The Sea Tow Foundation – a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to the education and promotion of safe boating practices – has announced the launch of its newest social media campaign – a program it calls Vest Friends. Vest friends are two or more people wearing life jackets and sharing a photo or video of themselves on social media to promote life ...

Earlier this spring, Boats Group announced the findings from an in­-depth analysis of U.S. sales leads across three of its sites – YachtWorld, Boat Trader and boats.com. InfoLink Technologies, Inc. conducted the lead analysis for Boats Group to identify consumer purchase behaviors and provide market intelligence. Over the last five years, new boat sales have been steadily increasing coinciding with ...

Boat sales increased by almost 4 percent in April, according to the latest Info-Link Bellwether report. The Bellwether report tracks sales of powerboats across the country based on new U.S. boat registrations on a rolling 12-month basis. Bellwether states are geographically dispersed states representing roughly half of the U.S. boat market (varies by market segment and time of year). Boat ...

National Safe Boating Week is back and in full swing for 2018. The week highlighting different aspects of boating safety began May 19 and will run through May 25. “We are passionate to educate our communities about safety,” said a news release from the National Safe Boating Council. “It saves lives!” The week kicked off with Wear Your Life Jacket ...

The Marine Trades Association of Maryland (MTAM) in partnership with the Annapolis School of Seamanship recently held their fourth annual Industry Orientation Day in Annapolis, Maryland. Candidates chosen to participate in the orientation event enjoyed a day of informational presentations from industry professionals and guided tours of two local marine businesses. The Orientation Day was designed to familiarize the candidates with ...

After four consecutive years of record-breaking registrations, the 2018 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo once again set a record for its April-only earliest-bird registration period. Co-produced by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Boating Industry, slated for Dec. 9-12, 2018, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando Fla., the MDCE recorded 195 total dealer registrations for the ...

In years past, PWC were often considered a large, somewhat inexpensive gateway to get people into the world of boating. While still true on some occasion, with more and more upgraded models of PWCs coming to market, this is not entirely the case anymore. Not only are new models of PWC getting speedier and sportier, but they’re also growing in ...

Three women in the marine industry were recently honored with STEP Ahead Awards. The STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead initiative began in 2012 to celebrate women in the manufacturing industry who are making a difference through advocacy, mentorship, engagement, promotion, and leadership. The STEP Ahead Awards highlight the achievements of real women in manufacturing on a national stage. ...

Representatives from Apprenticeship Minnesota at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry recently helped a suburban Twin Cities dealer design a new outboard motor technician program that will train six new engine apprentices. The new program for outboard technicians at Bloomington-based Dan’s Southside Marine was announced March 23 prior to the start of the Progressive Insurance Northwest Sportshow, at the ...

Boat sales grew by almost 4 percent in February, according to the most recent Info-Link Bellwether report. The Bellwether report tracks sales of powerboats across the country based on new U.S. boat registrations on a rolling 12-month basis. Bellwether states are geographically dispersed states representing roughly half of the U.S. boat market (varies by market segment and time of year). ...