Boating Industry

July 2014

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July 2014 | Boating Industry | 23 [ A look back… and a look forward ] www.BoatingIndustry.com TOM G. WHOWELL, DIRECTOR, GORDY'S MARINE, FONTANA, WIS. "Technology in general has really driven boating for- ward in a lot of ways. Joystick operation is one example. Take the operation of a large boat that can be intimidating for the customer and you simplify that down to a simple joystick operation that is intuitive and easy." DAVID MCINTYRE, SALES MANAGER, SLALOM SHOP BOATS & YACHTS, LEWISVILLE, TEXAS "Duoprop is a pretty good one. You have to think about what Duoprop spawned: the advent of the IPS drive … and all the things that we can do with better acceleration as a whole. It did a lot for larger boats and water sports." ED LOFGREN, OWNER, 3A MARINE SERVICES, HINGHAM, MASS. "The transition of the business end of things from 'Mom and Pop' to professionally managed businesses. For the most part, the consuming public has demanded the professionalism and our industry has rallied to the cause. That's absolutely necessary to sustain yourself today." JERRY BROUWER, GENERAL MANAGER, ACTION WATER SPORTS, HUDSONVILLE, MICH. "Between easier starts and the boat just running better the majority of the time, fuel injection was one of the key items that has made boating easier. You just turn the key and it starts right up." MIKE KELLER, PRESIDENT, KELLER MARINE & RV "The creation of purpose-driven boats. When I got out of school in 1986, general boating was already dying. If you fi gured it out quick enough, you could stake your claim in one of these new niches – you could be one of the few people in pontoons, one of the few people in bass boats. That's what gave us some growth … we all did well if we knew how to carve those niches out. Those that didn't, they were gone." TRAVIS HAYES, OWNER, HAYES MARINE, APPLING, GA. "Technology like GPS, four-stroke and EFI engine sys- tems and joystick steering systems. All of those have made boating easier or less involved. That has defi nitely made boats more usable for the novice or person who only boats a few times a year." look forward And some other views: "Water sports towers … Right now it seems like every recreational boat line sells them." – Connecticut dealer "A move from small boat manufactur- ers toward volume manufacturers." – North Carolina dealer "Creative fi nancing for boats." – Virginia marina "Better hull designs with greater strength-to-weight ratios." – Minnesota-based service provider "The advent of more sophisticated marine propulsion technology (i.e. fuel injection)." – Ontario dealer "Four-stroke outboard technology. Clean, quiet and without signifi - cant weight gains." – Montana dealer "EPA-regulated fuel systems stopped fuel spills into the waterways." – Florida-based supplier "Improvements in composite materials." – Virginia-based service provider "Four-stroke outboard motors with a full range of horsepower along with joystick controls." – Massachusetts-based distributor "The Internet and social media." – Georgia-based manufacturer "Joystick operation that makes even the least tal- ented operator look like a rock star." – Florida-based supplier "Innovations in making boating easier to use: electronics (chart plotters, engine controls); IPS controls (joysticks); furling sail systems." – Florida boatyard "Direct injection two-stroke and four-stroke engines. Battery quality and knowledge of consumers." – Arkansas-based manufacturer The next decade We also asked readers how they expected the industry to change over the next decade. Many respondents were pessimistic, predicting a shrinking market due to rising costs, changing demographics and a sluggish economy. Some, though, expressed faith that the industry can solve those problems. Others focused on technology, expecting new innovations from lighter materials to improved fuel effi ciency to increased integration of electronics. LARRY RUSSO, PRESIDENT & CEO, RUSSO MARINE, MEDFORD, MASS. "Electric propulsion – the combination of internal combustion and electric motor. … It's going to take us 5 to 10 years to educate the marketplace, but hybrid technol- ogy really has a place in the marine industry." THOM DAMMRICH, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL MARINE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION "We're seeing so many advances in materials that … I think in the next 10 years there will be some revolutionary materials introduced into the boat-building process that will dramatically change the equation." P22x25-BI14JUL-LookForward.indd 23 5/28/14 12:00 PM

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