North American MarineBusinessWorld.com Newsletter: Hurricane protection advice as Dorian approaches
by Peter Rendle 3 Sep 06:00 PDT
Learn what these guys know about how to protect a boat during a hurricane. Here a member of the BoatUS Catastrophe Team arranges for salvage of wrecked boats after hurricane Irma. © Scott Croft
As Hurricane Dorian hits the Bahamas on its way to mainland USA, we include a timely reminder of what to do to protect vessels moored in the path of such an event. BoatUS offers the following information:
If you want to know how to best protect recreational boats from damage in a hurricane, ask the experts who've been tasked with cleaning up the mess for nearly 40 years. They're the ones who've seen the evidence after the storm passes: a lack of preparation, poorly maintained docks, low seawalls, fallen boat lifts, and destroyed marinas. So what can you do to protect your boat during the 2019 hurricane season? The editors of BoatUS Magazine have teamed up with the experts at the BoatUS Catastrophe Response Team to create the most up-to-date Hurricane Preparation Guide in the marine industry. The new 2019 guide as well as other hurricane preparation information is available at www.boatus.com/Hurricanes
For boatbuilders, the latest Forecast on U.S. Boat Building Production from ITR Economics, indicates the growth in boat building production is expected to decline slightly throughout 2020 and rebound strongly in 2021. According to ITR's forecast, at its lowest (summer 2020), production is expected to be on par with levels seen in spring 2019. The strong rebound in 2021 is expected to continue through mid-2022, as far as the forecast goes - read the full article.
On the subject of boat building, the International BoatBuilders' Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) announced recently that during the Show held October 1-3 at the Tampa Convention Center, it will offer visitors the chance to participate in a number of social and entertainment special events throughout the week. These events are in addition to live ongoing activities such as the Kiosk Challenges sponsored by ABYC, The Landing School, and Professional BoatBuilder magazine; Designer Row sponsored by Tides Marine Inc.; Innovation Way; the NMEA Connected Boat Experience sponsored by ETA Engineering Technology, Fusion Entertainment, Garmin, and Raymarine; the Marinas of the Future Café sponsored; and the IBEX Docks and Outdoor Exhibits.
To help bolster Canada's recreational boating industry, specifically in the global marketplace, NMMA Canada announced it was approved for $116,849 in funding from Global Affairs Canada through its CanExport Associations program. This is the seventh year that NMMA Canada has secured this funding, which will be used to support the efforts of Canadian recreational marine manufacturers to expand their business into new global markets. 2019-2020 funding opportunities include the 2019 Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS), 2019 Cannes Yachting Festival, and 2020 boot Dusseldorf Boat Show & Watersports Exhibition.
Our young people play a huge part in the ongoing success of the industry and Manufacturing Day, happening October 4, 2019, is a can't-miss job recruitment opportunity for marine manufacturing. With events hosted around the country by a multitude of industries, this is the industry's chance to shine a spotlight on recreational boating, its local and national economic significance, and job opportunities. Manufacturing Day provides a seamless way to open your doors to everyone from students and job seekers, to teachers and community leaders. NMMA encourages every manufacturing member to get involved.
Recognizing the importance of the marine industry in relation to the economy it is always useful for government members to be invited to industry premises. Congressman Bryan Steil (R-WI-01) visited Evinrude Outboard Motors world headquarters in Sturtevant, Wisconsin recently. Steil met with the company's leadership team, toured the engine manufacturing plant and engineering facility, and spoke with many of the company's 650 employees.
Also, Minnesota State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen recently visited Brunswick's Lund and Crestliner facility in New York Mills, Minnesota to meet with members of the leadership team, tour the plant, and speak with several of the 560 employees regarding the company's operations as well as challenges facing the recreational marine industry. Plant visits with elected officials are important opportunities to highlight the recreational boating industry and NMMA encourages all members to work with the association to schedule a plant tour.
Thank you for subscribing to our monthly North American Marine Business newsletter. Feel free to share it with colleagues who may also want to subscribe and they can do so here: www.marinebusinessworld.com/NorthAmerica/newsletter
We are also able to advise that our unique digital news power boat site, a site than covers new power boats over 30 feet, now has regional North American coverage. The site can be viewed here and we welcome the latest information from power boat builders for posting to the site: www.powerboat-world.com/NorthAmerica
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com