Weekly 5: Sea Ray employees targeted in vandalism
The BI Weekly 5 is a collection of tips, news and data affecting the boating industry this week. Be sure to look for the BI Weekly 5 every Tuesday on BoatingIndustry.com.
1. Sea Ray employees targeted in vandalism
More than 50 employees at Sea Ray’s Flagler Beach facility suffered damage to their vehicles in what local officials are calling a targeted attack, FlaglerLive.com reported.
The factory has been the subject of controversy lately, with Sea Ray looking to expand its parking lot and some local residents against the move.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Department, someone spread a large number of roofing nails along the road leading to the plant between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on October 6.
“There was no trail of nails continuing towards the Sea Ray facility, which makes it appear that the roofing nails were intentionally placed in that specific spot, so that all the employees would potentially run over the nails on their way into work and so that the guard house (staffed 24/7) could not see that the nails had been placed on the roadway,” the news site quoted the police report as saying.
2. S. Carolina boaters urged to stay off waterways
Boaters in South Carolina are being asked by the state DNR to stay off the state’s waterways in the wake of heavy rains.
High water levels have made many waterways unsafe, the DNR said, and the recent storms have caused debris to flow into many rivers and lakes.
3. New Jersey boat tax cut gains steam
The revised bill to lower the sales tax on boats looks to be close to passage in New Jersey, observers there say.
The state Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill later this month.
4. Boat dealer turns to manufacturing
Idaho’s Park-A-Way RV and Marine, a dealer of campers and boats, has expanded into building custom boats during the past year. The Idaho State Journal reports on the dealer’s expansion into manufacturing as Magnitude Boats.
Since last year, Magnitude has built dozens of boats ranging between $15,000 to $250,000 in price, the paper reported.
5. Boat of the year nominees announced
Cruising World and Sailing World have announced their nominees for the 2016 Boat of the Year.
Twenty boats were nominated across six categories.