Features

Women Making Waves is Boating Industry’s effort to recognize the multitude of women in the industry who have made and continue to make great contributions to its success, propel its growth and lead their organizations and peers into the future. With roughly 100 well-qualified nominations for this year’s Women Making Waves, choosing the highlighted women was no easy task. There ...

By Sarah DevlinContent Director, American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) Following up on “Workforce Development: Why It Matters,” (May issue of Boating Industry), the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) team has compiled what programs are available for students and industry professionals alike. The third article in this series will address how each of us in the industry can help ...

By David Gee Over 330,000 new outboards found their way to customers in 2020, accounting for the highest sales volume in 20 years, and an increase of 18% over 2019. “The heightened interest in boating amid the COVID-19 pandemic helped to propel outboard engine sales to historic levels last year as more Americans took to the water, on a new ...

By Wanda Kenton Smith From the time he was a tyke tubing behind his grandfather’s 55-foot houseboat, through combo skiing and carving on a big board as a teen, to surfing the waves in exotic oceans as an adult, Jim Emmons has had a lifelong love affair with the water. In 1989, former college buddy John McEver of World Publications ...

By David Gee In May, Boating Industry received a pitch for a new app aimed at the recreational boating and watersports community. In the first iteration of the app, set to launch in mid-July, the company says sailors, powerboaters, jet skiers, and paddlers will be able to find their “vibe,” create groups, meet new people, learn etiquette, instant message, view ...

Now in its eighth year, the Boating Industry Top Products program brings you 50 of the marine industry’s newest and most innovative products and services to recently hit the market, ranging from boat models to building components and everything in between. In order to be eligible for consideration, products or services had to have been introduced or significantly updated since ...

By Sarah DevlinContent Director, American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) The 2021 Boating Industry annual dealer survey indicates one of the top challenges for dealers is finding qualified marine technicians. For this three-part series, the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) team is reaching out to key players in the industry to address why this is a concern, what programs ...

By David Gee Wells Fargo Distribution Finance, part of Wells Fargo & Company, recently announced the retirement of marine industry leader Bruce Van Wagoner after 45 years in the industry and 33 years with Distribution Finance (DF). Chad Lyon has been selected to lead DF’s Marine group, and we had the chance to chat over Zoom just before this magazine ...

By Wanda Kenton Smith From her earliest years playing on boats at Wayzata Marine in Wayzata, Minn., to dusting, stocking shelves and handling administrative duties as a teen, to moving into key roles managing inventory and selling parts and accessories, Natalie Briggs Carlson was always immersed in her family’s boating business. After marriage, she relocated with her husband to Austin, ...

By David Gee The NMMA recently reported that retail unit sales of new powerboats in February 2021 were up 34% compared to the same time period last year. Segment leaders included wakesport boats, one of many categories seeing double-digit increases YOY. These latest sales figures for the towboat segment follow a strong 2020, with NMMA reporting unit sales around the ...