Industry associations call out government legislation - MarineBusinessWorld North America newsletter
by Peter Rendle 5 Jul 2023 14:00 PDT
Discover boating © National Marine Manufacturers Association
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and other leading organizations representing recreational fishing and boating in the U.S. are urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to reject a petition to establish a year-round 10-knot (11 mph) vessel speed limit and other vessel-related measures in the core habitat area of the Rice's whale, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Recreational boating and fishing community stakeholders are encouraged to take action today on Boating United and share with your staff, networks and customers to provide input to NOAA asking the agency to work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and recreational boating and fishing stakeholders to develop and implement a technology-driven solution that tracks and monitors the Rice's whale to assist in avoiding vessel and boat strikes. The stakeholder comment period closes on July 6.
The nation's largest recreational boat owners advocacy, services and safety group Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), and the non-profit state advocacy organization Recreational Boaters of California (RBOC), are asking Golden State boat owners to speak up on a recently proposed 300% boat registration fee increase outlined in Governor Newsom's 2024 budget.
"Most citizens can understand, over time, the need for modest increases in government fee structures," said David Kennedy, BoatUS manager of Government Relations. "However, BoatUS and RBOC do not believe such a significant increase is justified by the administration. We are asking the state's boat owners to reach out to their state legislators to request they reject this proposal and engage with boating stakeholders to develop realistic boat registration fees that are dedicated to boating programs."
People in the news this week: Suntex Marina Investors LLC, the premier owner and operator of best-in-class marina properties, announced today CEO Bryan Redmond was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 Southwest Award winner by Ernst & Young LLP. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the pre-eminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.
Redmond was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes. Regional award winners were announced on June 24, during a special celebration.
The Board of Directors of The Sailing Museum and National Sailing Hall of Fame have announced that Ashley Householder has been appointed executive director. Householder has been part of the National Sailing Hall of Fame and The Sailing Museum family for over two years already, working previously as both consulting curator and director of exhibits and programs.
Now, she will take over the duties of executive director, which will include guiding all aspects of the Museum's exhibit program and oversight of all curatorial and collections policies. Householder brings extensive experience with exhibit direction to The Sailing Museum, having worked in collections and curation at the White House and the Smithsonian Institution. Most recently, Householder served as curator of exhibitions at the Preservation Society of Newport County, establishing its exhibition program as the first person in the role.
Staying with sailing, The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) announces its Annual General Meeting will be held in Malaga, Spain over 10-14 November 2023. This event is important because it is where the feedback from thousands of ORC sailors around the world - along with the expertise of the ORC technical teams - can be used to improve the system's use for the future.
Six committees will meet over 10-13 November in Malaga: Management, Promotion and Development, Classes and Events, Race Management, Measurement and Rating Officers. Each will have an agenda of items that will include a review of the past year and suggestions for future improvements. Their recommendations then go to the ORC Congress for approval at its meeting on 14 November.
News of company expansions includes Elcome. A leading maritime systems and services provider, Elcome International has established a new office in Vancouver, Canada, to meet growing demand for its services across the country and the broader North American continent. The Vancouver facility marks Elcome's first presence in North America.
Explaining the reason behind the expansion, Elcome's Managing Director, Jimmy Grewal, said: "From Vancouver, we can serve all of Canada's maritime sectors - cruise, merchant marine, leisure marine, offshore and naval. There are plenty of opportunities in North America for the wide range of products and services we offer.
Suntex Marina Investors also announced its further expansion into the Central region with the acquisition of Port of Kimberling Marina in Kimberling City, Missouri. Port of Kimberling Marina consists of 1,000 wet and 400 dry slips in the Southern Missouri / Northern Arkansas markets near the popular tourist destination of Branson.
A best-in-class marina, Port of Kimberling provides amenities including wet and dry stack storage, fuel, a ship's store, boat club and rentals, houseboat rentals, dining, sales and service plus resort accommodations from hotel, cabin and RV sites. Each slip has access to electric hook-ups, water and Wi-Fi. Playing to an impressive array of boat rentals including pleasure craft, bass boats, pontoons and personal watercraft, Port of Kimberling is a nautical paradise.
New Products revealed this week: ACR Electronics has announced the market launch of the mobile connected GlobalFix V6 EPIRB. Offering a full-featured and versatile option for recreational boat owners and commercial operators, the new ACR EPIRB with Return Link Service (RLS) is now shipping to global distributors. The EPIRB V6 is an effective safety solution, whether cruising, fishing, working or sailing offshore.
Compatibility with RLS alerting ensures the beacon owner will receive a notification to confirm that the international satellite system has received the distress message and location. With NFC (Near Field Communication) technology introduced with the free ACR mobile app, beacon owners can connect to a smartphone to check current battery life, self-tests results, and beacon diagnostics.
The world's most powerful trolling motor is now available with a pivot-style mount. Garmin (NYSE: GRMN), recently announced Force® Kraken, the most powerful trolling motor the recreational fishing market has ever seen. Coupled with Garmin's most precise anchor lock technology, Kraken is designed with longer shaft lengths and a pivot-style mount for easy installation on boats where bow space is limited, like skiffs, bay boats, center consoles and multispecies fishing boats.
"We are excited to build on the success of our Force trolling motor and bring new mounting options and features to even more anglers in both the saltwater and inland markets. From power and durability to integration and innovation, Kraken has everything anglers want and need from their trolling motor and more," said Dan Bartel, Garmin Vice President of Global Consumer Sales.
HARMAN International Industries announced this week its next-generation JBL WAKE-Series receiver, the new JBL-R4500. The mechless source unit receiver features up-to-the-minute styling and outstanding, premium audiophile performance. Beyond AM/FM and weather band reception, the JBL-R4500 will play music from virtually any digital device. MFi-certified, it displays album artwork and album/track/artist ID on its screen. Bluetooth® BT5.0 with ID streaming allows connectivity up to 100-feet away with an ultra-fast transfer rate.
The JBL-R4500's IPX7 weatherproof faceplate is a full-color 4-inch LCD screen. A five-way pushbutton and rotary controller make using the receiver easy, even while under way. With NMEA 2000 compatibility as a key feature, playback can be controlled via a multifunction display. For added flexibility, it is wired remote ready and works with the JBL Click wireless Bluetooth steering wheel controller for key functions.
Dealer announcements include Hundested Propellers who have appointed AB Marine as their USA East Coast Dealer with immediate effect. AB Marine offers the full range of Hundested Propeller products and parts, including the Controllable Pitch Propellers, marine gearboxes, thrusters, sail-drives and pitch control units to the large yacht, superyacht and commercial marine industries.
Geoff Prior from AB Marine commented, "Hundested Propeller currently has many customers on the east coast, and I am looking forward to providing a local service plus reaching out to more potential customers. We already represent GORI Propeller and have done so for 23 years. We also represent Moonlight, both of which are part of the BSI Group of companies, and we look forward to working closely with the whole group."
Sailfish Boats is pleased to announce this year's 2023 Model Year award winners for exceptional sales and customer service achievements. "These awards are a small token of our appreciation for the hard work our dealer partners contribute, day in and day out," said Rob Parmentier, President & CEO of Sailfish Boats. "We congratulate them and extend our sincere gratitude."
More industry news at www.marinebusinessworld.com/NorthAmerica
Plus we run sailing racing news at www.sail-world.com/USA and powerboat news at powerboat.world/NorthAmerica
Stay safe,
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com