Industry field visits are a great way to toss off the frosty cobwebs that can fill a transitioning trade press editor’s schedule. That’s especially true if a record-setting weather outside is creating a mental winter of discontent inside. While my Boating Industry magazine brethren headed to a busy week at the Miami International Boat Show, I hit the small show ...

ELUX’s Chief Design Officer Bart Jones asked himself a simple question when he began pondering initial concepts for an electric pontoon five years ago. What if a pontoon didn’t look like a pontoon? The Minnesota-based boat building company started by medical device entrepreneur Howard Root and boat craftsman Jones turned plenty of heads at the Minneapolis Boat Show, Jan. 24-27 ...

ELUX Marine Inc., a Minnesota-based boat manufacturer, will launch its revolutionary new ELUX electric luxury fiberglass pontoon at the Minneapolis Boat Show, Jan. 24-27, 2019, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. ELUX Marine was started by medical device entrepreneur Howard Root and boat craftsman Bart Jones to bring a new concept to boating – one that’s fresh, quiet, trouble-free, electric. The ...

On Aug. 14, partner dealerships and prospects from around North America descended on Elkhart, Ind. to attend the inaugural Barletta Pontoon Boat Dealer Meeting. While maintaining an informal feel, the meeting offered some structure including product training, pricing and promotions discussions, and networking opportunities. One of the highlights of the three-day event was the business meeting that included a question ...

Barletta Pontoon Boats, located in Bristol, Ind., recently announced the dates for its inaugural Open House/Dealer Meeting. The open house will take place the week of Aug. 6-10, 2018. The official dealer meeting will take place Aug. 14-16. The open house will be hosted at the Barletta Pontoon Boat manufacturing facility in Bristol, Ind. In a more informal setting, Barletta ...

Barletta Pontoon Boats - a brand new pontoon boat company located in Bristol, Ind. - was the recipient of a 2018 National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Innovation Award in the pontoon category. The award recognizes groundbreaking new consumer marine products and was presented opening night of the Minneapolis Boat Show. This year’s program evaluated 14 products across three categories featuring ...

The pontoon boat segment was the first to recover in the wake of the downturn, and it continues to post steady and consistent sales growth year after year. Is this the new normal? “We’re again looking at growth in the high single-digit range.” “We expect growth to continue at the same rate, or even a little better than what we saw last year.” ...

Last weekend’s Progressive Insurance Chicago Boat, RV & Sail Show wrapped a five-day run with a final attendance of 48,644, up 4 percent from last year’s attendance of 46,670. Exhibitor feedback was positive on strong sales and crowds, including Saturday, which saw more than 20,000 visitors in attendance. On Sunday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel toured the show with Show Manager Keith Ogulnick, ...

A new pontoon manufacturer has entered the market, hoping to bring convenience and ease of use to the industry. Unique Pontoons exhibited its first show at the Minneapolis Boat Show Jan. 19-22, which CEO Jeremy Little considered a big success for the company. Unique Pontoons will focus on fulfilling orders from the show and gaining dealers in 2017, with plans ...

Continued strong sales growth fueled by innovative designs and unmatched versatility suggest a sunny future for the pontoon segment While the recreational boating industry in North America has seen more than its share of highs and lows over the years, one constant has been the continued growth of the pontoon boat category. From humble beginnings where they were derided as ...