Boating Industry

May 2016

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/671713

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 40 of 51

May 2016 | Boating Industry | 41 www.BoatingIndustry.com /// Market Trends /// boaters (and in particular, younger families) with an emphasis on low emissions and a low cost of ownership. "We're enhancing our mid-range product so we can capture new, more price-sensitive cus- tomers who would otherwise enter the boating market by purchasing a used boat," said Den- nis Ashley, assistant national sales manager for Honda Marine, which enhanced its mid-range recently with a new BF100 model. "We want to capture those people with a more affordable product that has all the technology." Because many people become boaters with the purchase of a moderately sized boat with mid-range power, an emphasis on utilizing tech- nology to maximize affordability is frequently cited as being of critical importance moving forward. "Much of the technology developed in large horsepower engines does generally migrate downward throughout the product line," Foulkes said. "We need to make boating more affordable and reduce barriers to people becoming involved in boating. Outboards achieve that by lowering ownership costs through improved fuel economy and reduced maintenance requirements." Production technologies aimed at reducing the weight of larger outboards have also trickled down through the product lines, and nowhere is that infl uence being appreciated more than in smaller portable outboards, where any weight savings can represent a signifi cant competitive advantage. Yamaha, with a new F2.5 model and Suzuki, with its new DF4A and DF6A, have both leveraged big engine technology in their latest portable models. The repower market While strong consumer demand for big salt- water fi shing boats and performance-oriented "NEW EMISSION STANDARDS … WILL COME ABOUT AT SOME POINT AND THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE THINGS DRAMATICALLY BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO FORCE A RETHINK OF HOW OUTBOARDS ARE ENGINEERED." — Dennis Ashley, Honda Marine The saltwater fi shing market has been a big driver of outboard growth

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Boating Industry - May 2016