By Adam Quandt The statement powering through would be an understatement for Johnstown, Colorado’s Colorado Boat Center and its perseverance through both good and bad. Located about 40 miles north of Denver, the Colorado dealership is laid out over three acres, with two buildings totaling 16,000 square feet of space. Construction of the dealership’s main, 14,000-square-foot building was completed in ...

By David Gee To paraphrase something Mark Twain may – or may not – have once said: The rumors of the death of the sterndrive are greatly exaggerated. Now before we get a bunch of angry emails asking who in fact declared the category dead, the answer is no one. Not today. Maybe not ever. Though it’s a fact that ...

By Jonathan Sweet When the Boating Industry Top 100 started in 2005, it was a major undertaking for both the magazine and the industry. Nobody had ever attempted to find and recognize the best dealers in the industry. The goal of celebrating those top dealers was only part of the program. The most important goal of the Boating Industry Top ...

By David Gee The term “Movers and Shakers” was coined by Arthur O’Shaughnessy in his 1874 poem Ode. It is commonly used to describe those whose achievements are uncommon. For our purposes, the 9th annual Movers & Shakers Awards recognize innovative leaders and pioneers in the recreational boating industry who embrace the challenge of change. Their passion for boating, combined ...

By Adam Quandt We've highlighted our 2019 Mover & Shaker of the Year and three finalists – however there are many other industry leaders who continue to propel the industry forward across all segments day in and day out. The six leaders below aren’t afraid to make bold moves to advance boating by improving technology, growing its customer base, bringing ...

By David Gee So were all those deals good, bad or ugly for investors, employees, consumers and other stakeholders? That’s what we wanted to look at a year – or two – after several boat builders, an RV company, and a powersports company, went on a buying binge. Malibu buys Pursuit and Cobalt. MasterCraft buys Crest Marine and NauticStar. Correct ...

By Adam Quandt Builders aim to please the entire family with a new generation of fishing boats. Fishing around the country marked its highest number of participants since 2007 in 2018, leading to a reason for increased optimism across many manufacturers within the segment. The trend is only gaining popularity as fishing participation featured its 11th straight year of upward movement ...

(Hint)…create better content and tell better stories By David Gee The good news is it has never been easier to reach large numbers of people with our marketing and messaging due to the proliferation of social media platforms and other marketing channels. The bad news though is it has never been more difficult to actually connect with them…due to the proliferation of ...

Boats, motors — and sales — continue to grow By David Gee There are lots of things you can do in, on, from and behind a boat; cruise, chill, eat, swim, surf, ski, and ride to name a few. The most popular one? It’s throwing out a line and a lure or some form of bait and reelin’ them in. ...

By Adam Quandt When it comes to fuels, at this point it’s clear that 15% ethanol (E15) is not going away. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Trump Administration have both pledged a commitment to the year-round sale of E15. With that, the marine industry continues to stress education as a form of defense toward misfuelling risks. “We ...