Asset plan analysis is critical before times get tough. Boat and marine product sales plunged deep underwater during the recession, but the industry has roared back in recent years with consistent market growth.  It’s never too early to implement strategies for keeping ahead. Managing key asset metrics and eliminating silent drags on your business now can create maximum efficiency and ...

Over the last decade the boating industry has seen both sides of the inventory challenge.  In the 2007-09 period, we saw dealers stuck with way too many boats when the housing market – and then the rest of the economy – crashed. With dealers dropping left and right and consumers defaulting on loans, excess inventory and repossessed vessels flooded the ...

Have you ever been on the Internet and noticed ads following you around everywhere you go? Then, you remember you’d been searching for that exact thing or visited that company’s website. It happens virtually every day. What is it, you ask? The technical term is re-targeting (Facebook/Instagram) and re-marketing (Google Display Network). Imagine someone visits your website and views your ...

Freshwater fishing remains a critical market segment within the boating industry. Recent data from Statistical Surveys confirms that the market continues to exhibit solid growth in the single digit range.  According to SSI, sales of new retail registered outboard-powered aluminum fishing boats in the U.S. increased from 61,000 in 2016 to 62,000 in 2017.  Total freshwater fishing, which includes aluminum ...

Industry insiders remain hopeful that the Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act of 2018 will promote much needed public education on the proper use of E15. To combat the U.S. Environmental Agency’s current E15 labeling, the bill directs the agency to involve consumers, through focus group testing, in creating labels and pump safeguards that effectively raise awareness of the prohibited ...

The cover of this issue takes a visual approach to presenting the best young leaders in the marine industry. The individuals who appear within this highly popular section are a unique group.  We ask each member of our 40 Under 40 group to complete a background questionnaire. One of the initial questions deals with the individual’s first job. This year’s ...

Fusion Marine Entertainment launches new product series “The days of putting average on a boat are simply not there anymore,” said Fusion Marine Entertainment’s Managing Director Chris Baird, in a past interview with Boating Industry. Fusion has maintained its above average stature with the introduction of its new Apollo Series. Following the purchase of Fusion by Garmin, Baird said that ...

What’s ahead for U.S. outboard manufacturers? Recent comments from key executives at Yamaha Marine Group and Mercury Marine provide insight into why higher horsepower products were recently introduced by each company. Yamaha Marine Group President Ben Speciale provided an industry overview during his company’s late May product launch for the 5.6L, 425-horsepower V8 XTO Offshore outboard. “Our view of the ...

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 ...