Brunswick released its third quarter earnings report this morning for the nine months ended Oct. 2 and shared at least some encouraging news, including net sales up 22 percent vs. third quarter 2009. Boating Industry will have full coverage of the report in Friday’s e-news (to download a PDF of Brunswick’s report click here). But one of the most interesting ...

The National Marine Manufacturers Association distributed a release yesterday in response to a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to grant limited approval for the sale of gasoline containing up to 15 percent ethanol for model year 2007 and newer motor vehicles.  NMMA said the decision specifically excludes marine engines and other non-road engines such as snowmobiles, lawn and garden ...

The boating industry received several pieces of positive news this week as the National Marine Bankers Association reported signs of stabilizing retail boat prices, the federal government reached a decision that will allow more dealerships to qualify for SBA loans, and IBEX organizers said that attendance at this year’s event was up 13 percent from 2009. In a release Thursday, ...

This Sunday there will be exactly six weeks left until the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo begins at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza hotel in Orlando. Not coincidentally, Monday is the last day attendees will receive the "early bird" registration rate of $399 ($349 if you’re an MRAA member). If you haven’t considered going to the conference, ...

With Congress back in session this week, the Senate approved a bill yesterday that has the support of both the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Marine Retailers Association of America, who believe it will provide tax relief for small businesses and improve access to loans. Key provisions of the bill include the creation of a $30 billion fund that ...

There was an article yesterday on boat repossessions in Georgia that caught my attention. It was reported that at Holiday Marina on Lake Lanier business has picked up with respect to “ordinary boats” but a number of slips were vacant due to the absence of houseboats valued at more than $1 million, which lenders were repossessing in “record numbers.” Alex ...

As Hurricane Earl continues to brush northward along the East Coast, boaters in its path continue to make preparations for the storm's arrival, while reports from North Carolina’s Outer Banks indicated it had done less damage there than many had feared. Earl’s center passed about 85 miles east of Cape Hatteras, which was 50 miles farther out than some forecasters ...

With the news this week that Grow Boating, Inc. has selected OLSON as its agency-of-record for the re-launch of the Discover Boating marketing campaign, here’s some more information on the Minneapolis-based marketing firm that will be helping direct the effort to get more people on the water. OLSON employs more than 300 people and is one of the 10 largest ...

As I write this, Matt, Mike and I are sitting in a cabin in northern Minnesota watching the sun go down as we take a break from reviewing our fifth Top 100 application of the day on our fifth day of the review process. Keeping that theme going, this is the fifth year we’ve traveled to this cabin on the ...

This week the National Marine Manufacturers Association released the results of an online survey of 178 chief executives of member boat, engine and accessory manufacturers on the effects of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on the recreational marine industry. These numbers were the most widely reported: – 3 of 5 recreational marine businesses have been affected ...