ST. PAUL, Minn. – Polaris Industries will build a new 100,000 square-foot product development facility in Wyoming, Minn., a home for engineering, design and development personnel for the company’s line of all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft, and Victory Motorcycles, the company reported in a statement yesterday. The 600-acre Wyoming site will allow for on-site field-testing, and will provide ample room for ...

TALLAHASEE, Fla. – If all goes according to plan, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee will vote on November 19 over whether to downlist manatees from their current endangered status to threatened. If manatees are reclassified in Florida, the mammals will remain protected as endangered under the federal government; however, some feel it would give the boating industry “a ...

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — ShoreMaster, Inc., a waterfront equipment manufacturer, broke ground October 31 for a new manufacturing plant and office complex in the Fergus Falls Industrial Park, the company reported yesterday. ShoreMaster employees gathered with city and state officials, Otter Tail Corp. executives and community members to commemorate the event. Fergus Falls Mayor Russell Anderson called the groundbreaking a ...

TAUNTON, Mass. — Westerbeke Corp. is planning on holding a special meeting of stockholders in late 2003 or early 2004 to vote on a proposed merger with Westerbeke Acquisition Corp. under the Agreement Plan of Merger dated May 2, the company reported in a statement today. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, Westerbeke Corp. and Westerbeke Acquisition Corp. has ...

SARASOTA, Fla. – Stephen I. Simon, Donzi Marine vice president of sales and development, has died at the age of 39. Funeral services were held October 29 for Simon in Sarasota Fla., the company reported in a statement this morning. Attended by an estimated 500 people consisting of family, friends, APBA members and racing teams, the funeral was a sad ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Cruising World and Sailing World 2004 Boat of the Year Awards were handed out yesterday, with honors for best overall vessel going to Hallberg-Rassy 40 and the J/133, at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, World Publications reported in a statement yesterday. The Hallberg-Rassy 40, which took home top honors, was designed by Germán Frers and ...

ORLANDO, Fla. – Regal Marine Industries, Inc. has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the company reported in a statement today. ISO provides a globally accepted model for a quality assurance in production, installation and servicing. Its certification creates a documentation system for evaluation and verification for all quality procedures and materials throughout a company, ...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the nine-month period ended September 30, Spader Cos. said that out of the approximately 60 dealers it tracks, the majority reported that their new boat inventories were up, compared to the same time period of 2002. The Spader report divides North American dealers into two categories: those doing under US$5 million in business at retail ...

TULSA, Okla. – The Marine Retailers Association of America (MRAA) is “solidly behind” Genmar Corp. Chairman Irwin Jacobs’ initiative to delay shipments of model year 2005 units until next August 1 and to schedule the company’s national dealer meeting in September, instead of during the busy summer months, according to MRAA President Phil Keeter. “It’s a page right out of ...

WASHINGTON D.C. — Congressman Scott McInnis of Colorado added an amendment to the U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Bill that formally recognizes the collaborative efforts of marine manufacturers, the Coast Guard, and the American Boat & Yacht Council to address health risks associated with carbon monoxide on and around boats, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) reported in an article yesterday. ...