MarineBusinessWorld.com Newsletter: Beds on Board, the unlikely lead story of this week's e-news
by Peter Rendle 3 May 2018 15:30 PDT
Darren Vaux, Nicky Vaux & Jason Ludlow © AAP Medianet
Beds on Board, the sharing economy platform that connects guests and owners for stays on boats, welcomes the release by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) of the consultation draft of the proposed "Marine Safety (Short term marina accommodation) Exemption 2018".
The exemption enables owners of private vessels berthed in marinas to rent their boats out as overnight accommodation and in doing so offset some of their costs of ownership. Unlike other jurisdictions, such as the UK, this use has not been permissible to date under Australian maritime law. The exemption, when finalised, will pave the way for this activity to proceed in a clear and transparent way.
People moving on include Greg Haines of power boat builder Maritimo. Haines is leaving the luxury motor yacht manufacturer this month, as he looks forward to a new chapter in life pursuing personal business interests. Maritimo CEO Garth Corbitt said Haines had been a valuable and contributing member of the senior Maritimo management team and the company wished him well in his future business pursuits. Haines has been Maritimo's International Sales and Marketing Manager since 2012.
Another industry personality Alan Steber, General Manager of Steber International has had a successful sales year. 2018 is destined to be one of the biggest and busiest for the leading Australian boat manufacturer. "Without a doubt we have hit the deck running in what could arguably be the most successful year in the company's 72 year history" says Alan. "And to top it all off we will soon start on the fourth factory expansion since decentralising to Taree in 1974, with the support of Federal and State government funding".
Dealer expansions are also signs of an increase in marine activity, and Broome in Western Australia sounds like a great place to have a boat business. "There are a lot of boats up here. In fact, most people have two!" said Mercury Marine dealer Nelson Jeffs, co-owner of Port Drive Marine which opened its doors just six months ago. "The workshop is flat out and we're looking at hiring another mechanic to help us keep up," he said. A life-long boat lover, and marine mechanic by trade, Nelson had moved away from the industry for a few years but last year seized an opportunity to return – and moved from being an employee to employer.
In Sydney AW Marine Sales has joined the dealership network for Whitehaven and Integrity, creating a new sales and service hub for customers and owners in the picturesque newly renovated 'destination' marina at Clontarf. Dealer Principal, Adam Workman has a long association with the Integrity range of motor yachts and is thrilled to welcome Whitehaven to the AW Marine offering.
New product releases this week include Clarion's CM series speakers. BLA has launched the all-new CM-series line of high-performance, extreme-duty marine-grade speakers, subwoofers and tower speakers. Backed by Clarion's long-time leadership in the marine audio space, the new CM-Series continues Clarion's legacy of producing top-tier marine-grade audio components that boast unrelenting resilience to the elements, exciting aesthetic design, and industry-leading features.
From New Zealand, Vesper Marine have announced the evolution of the world's first and only touchscreen Class B AIS transponder with the introduction of the WatchMate Vision2. The Vision2 has a new look, with a seamless black-bezel front panel and glossy black sides, designed to complement any helm or nav station. Vision2 features a highly responsive, easy to use capacitive touchscreen, allowing users to scroll through menus, zoom in and out, select vessels for additional details and navigation data, change alarm settings and more with the gentlest of touch.
Aveagooden
Peter Rendle, Sail-World.com