It's a mixed bag of industry news this week - MarineBusinessWorld Oceania newsletter
by Peter Rendle 26 Oct 2023 15:00 PDT
Wooden boats and skills on show at Melbourne Boat Show © West System
The 61st Melbourne Boat Show, running 26-29 October at Docklands, will for the first time include a Heritage and Wooden Boat precinct, featuring classic timber vessels, restored boats and small craft.
Among the businesses and craftspeople on display is The Victorian Wooden Boat Centre, a 1,400-square metre workshop that happens to be located at the waterfront venue. Nicholas Atkins is the Director and third generation craftsman, specialising in designing and building parts for shipwrights and boat builders, classes and courses, boat kits, workspaces for hire, as well as the full gamut of restoration projects in marine and other industries.
The Marina Industries Association (MIA) has opened submissions for the Marinas24 Conference and Exhibition Innovation Showcase. Following the success of the inaugural Innovation Showcase at last year's Marinas22 conference, Marinas24 Conference Chair Mike Harvey CMM commented, "The Showcase plays an important role in providing the industry with new solutions to existing problems. The format also allows for smaller businesses, who may not have the resources to exhibit to still have their solutions exposed to the decision makers of the marina industry".
The Innovation Showcase will be held as the last session on Day One of the Conference (Monday 27 May). Up to seven products will be given the opportunity to participate with each business delivering a punchy seven-minute presentation where the product developer outlines the unique benefit of their creation. A live poll of delegates will be taken to determine the Innovation Showcase winner.
A remarkable air of excitement lingered at the Coomera Marine Precinct as the curtain drew on the Gold Coast Marine Careers Open Day 2023. On behalf of industry and delivered by Marine Jobs, the inaugural event surpassed expectations and delivered results, confirming its success among stand holders, presenters, and attendees alike. As a first of its kind event, 1,387 attendees explored the vast marine landscape, highlighting the industry's commitment to addressing its ongoing skills shortage.
From high school students to trades people and professionals in aligned industries, the event drew marine enthusiasts from many diverse backgrounds, all converging at the event's heart - the bustling central muster point in Waterway Drive, Coomera Queensland.
Overseas, METSTRADE is pleased to announce that 53 products from 19 countries across four continents have been nominated to enter the final rounds of judgement for the 32nd edition of the DAME Design Awards. An international jury of eight leading design and user experts assembled in the DAME Award's specially created assessment room at RAI Amsterdam to spend two intensive hands-on days examining 100 submissions.
The 53 entries selected for nomination will feature on the DAME exhibition as standout examples of holistic design effort within the marine equipment sector. The winners for each of this year's eight completely new DAME categories will be selected from this group of 53 nominations. One of those winners will go on to be named as the recipient of the overall DAME Award. The jury also confirmed it will name a discretionary Environmental Design Award winner for the second year in succession.
Winners will be announced at the METSTRADE 2023 Breakfast Briefing in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre on 15 November, following a keynote speech by Sanlorenzo's legendary CEO, Massimo Perotti.
New Products: Garmin announced this week the ECHOMAP™ Ultra 2 chartplotter series designed with advanced features for inland and nearshore anglers. Offering a 10- or 12-inch sunlight-readable touchscreen with keyed assist, they put UHD scanning sonar, support for Garmin Navionics+™ and Garmin Navionics Vision+ mapping with an included 1-year subscription for daily updates, wireless networking capabilities and more at an angler's fingertips.
"Professional anglers and weekend warriors alike have for years relied on the ECHOMAP Ultra series to provide superior sonar and mapping with a touchscreen design that can be quickly installed and removed from the boat at the end of the day. With the addition of wireless networking, multi-band GPS and a new user interface, the new ECHOMAP Ultra 2 series is even more versatile and easier to use than before," said Dan Bartel, Garmin Vice President of Global Consumer Sales.
ePropulsion, a global leader and market challenger in marine electric propulsion systems and services, announced today the launch of their all-new X40 Electric Outboard, the future of clean, quiet and powerful marine propulsion, at this year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (25-29 October). Weighing 20% less than traditional motors, the X40 offers 40 kW of power with 88.2% total powertrain efficiency. Using a proprietary algorithm, ePropulsion has also optimized over 20 key variables to achieve unparalleled hydrodynamic efficiency in the X40's propeller, yielding smoother rides and even lower energy consumption.
People: Australian Sailing welcomed two new Board Members at yesterday's Annual General Meeting, at the same time farewelling two of its long-term Directors. Luke Paterson from Western Australia and Richard Wormald from Victoria are the additions, both bringing a wealth of professional experience and sailing knowledge to the Board. Paterson is an experienced commercial and corporate lawyer with a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, venture capital and private business.
He is also a longstanding committee member and flag officer at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, having served as a member of their General Committee from 2012-18 and 2020 to present and as the Rear Commodore (Sail) from 2016-18. Richard is a keen sailor and member of Sandringham Yacht Club, from where he sails keelboats, and Royal Brighton Yacht Club where he coaches foiling windsurfing in the iQFOiL class.
Stay focused,
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com