MONROE - Xtreme Marine in Monroe is stepping up to a brand new building on 17th Street.
Owner and operator Jerry Brown, who has been in business for seven years, is setting up a permanent shop right across the street from his home.
Xtreme Marine is currently located at 1109 17th Street, across from the American Legion.
Adding to the his repair and maintenance service, Jerry's wife, Cheryl will be doing upholstery recovering and repair.
"People think you need a body of water," Cheryl said about running a marine repair business. "But we have customers coming from Fox Lake, Illinois; Madison, Freeport and Lake Geneva."
One in three homes in Green County has a registered boat or water craft, Jerry said.
"Almost every other house in Monroe has a boat," Cheryl predicted.
"Even with the economy the way it is, people still find the time and money to afford their toys," she laughed. "(But) people are looking to fix up their boats instead of buying new."
Jerry's sales of parts doubled in the first quarter and tripled the second quarter over last year.
"Bigger marinas don't like to work on older engines," Cheryl said.
"Most marine stores cut off service on boats older than 1986," Jerry said. "The reason is because most of their mechanics don't have experience to trouble shoot them and parts are not readily available."
Cheryl tells the story of a happy Browntown customer who had pulled his boat to marine shops in Madison, Dubuque and Prairie De Chen, only to be told they wouldn't work on his boat, because it was too old.
The customer's boat needed a fuel pump and a tank. Jerry had the boat fixed and ready to use in an hour.
"A fuel pump is just a fuel pump," he said. "It doesn't have to say 'marine' on it."
The couple also discovered few shops would work on recovering the upholstery in a boat.
"Everyone I called said, 'Oh, we don't do that,'" Cheryl said.
With her experience in sewing, Cheryl wondered how hard could it be, and did the boat herself.
Owner and operator Jerry Brown, who has been in business for seven years, is setting up a permanent shop right across the street from his home.
Xtreme Marine is currently located at 1109 17th Street, across from the American Legion.
Adding to the his repair and maintenance service, Jerry's wife, Cheryl will be doing upholstery recovering and repair.
"People think you need a body of water," Cheryl said about running a marine repair business. "But we have customers coming from Fox Lake, Illinois; Madison, Freeport and Lake Geneva."
One in three homes in Green County has a registered boat or water craft, Jerry said.
"Almost every other house in Monroe has a boat," Cheryl predicted.
"Even with the economy the way it is, people still find the time and money to afford their toys," she laughed. "(But) people are looking to fix up their boats instead of buying new."
Jerry's sales of parts doubled in the first quarter and tripled the second quarter over last year.
"Bigger marinas don't like to work on older engines," Cheryl said.
"Most marine stores cut off service on boats older than 1986," Jerry said. "The reason is because most of their mechanics don't have experience to trouble shoot them and parts are not readily available."
Cheryl tells the story of a happy Browntown customer who had pulled his boat to marine shops in Madison, Dubuque and Prairie De Chen, only to be told they wouldn't work on his boat, because it was too old.
The customer's boat needed a fuel pump and a tank. Jerry had the boat fixed and ready to use in an hour.
"A fuel pump is just a fuel pump," he said. "It doesn't have to say 'marine' on it."
The couple also discovered few shops would work on recovering the upholstery in a boat.
"Everyone I called said, 'Oh, we don't do that,'" Cheryl said.
With her experience in sewing, Cheryl wondered how hard could it be, and did the boat herself.