Features

Two years ago, it was probably worth it for many sailboat builders to throw their marketing budgets at Joe Consumer, a first-time boat buyer intrigued by the idea of cutting through the water in his own vessel under the power of nothing more than the wind. Now, however, Sally Helme, publisher of Cruising World and Sailing World magazines, says sailboat ...

Need some docking options? Are you or your customers looking for more options in docking and pontoon systems? Will you miss out if they find a better system at the dealership down the road? There are literally dozens of options in docks and pontoon systems. Many of the companies involved in the trade are regional, though there are some big ...

Is your glass half full, or half empty? The answer to that question may determine how you look at the 2002 U.S. boating figures released recently by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). Unit sales of new boats in most categories are down over 2001: outboard boats, inboard boats, sterndrives, personal watercraft, jet boats — even canoes took a slight ...

Need help financing your inventory? Do you have customers who only want to talk monthly payments when you talk price? Are you missing out on profit you could be earning in finance and insurance (F&I)? If you’re not taking full advantage of F&I services with your business, shame on you. Having solid F&I partners and a structure in place at ...

Who’s No. 1 in boat building? The market share question was rarely in doubt in recent years, thanks to the domination of Brunswick and the demise of the Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC). But has Brunswick’s run at the top ended? That question was raised after a flurry of press releases were exchanged between Minnesota-based Genmar and Illinois-based Brunswick. Both companies ...

It’s a question that’s been nagging in the background of the marine business for several years, and only now are people on the inside of the controversy willing to admit the existence of a “gray market” within the outboard boat segments. Recently, frustration over the practice of boat builders selling excess outboard engines to retail dealers (instead of including them ...

New Yards Set Their Sights On Booming Market Speculation that the superyacht market is leveling off may be just that — speculation. A recent survey produced by UK-based First Marine International Ltd. on behalf of the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) suggests that the long-term outlook for the market is extremely promising. The study also concluded that the recent lull ...