News

ANew air conditioning systems and new refrigerator/ freezers were introduced to the boating market earlier this year. The Elite Comfort Management System was introduced by the Marine Air Systems division of Taylor Made Environmental Inc., Richmond, Va. The Elite air conditioning system offers “unprecedented flexibility in controlling temperature, airflow and system management with an attractive new backlit, bulkhead mounted display/control ...

It may appear as if U.S. consumers are increasingly looking to their European cousins for advice on selecting sterndrive power; however, in actuality, the drive behind growing interest in diesel sterndrives comes from a more basic desire among U.S. consumers. They want low maintenance, high performance engine technology that won’t break the bank, allowing them to focus on enjoying the ...

As most sectors of the boating industry prepare for what many are predicting will be another flat year, the cleaning and maintenance sector is expecting a banner year, with some companies forecasting record sales. The reason for the optimistic outlook is that people take better care of their boats during challenging and uncertain economic times, when they may not be ...

For those who had hoped the 2003 boat show season would meet or exceed last year’s sales and attendance figures, disappointment reigns. The National Marine Manufacturers Association was one such party. NMMA President Thom Dammrich said this season hasn’t been as strong as was predicted this fall. “Clearly, it’s because consumer confidence has fallen again in January,” he explained. “Until ...

Bombardier has introduced a new line of clean-burning, lightweight two-stroke engines the company says are going to change outboard boating forever. We took a spin on a boat equipped with one of Bombardier’s new E-TEC engines, and found it to be responsive, smoke- and odor-free and very quiet. The high-tech two-stroke motors reportedly require very little maintenance — with one ...

Bass Pro Shops Inc. founder and CEO John L. “Johnny” Morris became even more deeply involved in boat retailing when one of his affiliates gained control over financially struggling dealership chain Travis Boats & Motors Inc. Additionally, Bass Pro announced it will add five more Outdoor World store locations before the end of 2004. Morris gained control of Travis, a ...

West Marine Inc., operator of 258 West Marine and E&B Marine aftermarket accessories stores, grew significantly larger when it completed the acquisition in January of the 65 retail stores operated by the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatU.S.). West Marine, based in Watsonville, California, paid $72 million in cash, and assumed certain liabilities, for the stores and the ...

The Savannah, Georgia, branch of Palmer Johnson has announced that it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Intermarine Savannah. Palmer Johnson Savannah Inc., a member of the Palmer Johnson Yachts group of companies, said it will acquire “substantially all assets” of BCT Real Estate LLC and Savannah Shipyards LLC, which have been doing business as Intermarine Savannah. The Intermarine ...

Several new marine industry studies have been launched in recent months with the hope that more detailed industry data will help boating businesses compete with other forms of recreation. Among them is J.D. Power & Associates’ dealer attitude questionnaire, which will be used to survey boat and engine dealers about their relationships with the manufacturers they represent. As part of ...

Is it time for your marine business to organize all of its efforts with the help of computerization? That’s a question owners and managers of such operations have been asking (and some have been answering) for years. The marine-industry-dedicated software available today comes in all shapes and sizes. The top-end software can do everything but kill your food and cook ...