Your MRAA Certified Dealer in Kentucky: Our Story

What began as a shared dream among three friends became one of Kentucky’s most enduring boat dealerships. In 1975, Leon Shaw and Bill Brummett — manufacturers of Gibson House Boats and Jefferson Yachts — partnered with Don Toby to lead a new venture on the shores of Kentucky Lake. Don relocated his family from Louisville, opened Kentuckiana Yacht Sales on March 1, 1975, and never looked back. By 1981, the Toby family had purchased the dealership outright, and Don’s son Ken joined full time that same year — eventually rising to General Manager in 2007.

Over nearly four decades, the Tobys grew Kentuckiana Yacht Sales from a modest 800-square-foot trailer on five acres into a 28,000-square-foot facility carrying six boat lines and a full-time team of nine. The growth didn’t happen by accident — it was earned, deal by deal, season by season. Along the way, the dealership claimed some of the industry’s most competitive honors, including recognition as the largest Gibson dealer in the world from 1979 to 1994, largest Kings Craft dealer for three consecutive years, and Sea Ray’s most improved Sport Cruiser dealer in 2002.

The awards and plaques are nice, but they’ve never been the point. For the Toby family and their staff, the real measure of success has always been simpler — a handshake at delivery, a family coming back for their second boat, a customer who sends their kids. That kind of loyalty doesn’t come from chasing sales; it comes from genuinely caring about the people on the other side of the transaction, and doing right by them every time.

In 2013, the Tobys found the right person to carry the business forward — Mike Tutor, a Memphis entrepreneur and lifelong boater who shared their passion and their commitment to growth. Kentuckiana Yacht Sales joined Marine Sales Group, becoming a sister location to Marine Sales of Pickwick, and was renamed Marine Sales Kentuckiana in 2015. Ken Toby stayed on as General Manager, bringing with him the relationships, the knowledge, and the values that have defined this dealership for 50 years.