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"There are too many people who would just as soon never see another boat on the water. they don't understand them, and they don't like them, and we've got to work together." Monita Fontaine Monita Fontaine takes boating personally. She should. She’s not just a government relations expert; she’s a boating enthusiast. She bought her 34-foot mahogany sloop in England. ...

Mike Pretasky, chairman and CEO of Skipper Bud’s, a multi-location boat dealership and marina management company, sometimes must feel as though his dealership is a revolving door for service technicians. With locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi and Florida, Pretasky says his company is constantly recruiting qualified technicians because, he believes, adequately trained people are in such short supply. And ...

Three boats of women pulled up to a hot fishing spot in southwest Florida, cast their lines and caught more than a dozen redfish in the first 15 minutes. This drew some curious glances from the men gathered there. What they didn’t know, however, is that the event was even more unlikely than it appeared. The women were all boating ...

The talk about launching an industry-financed advertising campaign to encourage more people to take up boating has been around for more than 20 years. But the talk has equated to little action. The idea is gaining momentum, however, because many in the boating industry have been spurred on by the success of the recreational vehicle industry’s Go RVing manufacturer-financed advertising ...

Boaters have a dirty secret. Many of them are breaking the law by dumping their raw waste into the water. This includes dumping in No Discharge Zones, areas that the government has said should be free of any waste — even treated waste. But because it’s difficult to enforce, let alone quantify how big the problem really is, the risk ...

Download Marina Biz Reflects Economy

Four months ago, tensions were rising as controversy over the two competing boat builder trade shows was beginning to polarize the industry. Accusations were thrown around callously, often with no basis in fact. And one insider, Dave Blackburn, president of Thomas G. Faria Corp., Faria Marine Instruments, admitted there were a great many hard feelings beginning to surface. “Tempers were ...

Time to upgrade your software? Is it time for your dealership or marina to upgrade its management software or consider a new system? Do you need to spend less time at your desk sorting through piles of paperwork and more time with your customers? The marina and dealership management systems available for your business are getting more advanced every year ...

Download Igniting Change Though all of the remaining outboard builders gained some market share… Yamaha was one of the most aggressive and the most successful in its efforts.

Sale to include Sea-Doo, Johnson and Evinrude Two years ago, Bombardier rescued the Johnson and Evinrude brands from bankruptcy court. Now, the brands are a part of a larger sale that the company is using to prevent it from facing its own day in bankruptcy court. Bombardier announced on April 3 that it is selling its Bombardier Recreational Products Division ...