When you show up at an airport and see people lined up waiting to get into the terminal, you know you’re in for a long trip. That was the sight that greeted me as I climbed out of a taxi Dec. 21 at New York’s LaGuardia airport. The large storm that had rolled up the East Coast the previous few ...

If it’s true that what happens in the recreational vehicle industry foreshadows developments in the boating business, then a release yesterday from Citigroup may offer a glimmer of hope that market conditions will improve in 2010.

Walt Disney World jokingly, I think, refers to Space Mountain – one of the signature rides at its Magic Kingdom theme park – as the largest “mountain” in Florida. The 180-foot high, indoor roller coaster, built in 1975, is meant to evoke thoughts of space travel as riders are plunged, largely in the dark, through an obstacle course of twists and turns. A good number of the 700 marine industry professionals that will begin gathering over the next few days in the shadow of Space Mountain for the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo – which starts Monday in Orlando – must feel as though they’ve been on that ride for the last many months.

As in the auto industry, where companies like GM are narrowing their focus by eliminating brands and models to help lure customers back – which the New York Times discussed in a story today – Brunswick has made the decision to discontinue its Maxum line, which has been around since 1988. You can read the details here. What do you ...

Add another letter to the alphabet economists have created to try and predict the economic recovery. I was familiar with the "V-shaped" pattern historically followed during most downturns - a sharp decline followed by a quick rebound - as well as alternatives that more closely resembled "U" or "L" - the latter being a period of sustained stagnation. But some ...

With the news this week that the U.S. Small Business Administration will begin an interest-free loan program that provides up to $35,000 for small businesses facing immediate financial hardship, the federal government has taken a step that could offer immediate assistance to many marine businesses around the country. But will it help you, or any of the businesses you know? ...

Boating Industry's 2009 Dealer Directory was published last week and, since its mailing, several dealerships that were not included have contacted us to find out why. So I wanted to briefly outline how we put together our directory each year in the hopes that the explanation will help ensure the process goes more smoothly for everyone in the future. In ...

There's a dinner tomorrow night for the Sea Ray Owners Club at a restaurant on a lake near Austin, Texas. No RSVP is necessary. Members just need to show up and a seat will be waiting for them, courtesy of Sail & Ski Center - a dealership based in Austin - and each table of Sea Ray owners will receive ...

At the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo last November, Brunswick CEO Dusty McCoy said [and I'm paraphrasing here] that while many of the recessions the U.S. economy has endured in the past are V-shaped (the economy drops quickly, bottoms out, then rebounds steeply as well) he expects our current recession will be more U-shaped - meaning we won't experience that ...