The 10th annual list of Top 100 dealers in North America was announced in Orlando last week. The black-tie event brought in dealers from across the country in anticipation for the most prestigious dealer awards in the industry. Cobalt Boats is proud to announce that Gordy’s Lakefront Marine in Fontana, Wisconsin was selected as the number one dealer in North America.
Slips now for sale with summer 2015 opening in sight.
Scotia Coast Yacht Sales to represent Australian made boat surface repair products Australian manufacturer, MagicEzy, the makers of the 9 Second Chip Fix and Hairline Fix products, are delighted to announce that Canadian fiberglass boat owners can now repair surface damage on their boats easily, thanks to Scotia Coast Yachts, who is now the Canadian distributor for the MagicEzy range.
The 2nd PINK Boat Tour came full circle in North Bay on October 5th, when the winners were selected at the annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure North Bay. Janice Heidman of Parry Sound is now the owner of a Pink Naden, one of only two ever made. Heidman takes the helm of a 14-foot Pink Naden Fisherman aluminium boat package that includes a 15-hp Tohatsu motor, Yacht Club Trailer and a safety and mooring package.
In October BAVARIA opened its new office in the USA at Fort Lauderdale in Florida. This is the second direct representation from the German Shipyard and follows the Bavaria Shanghai office opened recently. Under the name of BAVARIA YACHTS AMERICA, this office based in Florida will supervise the US market, Canada and the entire South American region. The BAVARIA YACHTS AMERICA operation is represented by Vincent Guiot, Sales Director at BAVARIA.
Mercury Marine dealers in North America claimed the top 11 positions on Boating Industry magazine’s 2014 Top 100 Dealerships list, and accounted for more than 80 percent of the dealerships on the list. Mercury dealerships earned 83 of the Top 100 positions on the list, which was published in the November issue of Boating Industry, and 18 of the top 20 positions in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, seven of the eight dealers that received special “Best in Class” recognition awards were Mercury Marine dealers. Dealerships are chosen and ranked based on customer service, overall business operations, marketing and professionalism.
Ensuring a safe fuel supply for America’s 12 million registered boat owners may have to wait, said Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that the agency will further delay the final rule on how much ethanol refiners must blend into the nation’s gasoline supply under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). After almost a year of review, the 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs), which dictate ethanol levels, are now not set to be released until 2015.
Furuno USA, Inc. has been a leader in the U.S. marine electronics marketplace since it was formed in 1978, as a subsidiary of Japan-based Furuno Electric Company. In 1992, Jim Atteridge was appointed President and began setting the vision and direction for the company. Fast forward 22 years, and Furuno USA has become a brand known across every market in the industry, from commercial to recreational boating. After 30 years of dedicated service to the company, Atteridge is retiring as President and assuming a new role, as Director and Corporate Advisor.
This year, GSW and Associates celebrates its 25th anniversary with Orion Safety Products. While attending a factory visit, Jay McLaughlin, Bob DeFonte and Kerry Stark of Orion presented GSW and Associates an award for “25 Years of Excellent Service”. GSW attendees included Jeff Gueterman, Rick French, Mike McCachren, Rob Gueterman, Craig Cochran, Bob Schreiner, Paul Perry, Chris Byal and Ron Gueterman.
Carla Demaria, President of Monte Carlo Yachts, Board member of Italian Yachting Federation (UCINA) and the Board of Bénéteau Group and General Manager of Bénéteau Brand, has given a fascinating keynote speech at the opening ceremony of METS 2014. Maritime industry leaders from around the world gathered in one of the lecture halls in the Amsterdam RAI congress centre during the METS 2014 Breakfast Briefing to hear Demaria describe how the philosophy of adaptive evolution has paid dividends for her company.
In addition to its first hybrid drive system, Torqeedo displayed a compelling array of new products for the 2015 season at the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam. The company is launching even more powerful drive systems to coincide with its 10th anniversary and bringing new innovations in service, convenience and power generation.
Volvo Penta has announced the introduction of the first two models of its next-generation sterndrive marine gasoline engines. The new 4.3-liter catalyzed V6 engines, rated at 200 and 240 horsepower, will supplement Volvo Penta’s current V6 product line. They debuted at the Marine Dealers Conference & Expo (MDCE) in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 16-19.
Margaret Podlich, president of the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the nation’s largest boat owners’ association with more than 500,000 members, was named the 2014 Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year. Podlich was honoured Wednesday Nov. 19, during the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo Awards Breakfast at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year Award is presented annually to an outstanding woman in the marine industry.