Changing Scene

  • OUR INDUSTRY MOURNS THE PASSING OF GARY POOLE

    Gary Jay Poole passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side on Saturday, September 7,2013. The Poole family own and operate Buckeye Marine in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, one of the leading marinas in all of North America. Buckeye Marine was established in 1949 by maternal grandfather Tom Thompson as a bait and tackle shop on the water. Son-in-law Frank Poole brought mechanical expertise from his background in the automotive industry and together they ventured into boat and motor rental and repair. Over time, grandsons Gary, David and Chris joined the business and it grew into a substantial sales and service facility.

  • OUR INDUSTRY MOURNS THE PASSING OF BOB EATON

    Robert J. (Bob) Eaton passed away Thursday, September 5th, 2013. Bob Eaton was a life-long supporter of the marine industry in Canada and most specifically in southern Ontario where he spent 27 years teaching technical and marine business courses at Georgian College. In 1988, Bob developed the Georgian College 3-year Marine Technology Program, he served on the Provincial Advisory Committee for 25 years and in 1986, produced training standards for marine apprenticeship. He also assisted in bringing Mercury, Bombardier, Volvo Penta and Harley Davidson factory service training to Georgian College.

  • ALL CANADIAN MARINE INDUSTRY INVITED TO NETWORK AND LEARN AT BCMTA CONFERENCE EVENT

    The spotlight is on the customer at this year’s BC Marine Industry Conference November 27th and 28th at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond. Registration for the 3rd Annual Conference is significantly higher than the same time the previous two years, according to the BC Marine Trades Association (BCMTA).  “We are thrilled with the positive response to this year’s conference. Our goal always is to deliver on a theme that will provide our members and other attendees with the tools and support they need to grow and evolve their businesses,” says BCMTA Executive Director Kim Barbero. “We know that customer satisfaction correlates directly to profitability and our goal is to set people up for success.”

  • INVASIVE SPECIES CENTRE CALL FOR PROPOSALS: PROJECTS AND INTERNSHIPS

    The Invasive Species Centre (ISC) is now accepting proposals for invasive species project funding for up to $35,000 per project. This year's themes focus on: managing risk by looking ahead, invasive species impacts, rapid response coordination, detection and management tools and educating youth. Successful projects will demonstrate impacts on policy or resource management goals for Ontario. Project funding proposal applications must be submitted online no later than 12:00 noon, Friday, October 11, 2013.

  • USWATERCRAFT ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO BUILD C&C YACHTS

    USWatercraft of Warren RI and Tartan Marine Co are pleased to announce that USWatercraft has acquired the exclusive rights to build, develop, distribute and  market all new models of the famed C&C Yachts brand from Tartan Marine. "We are extremely excited to carry on the traditions established by the legendary Canadian boat builders who introduced C&C Yachts some 50 years ago. We look forward to building state of the art, beautiful, high quality and competitively priced C&C sailboats, at our 100,000 square ft. facility in Warren, RI." said Randy Borges president of USWatercraft.  USWatercraft plans to begin production of its new C&C models this fall.

  • WINNERS CELEBRATED AT MOBILITY CUP 2013

    Disabilities were left behind on the dock as 41 sailors from across North America and as far away as Australia challenged the waters of Halifax harbour from August 25 to 30.   The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron was the site of the High Liner Foods 2013 Mobility Cup, a sailing regatta for people with disabilities of all kinds.  The competitors sailed Martin 16 sailboats which are specially constructed to allow a variety of adaptations to allow people with disabilities to experience the freedom and competitiveness of sailing. 

  • PRIDE MARINE GROUP ACQUISITION OF SKYLINE MARINA NOW COMPLETE

    Boating Industry Canada and Canadian Yachting magazine met with Paul Nickel and Dan Pride of the Pride Marine Group for an in-person update on their recent acquisition of the Skyline Marina. According to Dan Pride, the dialogue began almost three years ago but firm arrangements came together with the owners of Skyline Marina this past spring. The acquisition is now complete. While the Pride Marine Group operates six different Ontario locations and represents 8 different boat lines, the Skyline Marina acquisition marks the first time they have worked with Sea Ray or a Brunswick Boat Group business. Dan Pride commented, “The Brunswick Boat Group is great

  • ELECTRONICS DEALERS ATTEND GOST 7TH ANNUAL TECHNICAL TRAINING AND SALES SEMINAR

    Marine security, tracking and monitoring products supplier GOST® (Global Ocean Security Technologies) recently hosted their leading marine electronics dealers at the company's 7th annual technical training and sales seminar at the Bahia Mar Resort and Marina in Fort Lauderdale. The one-day seminar featured an overview of the GOST product line, the introduction of new products and company integrations with FLIR and KVH products. The seminar also featured a live demonstration of a complete GOST system aboard Phantom, a 62 Azimut, where dealers experienced the GOST Cloak deterrent system first-hand.

  • IMTECH MARINE APPOINTS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF IMTECH MARINE USA

    Imtech Marine (Rotterdam) announces that as of the 15th of July 2013, Capt. Eric Clarke has been appointed as Managing Director of lmtech Marine USA (headquarters Houston). Capt. Clarke has a broad maritime experience and a proven business track record. Capt. Clarke pursued a career at sea and sailed both as Captain and Chief Engineer. After about 10 years at sea, Eric started a long career ashore. Prior to joining Imtech, Eric held the position of Vice President Americas at RightShip (a specialized company offering the commercial shipping industry a Ship Vetting Information System), building the company to be a world leader in its field, performing over 34,000 vets and over 3,000 ship inspections.

  • SOLAR AND ELECTRIC POWERED BOAT HITS MILESTONE ON GREAT LOOP

    Skipper Jim Greer's remarkable quest to complete the Great Loop, a circular navigation of the eastern half of the US, using only solar power, recently hit a milestone. The solar and electric powered craft has already made it more than halfway through its journey. As of mid-August, it has traversed the Oswego and Erie Canals and will soon navigate into Lake Ontario.
    The over 6,600 mile journey, which Greer hopes will merit a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, relies on a dedicated four-person crew and two Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 electric outboard motors. This monumental undertaking commenced on January 11 from New Port Ritchie,

  • THE CANADIAN SAFE BOATING COUNCIL REMINDS YOU TO NOMINATE YOUR LOCAL BOATING HEROES TODAY

    Ah, summer. This is the time that we, as Canadian boaters, enjoy the most. Early morning forays onto the water in search of that elusive catch; afternoons spent carving a perfect wake and quiet evenings spent cruising pristine shorelines. It's also the perfect time to think about recognizing the efforts of those who do so much to make our favourite on-water activities both safer and environmentally sustainable…and it's through the Canadian Safe Boating Awards that you can do just that.

  • USED BOAT BUYERS BEWARE: ARE YOU BUYING A HURRICANE SANDY BOAT?

    With the fall boat buying season approaching, buyers looking for a pre-owned boat can often find deals as sellers, not wanting to take on the upcoming expense of winter storage fees, are in the bargaining mood. However, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) estimates that 65,000 boats were damaged or lost when Superstorm Sandy struck. Now, nearly a year later, some of those boats are being sold on the used boat market, either in “as is” condition, or after repairs have been made. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if the seller is truthful about any past damage. However, the problem exists when sellers fail to fess up to a boat’s true condition. So how does a used boat buyer go into a purchase with eyes wide open?

  • INVASIVE SPECIES CENTRE NAMES DILHARI FERNANDO NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    The Invasive Species Centre (ISC), a leader in facilitating invasive species prevention, detection and response, announced that Dilhari Fernando has been named the ISC's new Executive Director, effective September 9, 2013. As former Director General of Strategic Policy and Priorities for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dilhari has specialized in public policy development, medium term planning and strategic thinking. She is respected for her ability to integrate diverse corporate components into cohesive, overarching corporate strategies to help organizations navigate and position themselves for success in times of change.

  • MONTEREY BOATS AWARDS TOP TEN CSI DEALERS INCLUDING THREE CANADIAN DEALERS

    Monterey Boats recently awarded its Top Ten CSI Dealers for 2013 by earning high marks from their returned surveys for model year 2013 during their annual Dealer Conference held at the Boca Resort & Club in Boca Raton, Florida. The surveys rate each dealer on the customer’s Sales experience as well as their Service experience. “With the outstanding dealer network that we currently have in place, it’s an honor for us to be able to award these hard-working dealerships for achieving excellence everyday in their sales and service practices. We are proud to have them represent our brand” said Monterey Co-Chairman, Charles Marshall.

  • RENOWNED SPEAKER STEVE DONAHUE TO DELIVER IMBC KEYNOTE

    Motivational speaker, bestselling author, and former comedian Steve Donahue will deliver the keynote address at the International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC), scheduled for January 29-31, 2014, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Donahue's presentation, "Get a New Story," will be held on Thursday, January 30, at 8:30 am. IMBC is produced by the Association of Marina Industries (AMI). Described as "the best speaker we've ever had" by Volkswagen and having sold over 100,000 copies of his book Shifting Sands, Donahue is exploring some new territory at IMBC 2014 by offering specific humorous examples of how you can get things right by first getting them wrong.

  • THOM DAMMRICH TO SPEAK AT NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW OPENING DAY PRESS CONFERENCE

    Newport Exhibition Group, owners and producers of the Newport International Boat Show, have announced that its annual State of the Industry Press Conference will take place on opening day, Thursday, September 12th from 1:30 PM to 2:45 PM in the Sunset Terrace on the show grounds. Open to the press and individuals attending the Newport International Boat Show, the press conference will feature keynote speaker Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufactures Association (NMMA), who will present information on the marine industry followed by a question and answer session. Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport, will provide an update on the Newport stopover of the 2014 -15 Volvo Ocean Race. The event will conclude with remarks by Harry Winthrop, the mayor of Newport.

  • ATLANTIS WEATHERGEAR TO SPONSOR THE 2013 NYYC INVITATIONAL CUP

    Atlantis WeatherGear, the American sailing apparel brand designed by sailors for sailors, today announced that they have renewed their sponsorship of the biennial New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex.  The event, hosted by the NYYC at their Harbour Court facility in Newport, RI beginning September 7th, 2013, is slated to include teams representing 20 of the finest yacht clubs from 13 different countries. First sailed in 2009, the Invitational Cup was conceived by the NYYC in 2007 as a competition between “Corinthian” (amateur) teams representing high-profile yacht clubs from around the world.  The theme was to revive the spirit of amateur yachting both locally and abroad while bringing together the organizations that have been instrumental in the establishment and growth of the sport over the past two centuries.

  • LEHR HAS LAUNCHED A 9.9 HP PROPANE-FUEL OUTBOARD ENGINE

    LEHR Inc has introduced the next generation in green innovation with the new 9.9 HP propane outboard boat engines.   LEHR has been garnering significant attention with its compelling eco-friendly engines, and was recently awarded Sail Magazine’s Pittman Innovation Award  for 2013, POPULAR MECHANICS Breakthrough Award for 2012 and named a TECH AWARDS LAUREATE by the Tech Museum.  LEHR was selected among hundreds of nominations worldwide and was recognized for its innovation to benefit humanity and spark global change.
    The LEHR 2.5 and 5.0 HP propane boat engines were the world’s first OEM products and due to popular demand, Lehr has now introduced the

  • ABBRA’S 2013 COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS SURVEY RESULTS NOW AVAILABLE

    Results from the American Boat Builders & Repairers Association (ABBRA) 2013 Compensation and Benefits Survey are now available. Survey data was collected from ABBRA members nationwide, along with local marine trade associations' members, and additional participants from the marina and boatyard industry. The report entitled the ABBRA Compensation and Benefits Benchmark Study serves as a valuable resource for employers in the boatyard, marine service, and repair sectors to gauge rates, salaries, and benefits in the current employment market. It also ensures that employees and independent contractors are obtaining the correct compensation for their work.

  • COAST GUARD FOUNDATION HONOURS THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD IN SEATTLE SEPTEMBER 12

    The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of Coast Guard members and their families, announced that its 2013 Pacific Northwest Awards Dinner will take place on Thursday, September 12, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. Honouring the bravery and heroism of the more than 6,000 U.S. Coast Guard men and women in the area who courageously serve, protect and defend the nation, its people and mariners operating in its waters, as well as its marine environment and natural resources; the Pacific Northwest Awards Dinner is sponsored by Seattle-based Vigor Industrial and will feature a pre-event reception, live and silent auction, and dinner.