Pontoons, saltwater boats segment leaders in survey Boating Industry readers still have a great deal of confidence in propulsion and boat market segment growth based on data collected during the first months of the year. Sales for outboard-powered vessels are expected to remain consistently strong. That’s according to the latest Boating Industry survey, which polled the readers of our print ...

Software and web services strive for business efficiency Like it or not, the digital age is here and it’s here to stay. As each day passes, digital resources become more and more an integral part of everything that we do from personal lives to professional. Various software and web services have been taking aim at the marine industry for years, ...

Have you ever lost a boat sale? Or watched as one of your sale people misses an opportunity you feel they should have had? Here are five of the biggest reasons you’re losing sales and some suggested solutions, so you can put a stop to it once and for all. Ready? Here we go…  1. You talk too much about ...

There’s been plenty of attention lately on data breaches and misuse of customers’ personal information at large companies lately from Facebook to MyFitnessPal to Chase. But if you’re thinking this is a problem for only big businesses, think again. Most small businesses keep plenty of information about their customers on hand, with protection for that information woefully inadequate. Here are ...

Did you know that millennials basically run Congress? That revelation hadn’t crossed my mind until recently, when a pre-American Boating Congress update from the National Marine Manufacturers Association popped into my email inbox. The NMMA Marine Minute I was reading reminded me that the average staffer for a member of Congress is now 25 to 26 years old. Millennials are ...

Institutions, industry address critical workforce issue The workforce shortage in the marine industry remains in a state of crisis, but companies are taking active steps toward finding and retaining the technicians and skilled laborers of the future. The majority—over 80 percent by some estimation—of marine technicians still gain their core skills through on-the-job training, according to the Marine Career Training ...

Midterm elections loom large The National Marine Manufacturers Association intends to be politically pugnacious with its attendee outreach during this year’s American Boating Congress.  That’s because the mid-term election clock is ticking and time is running out before new lawmakers are elected and arrive in Washington, D.C. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 of the ...

After more than 25 years serving various areas of Michigan, Boating Industry’s 2017 No. 12 Top 100 dealer, Action Water Sports, is headed to the Sunshine State. Action announced the expansion in January 2018. The new location will open in Polk City, Fla., with plans to bring Action’s devotion to a new level of MasterCraft service and support to the ...

Engineering and technology are pushing the outboard engine category on a trajectory toward even greater market domination Visitors to the Miami International Boat Show can be forgiven for feeling just a little snow blind this year.  While North America’s largest consumer boat show is always a place to spot emerging trends and glimpse the unusual, the overall consensus is that it ...

Moving what consumers have at home, in their cars, to the boat Consumers want more. It’s a trend that’s true throughout all areas of the marine industry, but especially true when it comes to outfitting boats with the latest and greatest in audio, entertainment and electronics. “The days of putting average on a boat, are simply not there anymore,” said ...