James Nolan Associates Inc.

A couple of announcements recently about two major brands demonstrate that there is no consensus on where the US recreational marine market is heading. The first from Bombardier Recreational Products said that they are exiting the sport boat business (Sea-Doo water ski and wake board boats from 18ft to 23ft) and shutting down their plant [...]

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A recent report entitled “Boat Buyer Age by Propulsion” from Info-Link, a Florida based marketing and information services company specializing in the marine industry, has got the industry’s attention over here.   The report graphs the new boat buyers age by purchase year from 1998 to 2011 for each of the propulsion types. No matter what [...]

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The NMMA’s 2011 Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract provides the ability to take a look behind the 2011 total new boat sales numbers and there is a real shocker hidden away in them. Summed up: “There were 527,000 new boats sold in 2011, an increase of 2% compared to 2010, with a total retail value of [...]

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The 2012/2013 boat show season starts shortly and there are signs that the show organizers are seriously looking at new and innovative ways to attract exhibitors and attendees. The Newport International Boat Show in Rhode Island in September is considered to be the show that kicks off the season with its Newport for New Products [...]

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When thinking about advertising and promotional opportunities in the US market most companies think boating magazines, boat shows and websites.  Social media is also being thought about although most companies have not yet figured out a coherent strategy on how to use it.  The big opportunities that most companies never think about, especially European companies, [...]

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Discover Boating will be launching a new accessories tool on their website at the beginning of May.  Visitors will be able to search categories of accessories, look up manufacturer contact information, as well as create a personal wish list for their favorite products. Consumers researching the latest aftermarket products or looking to make upgrades will be re-directed to [...]

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Spring is here and, as you might imagine, statements about the market picking up are on the rise.  The reality is that the economic indicators are still giving mixed signals.  The following numbers make dry reading but tell the story. Light automobile sales in February 2012 are up 14.1% from February 2011.  The Consumer confidence [...]

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The recent Miami International Boat Show saw two major presentations.  The NMMA’s State of the Recreational Boating Industry address identified some industry trends that definitely need to be addressed if the industry is to prosper. They included the fact that boat owners have gotten older, there are fewer owners in their 30’s today and more [...]

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There are a couple of initiatives that have just been announced that you might want to keep your eye on.   Both have the potential to bring significant change to our industry, one immediately and the other ten years hence. The first is from Bavaria Yachts USA who just announced plans to open factory-direct locations in [...]

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A year ago people thought that 2011 would see the start of the recovery in our industry.  Sadly this was not the case.  It is doubtful that 2012 will see any significant pick-up either.  Why?  Consumer confidence remains low; jobless numbers are high, the housing market is dreadful and the stock market is all over [...]

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Almost everyone in our industry now recognizes that the current depressed level of boat sales is going to be the standard for the foreseeable future.  Those who thought that simply cutting expenditure to the bare minimum would allow them to survive until the market recovered are having to think again.  Businesses are putting a lot [...]

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Leisure marine industry specific cell phone applications (apps) have become very popular over here and, as you might imagine, their focus is on making boats, accessories and events easier to find. Examples include the Boat Trader app which provides a GPS enabled boat search and puts more than 100,000 new and used boats, yachts, sailboats [...]

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It used to be said that the recreational marine industry provided a forecast that the economy was going into recession. The rationale was that the “smart” money saw a recession coming and decreased their discretionary spending some six months or so before the rest of the country. The reverse was also a guide because they [...]

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For those companies exporting to the US a weaker dollar obviously has negative consequences. Just how much so could be seen in a recent Wall Street Journal article. It stated that “Since hitting a peak in February 2002, the dollar is down about 28%, according to an inflation-adjusted index from the Federal Reserve based on [...]

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There’s been a flurry of announcements from MarineMax, a publically quoted company on the New York Stock Exchange (HZO) and the largest recreational boat and yacht retailer in the US with 57 retail locations. Since the beginning of May the company has announced the introduction of the MarineMax Community – community.marinemax.com – a website that [...]

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TrawlerFest, organized by PassageMaker magazine, is a series of combined specialty boat shows and education events dealing specifically with trawlers and related subjects. It provides an exclusive focus on this segment of the market to the benefit of visitors and exhibitors alike. There are four TrawlerFests around the country in Ft. Lauderdale, Baltimore, San Diego, [...]

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Two of the biggest companies in our industry, Brunswick and West Marine Products, have just filed their 1st quarter 2011 results. Reading them gives the big company perspective on what’s currently happening and what will happen in 2011. The Brunswick Boat Group is a key component of the company and includes 16 brands. This segment [...]

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The marine industry over here has been trying to figure out the best way going forward to advertise and promote their products.  They have been watching to see how the traditional choice of print advertising is reacting to and competing with the Internet, mobile technology and the like. There were two interesting discussions that took [...]

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Despite hope and positive forecasts the North American sailing industry continued to slump in 2010.  The following numbers are taken from the annual report on the State of the Sailing Industry in North America produced by the Sailing Company, a division of Bonnier Corporation, which publishes Cruising World and Sailing World magazines. Imports declined by [...]

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One of the more anticipated events in Internet marketing is the Reykjavik Internet Marketing Conference & Expo (RIMC).  The next conference will be held in Reykjavik, Iceland on March 11, 2011 and is split into two tracks – one focusing on Social Media and the other on Search and Display.  The conference features a knowledgeable [...]

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The Miami boat show which takes place in mid-February is an important show for a number of reasons not least of which is the State of the US Recreational Boating Industry presentation given by Thom Dammrich, President, National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).  As you might imagine, his presentation was a mix of facts and stats [...]

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Boating Writers International is presenting a roundtable discussion entitled “The Future of Marine Journalism” at the forthcoming Miami International Boat Show. A panel of senior marine publishing executives will discuss the future of the boating media and journalists working both on and offline. Among the topics to be discussed are how journalists can best respond to the changing needs of the boating industry in this era of social networking, together with the panel’s expectations on hiring freelance and full-time writers in the near future. Among the featured speakers is John Burnham, editorial director, Dominion Marine Media.

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YachtWorld Foundation, a sponsor of “A Scientific Journey” to benefit SeaKeeper’s environmental mission – Gala fundraiser will take place at Miami’s Epic Marina and aboard the 219-foot Golden Shadow on February 18th.

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A year ago people thought that 2011 would see the start of the recovery in our industry.  Sadly this was not the case.  It is doubtful that 2012 will see any significant pick-up either.  Why?  Consumer confidence remains low; jobless numbers are high, the housing market is dreadful and the stock market is all over [...]

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Yacht Brokerage University Draws Accolades – A record 220 brokers see variety of presentations including “The New Luxury Buyer” and “Negotiating the Close in a Tough Economy”

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With all the talk going on over here about the stimulus and tax cuts you would think there has to be something in it for the boating industry. Unfortunately this is not the case.

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Boats.com and BoatTrader.com announce winners of “Tap Into Summer” Video Contest – Carson and Carter McBride win a Triton 16 Storm complete with Mercury 20 EL motor and trailer, donated by Brunswick Aluminum Group

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Adams presentation showed that in the late 1980’s the consumer confidence index was around 110 and new boat sales peaked at just over 500,000 new boats a year while today’s index of 50.2 suggests sales of around 130,000. Watching 3 key indicators- home purchases, automobile sales and consumer confidence levels – will provide a good sense of where this market is heading.

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Norfolk, VA – Dec.13, 2010 – BoatTrader.com and Boating Industry’s “Social Media/Reputation Management” Webinar is set for 1 p.m. CST on December 14. “The way boat buyers gather information is changing, which has a significant impact on the sales funnel,” said Kim Rocco, brand manager, Boat Trader.com. “Research, learning and comparison shopping are all done [...]

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YachtWorld has created a Foundation to Further Knowledge and Protection of Oceans. The International SeaKeepers Society is the 2011 beneficiary

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