Industry activity up as normality becomes a reality - Australian MarineBusinessWorld.com newsletter
by Peter Rendle 18 Feb 2021 13:00 PST
Soldiers Point © Rachel Nicetin
Five leading marinas stretching from Sydney to the Gold Coast have collaborated to form the East Coast Luxury Aquatic Travellers Club or E.C.L.A.T.
A strategic alliance between Gladesville Bridge Marina, Empire Marina Bobbin Head, Soldiers Point Marina, Sanctuary Cove Marina and Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard (GCCM), the group extends complimentary membership to its permanent marina clients who in turn benefit from reciprocal berthing at all the marinas in the group. "There is a reoccurring theme among our marina clients. They are avid boaters and seeking quality marinas to stop in as they cruise the east coast of Australia. So E.C.L.A.T. was born as a way of giving those clients confidence and security they could utilise the marina network of like-minded facilities who treated them like long term clients," explained E.C.L.A.T. founder Darrell Barnett CMM from Soldiers Point Marina.
Another well-established venue, the Sanctuary Cove Marina on Queensland's Gold Coast, has been awarded Platinum Gold Anchor accreditation by the Marina Industries Association (MIA). This global accreditation is the highest accolade that the industry awards and is reserved for marinas which offer their customers a comprehensive unique marina experience by providing tailored personalised service and an outstanding array of high-quality facilities and amenities. Sanctuary Cove Marina is a 303-berth marina at Sanctuary Cove, a premier lifestyle destination on the northern Gold Coast that has recently undergone a $10 million redevelopment. The precinct offers recreational vessel berth holders premium marina facilities, access to the five-star InterContinental Resort, Golf and Country Club memberships and a vibrant dining and shopping hub.
Australian boat building legend, Alan Steber, who heads up Steber International, is ahead of the curve when it comes to adapting and adopting new technology and techniques to remain relevant in the ever-changing marine manufacturing environment. And it's not just a recent reset of the company's mission statement and goals. "As far back as 2010 we gained Bronze Status in the Sustainability Advantage Program with the then Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water," advises Alan. "The following year we stepped up a gear and gained Silver Status in the same program. Our company embraced the program by fully insulating the factory, recycling all solvents, improved compressed air lines and machinery, plus much more."
Tecnica Rib Marine, the Australian importer for Lomac RIBS, and Flagstaff Marine, a leading new and second-hand boat brokerage in New South Wales and Queensland have announced a partnership. Under this partnership Flagstaff Marine will be the exclusive distributor for Lomac RIBS in New South Wales and South East Queensland. Lomac have been producing RIBS for over 60 years and are highly regarded within the European market. They have a range covering some 58 different models under four brands - the top-of-the-line Gran Turismo, the high-performance Adrenalina and the family day boats and tenders, under the IN and OK brand. Their RIBS range in size from 2.5 m to 14.5 metres and all our made to CE Certification with high quality UV resistant neoprene tubes on an optimized for performance fiberglass hull.
The Boating Industry Association today welcomed changes to the NSW regulation that impacts dealers of second-hand vessels. The Boating Industry Association (BIA) said the recently gazetted Pawnbrokers and Second-hand Dealers Regulation 2021 (NSW) had cut red tape and was a step forward for industry. BIA brokers representative Steve Williams said: "The approval of these changes is the culmination of many years of lobbying by the team at the BIA and we are all very pleased to have been able to assist our members with such a positive outcome."
New products this week includes Mercury Marine who have introduced the next generation of its Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS) system with integrated, intuitive and intelligent technology that enhances the boating experience. The Next Gen DTS system - which will be released in Australia and New Zealand later this year - comes with all the best attributes of the successful DTS system that Mercury launched in 2004, including smooth and ultra-responsive throttle performance with zero hesitation and full integration with SmartCraft® digital technologies.
Also, Vesper Marine, a leading manufacturer of innovative marine electronics, announced today new features for existing and new Cortex owners with the upcoming release of an automatic software update. Designed to be future-proof, Cortex is built on a feature-rich and extremely powerful platform that will grow with new capabilities. Software updates are installed via the Cortex Onboard app and the latest version includes Directional Voice Alerts, Boat Network, Auto Orientation and an easy-to-use Setup Walkthrough. "When we created Cortex, we didn't hold back," said Brady Cox, CEO, Vesper Marine. "It was designed and built with the future in mind. We not only made Cortex as advanced as possible, but we also ensured it could learn and has the hardware required for new features. Cortex is years ahead of other marine VHFs and will only get cleverer."
Further evidence of an return to normality is the reason increasing demand for multihulls and quality yachts has led to the opening of a new Sales Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, for Multihull Solutions and The Yacht Sales Co. Located in the prime marine precinct of Manly, the new office is the base for both companies' sales teams who represent the world's leading new boat multihull and monohull brands, including Fountaine Pajot, ILIAD Catamarans, Dufour Yachts, NEEL Trimarans and more. The companies also operate successful brokerage divisions and are currently enjoying unprecedented demand for pre-owned sail and power yachts and multihulls.
Meanwhile we continue to show rapid growth with both our Sail-World and Powerboat.world web sites. We will also have some exciting news regarding our FishingBoating website and that will be announced shortly.
Stay Safe,
Peter Rendle peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com