retherford, Strong and other members of their team will have their first GSX 36 center console powered by three Mercury Racing 500Routboard engines at the Kuttawa event. And that’s just the beginning, according to Strong.
“We will be partnering at various poker run events throughout the year with Ison Marine,” Strong said. “I can’t wait to continue to grow the GSX Powerboats brand with Ison Marine.
“Girl power is in full throttle with this partnership,” she added, then laughed.
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