Boating Industry

July 2014

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July 2014 | Boating Industry | 17 [ 85 Years of boating history ] www.BoatingIndustry.com 1920s/30s The fi rst issue of Boating Business was published mere months be- fore the October 1929 stock mar- ket crash. Despite the ensuing Great Depression, the late 1920s and 1930s were formative years for the industry we know today. For the fi rst time, those in the industry started to organize, with the formation of the National Outboard Association and the Marine Trade Association. One of the boating industry's longest-lasting companies was formed in 1929 when Evinrude, Elto and Lockwood merged into the Outboard Motors Corporation. Johnson Motor Co. would be absorbed by OMC in 1936. Mercury Marine was born in the 1930s when Carl Kiekhae- fer started the Kiekhafer Corp. in Cedarburg, Wis., in 1939. The 1930s also saw the fi rst boat shows in Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas, to name just a few cities. By 1932, signs of the depression were fi nding their way into the pages of the magazine, with boat and engine manufacturers promoting their new lower prices and articles with headlines like "Is the slump in your head?" For instance, Wild Ducks Inc. intro- duced the "Depression Boat," with the promise of extra profi ts for its dealers. Chris-Craft announced its "Prosperity Program" of more support for its dealer network and a large national advertis- ing campaign. The May 1932 issue included an appeal to yacht owners, urg- ing them to have work done on their vessels to combat unem- ployment. The appeal was part of the War Against Depression Campaign launched by The American Legion and American Federation of Labor. While that campaign didn't seem to take off, the boating industry did benefi t from several other public works programs during that time, from the creation of the Lake of the Ozarks to numerous waterfront improvements included as part of re- covery efforts. While the country and boating industry wouldn't really recover until World War II, the end of the decade saw signs of improvement, with boat builders announcing wage raises and increased production schedules. The Chicago Boat Show boasted attendance of more than 40,000 in 1939, a record for that show and "probably a record crowd for any boat show, anywhere in history." After Boating Business ceased publication in December 1937, founder James Peaslee (who had sold the magazine) relaunched it in January 1938 as The Boating Industry. 1920s/30s The fi rst issue of was published mere months be- fore the October 1929 stock mar- ket crash. Despite the ensuing Great Depression, the late 1920s and 1930s were formative years for the industry we know today. industry started to organize, with the formation of the National Outboard Association and the Marine Trade Association. One 1940s Although it began in 1939, World War II defi ned nearly every aspect of the 1940s, including the marine industry. After Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese military on December 7, 1941, the United States threw itself and its resources into the war effort. Sixteen million Americans joined the fi ght, critical resources were rationed and factories were converted to producing armaments, ve- hicles, and everything needed to battle the Axis powers. This mas- sive build-up quickly pulled America out of the Great Depression, and most of the marine industry turned its attention to building boats for the U.S. military. At one point, General Eisenhower requested that Nautique build 400 boats in fi fteen days — far more than the company ever produced in such a timeframe. The 1940s saw more changes sweep across the globe than any previous or subsequent decade in history. Crucial WW2 mile markers included President Franklin D. Roo- sevelt's death on April 12, 1945, the Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945, the German surrender on May 7, 1945, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on August 6 and 9, 1945, and the surrender of the Japanese forces on August 14. Following the homecoming of U.S. troops, boat shows restarted as boat builders and accessory makers began to revert back to civilian production. The following years saw a transition back to normalcy accompanied by a boom in childbirths, industrial expansion and consumer spending. Resources remained scarce, including an aluminum shortage that forced Aluma Craft to limit its production in 1947. The Miami Boat Show, fi rst held in 1941, resumed in 1947. Chris-Craft pur- chased a plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., near the Tennessee River, which was reshaped by the 12 hydroelectric projects of Tennessee Valley Authority. As the 1940s drew to a close, the United States became the fac- tory of the world, and boating usage and profi ts surged along with the growth in the consumer economy. OMC announced a $5.7 million increase in sales in the May 1947 issue of Boating Industry. In 1948, the Coast Guard reported that the number of registered motorboats in the U.S. reached 440,000 with an upward trajectory. The 1940s had changed the world order, and the marine industry thrived with exploding sales, new companies entering the business and technological innovations that made boating easier, more fun and available to a wider audience of Americans than ever before. 1940s saw more changes sweep across the globe than any previous P16x20-BI14JUL-AnvLookBack.indd 17 5/28/14 11:57 AM

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