The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is generating a considerable amount of speculation and rhetoric about the consequences of the spill’s impact on a wide range of activities and industries including boating. In order to find out how the situation is affecting boat sales and usage in the area Boating Business spoke with Stanton Murray, owner of Murray Yacht Sales and the Gulf Coast dealer for Beneteau, J/Boats and Eagle powerboats with offices in New Orleans, Louisiana as well as Pensacola and St. Petersburg, Florida.
Murray says that the biggest impact is on the owners of and dealers for the bigger sport fishing yachts because their fishing grounds are right where the disaster happened and fishing in that area has been shut down. He says that the majority of sailboat and smaller powerboat owners can use their boats because they normally stay within about 12 miles from shore. Here, he says, while boaters might run into a surface sheen, they are not likely to run into thick oil. He is concerned about the negativity being created by stories urging boaters to get their boats out of the water now to avoid damage. So much so that he included “A Voice of Reason concerning the oil spills effect on your boat” within his blog. Murray asked Ed Sherman, a recognized technical journalist, to answer the question The Gulf Oil Spill; will it destroy your boat? The short answer to the question was, “No, it won’t. Messy, you bet! Environmental impact, for sure! Smell funny, absolutely! But will the spill kill your boat? No way, it’ll just give you an excuse to do a really thorough clean up job.” Readers who want up-to-date information about the whereabouts and trajectory of the oil spill and associated news should visit www.boatus.com/oilspill/
Posted by: James
Categories:
Marine Industry