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Top Boating Stories: Week 3 (February 2007) |
 feb 16, The American Boat & Yacht Council presented its annual awards at its 2007 Annual Meeting and Reception in Miami in recognition of significant individual contributions and collective contributions in promoting ABYC's main aim of improving safety in boating. The ABYC Service Award went to Craig Scholten, director of product compliance at Four Winns. The ABYC Leadership Award was presented to Phil Cappel, chief of the Recreational Boating Product Assurance Division of the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety; The Lifelong Service Award went to Jim Ellis, former president of BoatU.S.. The ABYC Foundation also presented the Bunzl Boating Safety Awards at Wednesday's meeting to recognize singular acts of great personal sacrifice or heroism in the saving of life or boat at sea, or for extraordinary contributions to the safety of the boating public. The 2007 recipients were: Capt. Mike Stewart, owner and president of TowBoatU.S. North Miami who saved a fellow Sea Tow captain who had sustained a serious head injury; and Joe Morris, a Maryland teenager who saved the life of a fellow sailor during a weekend regatta off the coast of Brant Beach, N.J.
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feb 16, In recognition of the importance of the internet as a business tool for the marine industry, the North American Marine Industry Web Awards went to: Best OEM/manufacturer site: Meridian Yachts; Best marine equipment site: Blue Sea Systems; Best dealer/broker site: HMY Yacht Sales; Outstanding contribution to the online marine industry: Boating Life magazine; Best marine site overall: Mercury Racing.
feb 16, Brunswick has launched a programme to focus on dealer operations and employee retention, offering business insurance, payroll and tax administration, real estate services, partner purchasing, wholesale financing, retirement plans, college scholarships for dealership personnel, and eventually healthcare options. The programme will be available to all 5,000 Mercury Marine dealers in the US and the 1,600 Brunswick boat dealers in the US, and is part of a bid to increase the profitability of the average US dealer with 10 to 20 employees.
feb 16, J.D. Power and Associates today released their 2007 Marine Engine Competitive Information Study ranking engines based on customer satisfaction in four areas, with this year's highest ranked manufacturers being: Pleasurecraft Engine Group (PCM) in the inboard EFI 4-stroke; Honda in the outboard EFI 4-stroke segment; Evinrude and Mercury in a tie for the outboard DI 2-stroke segment; and Mercury MerCruiser in the sterndrive EFI 4-stroke segment.
feb 16, The Gothenburg Boat Show ended on February 11 with record attendance of 94,430, the highest since 1989. The majority of exhibitors also reported record success at the show, the first of the Nordic shows of the year and the start of the Swedish boating season.
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feb 16, Gulf Craft have launched a mobile service team for local and international clients, which will offer professional advice and assistance with a team of over 20 people, eliminating the need for a customer to bring their boat to a workshop for maintenance to be carried out.
feb 16, Maritime Skiff of Duxbury, Mass., has been bought by Kenway Corp. of Augusta, Maine, and is set to be renamed Maritime Marine to serve as a sister company to Kenway under the same management and ownership. With this structure, the new company will produce and ship power boats to dealers directly from Augusta.
feb 16, Feeling 55 is a 55ft sailing catamaran that has just been introduced by Alliaura Marine, the French boat builder based at Les Sables d'Olonne in France. The Feeling 55 comes in two, three or four cabin configurations and is due for launch in June 2007.
feb 16, Blue Yachting of Bremen, Germany, has appointed Greekwaters as its exlusive distributor in Greece and Cyprus. To offer the full four-model range of performance boats from 24ft-55ft.
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Community |
feb 16, J.D. Power and Associates this week released their 2007 Boat Competitive Information StudySM, which ranks customer satisfaction based on these categories: cabin; engine; ride and handling; helm and instrument panel; design and styling; sound system; maintenance; water sports; and fishing, based on responses from 12,140 newly registered owners. The most successful companies appear to be those smaller single-brand companies who offer the best customer service. The winners were Bass Cat - bass boat; Grady-White - coastal fishing; Regal - express cruisers; Regal - small runabout boat; Cobalt - large runabout; Harris FloteBote - pontoon boat; Correct Craft - ski/wakeboard.
feb 16, 34 technicians representing over 22 dealerships attended the Medallion Instrumentation 2007 Model Year Factory Service Training Class, hosted by Malibu Boats in cooperation with Indmar Products Inc., which took place from January 29 to February 2 at company HQ in Merced, Calif., where technicians were assessed on their existing knowledge before attending lessons on electricals, electronic fuel injection, closed loop fuel delivery with o2 sensors, instrumentation, Malibu's electronic "fly by wire," throttle control and precision pro speed control, and ETX/CAT exhaust systems.
feb 16, Brunswick has launched a programme to focus on dealer operations and employee retention, offering business insurance, payroll and tax administration, real estate services, partner purchasing, wholesale financing, retirement plans, college scholarships for dealership personnel, and eventually healthcare options. The programme will be available to all 5,000 Mercury Marine dealers in the US and the 1,600 Brunswick boat dealers in the US, and is part of a bid to increase the profitability of the average US dealer with 10 to 20 employees.
feb 16, The Marina Industries Association of Australia (MIAA) has started an educational programme to develop the skills of marina staff to an internationall recognized level, with courses including the Marine Service Managers Program, designed to give leaders an understanding of all the processes required in successfully managing all aspects of managing a marina. The MIAA also launched a customer service course to give marina employees an idea about the importance of good quality customer service and how to achieve it.
feb 16, J.D. Power and Associates today released their 2007 Marine Engine Competitive Information Study ranking engines based on customer satisfaction in four areas, with this year's highest ranked manufacturers being: Pleasurecraft Engine Group (PCM) in the inboard EFI 4-stroke; Honda in the outboard EFI 4-stroke segment; Evinrude and Mercury in a tie for the outboard DI 2-stroke segment; and Mercury MerCruiser in the sterndrive EFI 4-stroke segment.
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feb 16, There is a new drive on to reduce boat theft in Australia and increase the chances of recovering stolen property, as the makers of DataDot DNA and Nautilus Marine Insurance Agency team up to address the issue. Nautilus Marine plans to place a special offer on retail packages of DataDot that will offer buyers reduced cost boat insurance. DataDot is a deterrent consisting of thousands of individually laser-etched dots that are sprayed inside hulls and on equipment, deterring any professional thieves.
feb 16, Waterfront properties in Qatar are fuelling demand for leisure boats, with national and international consumers looking to invest, causing a boom in the market. With the opening of the Pearl-Qatar Marina will come 400 new marina berths in March 2008, soon to be followed by another 250 at the end of the year. Other waterfront projects include the Lusail development, a waterfront city with two marinas set to open in 2009. Other factors, such as the hosting of the 15th Asian Games in 2006, are also drawing investors as they raise the profile of Qatar. The Dubai International Boat Show will take place from March 13-17 2007 at the Dubai International Marine Club, Mina Seyahi, and will afford an excellent opportunity for exhibitors to take advantage of this boom.
feb 16, Gulf Craft have launched a mobile service team for local and international clients, which will offer professional advice and assistance with a team of over 20 people, eliminating the need for a customer to bring their boat to a workshop for maintenance to be carried out.
feb 16, A new facility being constructed by Monaco Marine as a superyacht repair and refit facility on the south coast of France, near La Ciotat is due to be completed and operational by April this year and will cover 35,000sq. m, with room for up to 14 yachts up to 262ft on shore. Other facilities include a climate-controlled paint shed, a 2,000 ton lifting platform, and workshops and offices, employing 80 people directly with up to 300 contractors working on site.
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Expansion |
feb 16, Broadblue Catamarans, based in the UK, have forged an agreement with a private equity company, and aims to use the new capital to become a major player in the international cruising catamaran market. The existing board of directors, Robert Underwood, Mark Elliot and Stuart Davidsen, will be joined by two members from the private equity partners to form an experienced team prepared for the challenge they face.
feb 16, Cobia Boats, family oriented fishing boats produced by Maverick Boat Co. Inc., of Marion, N.C., has added six new dealerships in Florida and Virginia, with a new plant in Marion fully operational, the company says it will easily be able to meet the increased demand. With new dealerships at Aqua Marine Services in Vero Beach, Fla.; Marine Supply in Winter Haven, Fla.; Ships Chandler Marine Sales in Destin, Fla.; Fort Myers Marine in Fort Myers, Florida.; Trapper Custom Marine with locations in Marco Island and Naples, Fla.; and Rivercraft Marine in Gloucester, Va., they expect there to be a large rise in demand.
feb 16, Vator, the Finnish distributor, has added the range of Suzuki outboards to its portfolio of products, allowing them to offer customers both Swedish Linder aluminium boats and Finnish MV-Marin GRP boats pre-rigged for Suzuki engines, and they predict sales of over 500 units in the next year.
feb 16, The partnership between ICP Solar Technologies and West Marine will be expanded with an enlargement of the Sunsei brand solar charger products range available in West Marine stores. ICP claims that the Sunsei panels are unique on the market with their 100% marine grade stainless steel components with anodized aluminium framing.
feb 16, Maritime Skiff of Duxbury, Mass., has been bought by Kenway Corp. of Augusta, Maine, and is set to be renamed Maritime Marine to serve as a sister company to Kenway under the same management and ownership. With this structure, the new company will produce and ship power boats to dealers directly from Augusta.
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feb 16, Blue Yachting of Bremen, Germany, has appointed Greekwaters as its exlusive distributor in Greece and Cyprus. To offer the full four-model range of performance boats from 24ft-55ft.
feb 16, Riviera Yachts of the Americas have added themselves to the client list of SeaSafe Group LLC, a Sarasota, Florida, -based marine warranty and service contract company that allows manufacturers to issue a customized coverage for the products.
feb 16, Erie Industries of Bellevue, Ohio, have sold their Kleeco product line to Lake City Industries of Warsaw, Ind., in a deal of undisclosed terms. The product line includes mobile boat hoists, floating dock systems and platforms, boat houses, portable hoists, boat stands and related parts and services.
feb 16, Brunswick Corp. will sell Brunswick New Technologies' marine electronics operation to Navico International Ltd., the purchase to include the Northstar, MX Marine and Naman marine brands. As a leading supplier of marine electronics equipment, Navico is ideally placed to take BNT's marine electronics operation forward, in exchange for Brunswick buying Navico products.
feb 16, Carling Technologies of Plainville, Conn., have acquired a 50% share of Maretron Corp., a Phoenix-based privately owned company that designs and manufactures marine electronics to NMEA 2000 standards for recreational and commercial boating. The addition of Maretron along with Moritz Aerospace will allow Carling Technologies to optimize the use of the OctoPlex system which controls and monitors AC and DC power distribution throughout a vessel along with other electronic components to reduce wiring and other complications.
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People |
feb 16, The International Superyacht Society has announced both its 2006-2007 board of directors and its Past Presidents Advisory Panel. The advisory panel will comprise Richard Hein of VegaYachts, Kaye Pearson of Yachting Promotions, Joe Purtell of Interlux, Bob Saxon of Camper & Nicholsons and Ray Carrell of Kuhnle, Kopp & Kausch. The executive board will be: president, Doug Sharp of Douglas Sharp Yacht Design Inc.; treasurer, Ken Hickling of Awlgrip Paint; secretary, Ann Avery of Northrop and Johnson in Fort Lauderdale; and past president, Mark Masciarotte of DSG Associates. The board of directors will be: AJ Anderson, Wright Maritime Group, Debra Blackburn, Fraser Yachts, Victor Caminada, Amels Holland BV, Kristen Cavallini-Soothill, American Yacht Institute, Lance Cushion, Super Yacht Base Australia, Ltd., Andrew Doole, Show Management, Sabrina Farmer, International Maritime Associates, Marlise Goud-Lambrechtsen, SailPromotion, Sylke auf dem Graben, Lurssen Werft GmbH , Gary Groenwold, Westrec Marinas, Dieter Jaenicke, Viking Recruitment, Ltd., Ley James, Cairns Slipways, Michelle Jones, Delta Marine, Julie Liberatore, Maritime Professional Training, Paul Madden, Paul Madden Associates, Michael Moore, Moore & Company, P.A., Nancy Poppe, Marsh USA, Inc., Eric R?der, Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems, Norma Trease, The Yacht Report, Rick Thomas, Nautical Structures, Lance Sheppard, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise and Clemens van der Werf, Dockwise Yacht Transport.
feb 16, John Edward Lemmenes and Robert Cox, employees of Mercury Marine, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and copyright infringement charges, admitting that they defrauded Mercury Marine out of between USD200,000 and USD400,000 from 1998 to 2005 by submitting false claims for purchases of equipment and other expenses. The two men each face sentences of between three and five years in prison.
feb 16, Bob Harris has been made factory sales representative for Pettit Marine Paint of Rockaway, N.J., in which role he will be in charge of sales in the Midwest, with an area of responsibility covering western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. Having previously worked as general manager for Land 'N' Sea Distributing, managing two distribution centers, he has adequate experience to excel in this new role.
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feb 16, Gordon Howlett has been elected as the new president of the Boating Industry of Victoria, Australia. The former fishing charter operator and accountant will replace Chris Warner, with John Temple, general manager of Brunswick Asia Pacific as vice-president.
feb 16, Morten Andreasen has been appointed director of product development and engineering, and with over 28 years experience in the marine industry, he will assist with product design, development and technical support operations. He has previously worked as global product manager for Raymarine, as well as having worked for Shipmate and Simrad.
feb 16, Jeff Land has joined Yamaha Marine Group in Kennesaw, Ga., after 27 years at Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems in Marietta, Ga. He will take on a role as a customer service representative, to support the service department in responding to customer inquiries and rendering assistance to customers with Yamaha products and services.
feb 16, The Duncan McIntosh Company has hired Josh Burns as the new managing editor for Go Boating magazine and Mike Telleria as managing editor of Sea magazine, who previously worked as editor for Go Boating. Both have ample experience as editors and it is hoped that they will prove beneficial additions to the company.
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Technology |
feb 16, Feeling 55 is a 55ft sailing catamaran that has just been introduced by Alliaura Marine, the French boat builder based at Les Sables d'Olonne in France. The Feeling 55 comes in two, three or four cabin configurations and is due for launch in June 2007.
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Events |
feb 16, In spite of the decline in boat sales, the Miami International Boat Show saw the launch of 50 new products entered for Innovation Awards, with many other new boats, accessories and electronics also being showcased. Yamaha launched a new 350-hp engine for boats of 40ft and over, whilst Mercury Marine unveiled a new 100-hp sterndrive system, the Vazer, which takes up less room than an outboard, affording boatbuilders more room to play with. They also launched two new Verado engines of 200-hp and 300-hp, four and six-cylinder respectively. Genmar launched their new Scarab 30, part of Wellcraft's push to bring the brand back to prominence with sleek fishing boats. Australia's Riviera Yachts also revealed four new models - a 56, 56 enclosed, 4700SY and M470, and Sabre Yachts launched their flagship 52 Salon Express.
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feb 16, The Gothenburg Boat Show ended on February 11 with record attendance of 94,430, the highest since 1989. The majority of exhibitors also reported record success at the show, the first of the Nordic shows of the year and the start of the Swedish boating season.
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Financial |
feb 16, Fountain Powerboat Industries have reported a decline in sales of USD 5.2 million compared to last years results for Q2 in spite of a boosted presence at design shows. This decline has been put down to the seasonality of the industry and the reluctance of dealers to increase their inventories following uncertainty within the industry, and better results are predicted for Q3 and 4.
feb 16, There was an overall decline in sailboat production in 2006 of 7% domestically within the US, although this has been blamed on uncertainty over the Iraq War and a year of high oil prices. Whilst there was a decline of 28% in the production of small boats under 11ft, there was a small gain in 12ft-19ft boat production of 3%, with larger gains made by the larger boats, mainly due to exports and new models, since the market is dominated by small boats.
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feb 16, The Swedish leisure boat market has demonstrated favorable growth for 2006, continuing a trend that has been existent for the last 13 years. The market saw a rise in total sales, of which over 50% were imports, with an equal number of exports compared to last year. The biggest imports were motor yachts, with sailboats coming in second, with the countries of origin being mainly Finland, Norway, Germany and the US, whilst the biggest markets for Swedish exports were Norway, Germany, UK, The Netherlands and Denmark.
feb 16, Yanmar Marine has reported a record sales performance for 2006 meeting strong demand across the board, with particular emphasis in the sales of diesel engines and transmissions. This success has been put down to sales of the newly launched JH-Series, in particular the 110mhp 4JH4-THE, as well as the BY Series of shaftdrive and sterndrive diesels.
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Achievements |
feb 16, The American Boat & Yacht Council presented its annual awards at its 2007 Annual Meeting and Reception in Miami in recognition of significant individual contributions and collective contributions in promoting ABYC's main aim of improving safety in boating. The ABYC Service Award went to Craig Scholten, director of product compliance at Four Winns. The ABYC Leadership Award was presented to Phil Cappel, chief of the Recreational Boating Product Assurance Division of the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety; The Lifelong Service Award went to Jim Ellis, former president of BoatU.S.. The ABYC Foundation also presented the Bunzl Boating Safety Awards at Wednesday's meeting to recognize singular acts of great personal sacrifice or heroism in the saving of life or boat at sea, or for extraordinary contributions to the safety of the boating public. The 2007 recipients were: Capt. Mike Stewart, owner and president of TowBoatU.S. North Miami who saved a fellow Sea Tow captain who had sustained a serious head injury; and Joe Morris, a Maryland teenager who saved the life of a fellow sailor during a weekend regatta off the coast of Brant Beach, N.J.
feb 16, Tiara Yachts has sold its 100th 4300 Sovran boat featuring Volvo Penta IPS (Inboard Performance System), which was the first boat to be designed solely for IPS, and is also the first Volvo Penta IPS powered boat to hit the 100 sales mark. This success has led to a partnership between Tiara and Volvo Penta, producing two new designs featuring IPS - the 3900 Sovran and the 5800 Sovran, soon to be released as Tiara's flagship.
feb 16, The Miami International Boat Show's 2007 Innovation Award winners were: Consumer electronics and software: CannonLink, Johnson Outdoors; Consumer installed non-electronic hardware: One Touch Winch Handle, Lewmar; Consumer personal gear: Windmate 350, Speedtech; Daysailing equipment: No Profile Boat Lift, Way Marine Design; Inboard and outboard powered cruisers (24-140 feet including fishing craft): Isle Runner, Glacier Bay; Runabouts and fishing craft up to 24 feet: Catalina 23, Chris-Craft; Sailboats: SP Cruiser, Island Packet Yachts.
feb 16, In recognition of the importance of the internet as a business tool for the marine industry, the North American Marine Industry Web Awards went to: Best OEM/manufacturer site: Meridian Yachts; Best marine equipment site: Blue Sea Systems; Best dealer/broker site: HMY Yacht Sales; Outstanding contribution to the online marine industry: Boating Life magazine; Best marine site overall: Mercury Racing.
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feb 16, An ecological design competition has been launched by the Royal Thames Yacht Club called the Mansura Perpetual Challenge Trophy, which is aimed at giving recognition to the design, development and operation of marine boats using ecological propulsion systems. The competition is sponsored by the yacht club and the trophy is a bronze sculpture depicting tiller detail from the 1912 hybrid motor yacht Mansura, commissioned and donated by Julian Delmar-Morgan, grandson of the yacht's original owner. The panel of judges will include David Arnold, a master mariner, Derek Bernard, a writer and historian, Kevin Desmond, consultant editor, HISWA DAME awards chairman Kim Hollamby and Tom Nighy, recently head of the British Marine Federation EU Recreational Craft Directive team and previously chairman of the BMF/RINA Concept Boat design competition.
feb 16, Sail America awards John Southam Awards in recognition of outstanding journalism that promotes the recreational value of sailing. This year's grand prize was won freelance journalist Laura Manske for an article entitled "Our Favorite Summer Vacation in." Other prizes went to Gary Jobson in the Expanded Outlet category for his 2006 lecture series; Capt. Bill Pinkney for his book, "As Long as It Takes"; The Oceanside Yacht Club in California for its Web site; Barbara Veneri from the Standard Times of New Bedford, Mass., in the Newspapers Under 100,000 Circulation category; Jane Lerner from The Journal News in New York in the Newspapers Above 100,000 Circulation category; Eileen Ogintz for her column, distributed by Tribune Media Services.
feb 16, Medina International Holdings is a specialty boatbuilder and marketer that has just bought boats, molds and other accessories relating to fire-rescue boats from Xtreme Companies, as well as obtaining shares in restricted stock. Medina also bought a 15ft rescue boat and parts for a 15ft patrol boat from Challenger Powerboats in a drive to be in a position to produce fire and rescue boats six months ahead of schedule.
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