There are two big problems marine dealers have when it comes to old or obsolete parts — they are hard to find and harder to sell. But with change the only constant in the boating industry today, it doesn’t take long for an overstocked item to fall out of favor and begin gathering dust on a back shelf. Bombardier Recreational ...

A slight change in location and a minor shift in timing helped the 2005 Marine Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show draw a record number of exhibitors and buyers to its fifth-annual show July 20 – 22 in Las Vegas. Among the nearly 2,400 attendees who walked the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center — home to MAATS for the first ...

In the last eight years, the amount of money a boat owner spends on aftermarket accessories for his or her boat has nearly doubled, and total annual expenditures on accessories have risen from $1.2 billion to $2.4 billion. Since 1997, aftermarket accessory sales have grown by an average of 11 percent each year, including a 14-percent increase in 2004, according ...

As short supply and strong demand pushed oil prices well above $50 a barrel this spring, some analysts predicted a “super spike” was on the way that could push the price to $105 per barrel in the not-to-distant future. Fortunately that prediction has not yet come to pass, and most doubt it will. But with the U.S. Department of Energy’s ...