Changing Scene

  • CRUISERS YACHTS CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF BRAND EXCELLENCE

    Cruisers Yachts launched its yearlong 60th anniversary celebration of brand excellence at the 2013 Miami International Boat Show and revealed the designs of the much-awaited 60th Anniversary Black Diamond Limited Edition models. Proudly celebrating six decades of brand excellence, Cruisers Inc. models were launched and the new company incorporated in Oconto, Wisconsin in the summer of 1953. Its first completed model shipped on November 18, 1953, initiating the company’s esteemed reputation of excellence in world-class craftsmanship, high-quality finish, innovation and performance.

  • GARMIN ENTERS THE ACTION CAMERA MARKET WITH COMPACT, WATERPROOF HD CAMERAS

    Garmin International Inc., a global leader in satellite navigation, just announced VIRB, its first true HD 1080p action camera series. From action sports to family vacations, VIRB combines a unique feature set that makes it easier than ever to capture life’s memories. VIRB features a rugged and waterproof (IPX-7) housing, so there is no extra case necessary to withstand the elements. The unique 1.4-inch Chroma™ color display makes setup and playback a breeze and uses minimal power so VIRB can record up to three hours of true HD (1080p) video on one charge. On-board video enhancement features such as digital image stabilization and lens distortion correction ensure that footage recorded with VIRB will look great, even before editing. VIRB can capture high quality still photos while the video camera is recording.

  • LEARN SAILING AT HOME WITH NEW ONLINE LEARN TO SAIL COURSE

    Learning to sail just got easier. A new "Online Learn to Sail" course from America's #1 sailing school, Offshore Sailing School, and the leading national boating safety organization funded by a half million boaters, the BoatUS Foundation, is perfect for anyone thinking about getting into sailing or renewing old skills. The narrated curriculum with easy to comprehend video, animations, and Offshore Sailing School instructors teaching aboard the Colgate 26 is designed to enhance and streamline the learning process and give sailors a leg up before they hit the water. It dovetails well, and is great for learning prior to taking any Offshore Sailing School course. The cost is $75 but the course will be available for a limited time at the introductory price of $55. It can be found at BoatUS.org/offshore-sailing.

  • 2013 NMMA CANADA HALL OF FAME – CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

    Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Canada Hall of Fame. Recipients of the NMMA Canada Hall of Fame include those who have, or those who continue to generate substantial and lasting contributions toward the advancement of the marine industry. The Hall of Fame honours individuals whose achievements are synonymous with the pursuit of quality, innovation and perfection within their respective spheres of expertise.

  • THE ONLY SHOW LIKE IT ON THE LAKE!

    Join us for the 23rd Port Credit In-Water Boat Show! The Port Credit In-Water Boat Show is celebrating its 23rd year from August 23-25th.  The only show of its kind on Lake Ontario, the Port Credit Boat Show is THE late summer boat show to attend.   Board over 100 new and used power and sailboats or check out the land displays of marine accessories and services. The Speaker’s tent features seasoned boaters who talk about boat handling; boat repair; cruising and more.

  • BOAT’S AFLOAT SHOW A SAILOR’S DELIGHT

    The old adage about red sky at night should have included the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show as a sailor’s delight. Whether you’re a landlubber wanting to learn the ropes about sailing or an old salt looking for your next sailboat, the September Lake Union Boats Afloat Show has it all. The 2013 September show offers free sailboat rides for kids and adults, a learn-to-sail package including seminars and on water instruction and dozens of sailboat brands on display – from Blue Jacket to Island Packet to Jeanneau –many making their West Coast debut at the show. The show gets underway on Wednesday September 11th and continues through Sunday 15th, 2013.

  • MARINE FIVE STAR DEALER CERTIFICATION LAUNCHES MEDIA BLITZ, ANNOUNCES LATEST PERFORMANCE RESULTS VIA SURVEY FINDINGS

    Since its introduction and adoption in Canada in January 2006, 26 Canadian dealers have earned the prestigious Marine Five Star Dealer Certification (MFSDC).  Launched in 2006 as one of the core strategic programs of Grow Boating, Inc., MFSDC is built on a stringent set of standards to enhance the retail sales and service experience for customers, with the goal to ultimately promote and spur industry growth. MFSDC has announced two recent developments including a North American marketing blitz, now underway that targets the boat-buying consumer.

  • PACIFIC YACHT INDUSTRY FORUM PLANNED FOR SPRING 2014

    The Pacific Yacht Industry Forum is 4 day programme of events for the Pacific superyacht industries, taking place in central Vancouver during late Spring, 2014.  Comprising a 2 day conference and a 3 day Yacht Show, this international event will target visitors from across the globe, placing BC and the north-west Pacific firmly on the superyacht map.   Produced by Quaynote Communications, the yacht event specialists, and officially supported by Canadian Yachting magazine, the Pacific Yacht Industry Forum aims to provide a platform for networking, business development, discussion and debate.  “We hope to attract a dazzling array

  • SHAKESPEARE EXPANDS WITH SURECALL CELLULAR BOOSTERS

    Cellphone-Mate and Shakespeare Company LLC announced an agreement in which Shakespeare expands its product range to include SureCall™ cellular signal boosters by Cellphone-Mate. Shakespeare will have exclusive rights to the SureCall product suite in the marine market, branded as Shakespeare® Anywhere Cellphone Boosters. "SureCall cellular signal boosters offer the highest quality combined with ease of use, and Cellphone-Mate is a well-respected leader in the cellular industry. As part of our goal to best deliver connectivity on the water, we now have a reliable and powerful signal boosting solution that

  • CAMPION ANNOUNCES 40th DEALER CONFERENCE

    Campion Marine Inc. will be hosting its 40th Annual Dealer Conference on August 25th and 26th in Kelowna, British Columbia, to introduce the 2014 model year to their dealer network. Campion Marine, a family owned business, has a strong diversified product line up, consisting of Chase high performance boats, Explorer sport utility boats, Allante runabouts and cruisers, Svfara wake and surf tow boats and Infinyte alternate energy boats. With more than 20 boats on the water, the Dealer Celebration provides an excellent opportunity for all current and prospective dealers to get together and try out Campion's high quality product line, first hand on beautiful Lake Okanagan.

  • SAIL AMERICA INDUSTRY MEETING SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER

    Sail America is planning an Industry Meeting to take place on Friday, October 11, 2013, from 7:45 am – 9:15 am at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland. Taking place during the US Sailboat Show, the breakfast meeting, sponsored by Annapolis Boat Shows, is open to all sailing industry professionals at no charge. The Sail America Industry Meeting will include presentations on Sail America initiatives, industry updates, and will conclude with US Sailboat Show Best in Show awards, sponsored by Weems & Plath. Attendees must provide a business card to enter.

  • CANADA’S SAILING OLYMPIANS MOURN THE LOSS OF PAUL COTE

    Paul Cote was bigger than life in so many ways. As a young kid growing up on the sidelines of sailing he and John Ekels and Dave Miller were bigger stars to me than most sports heroes of the day. I had followed their exploits sailing their Soling in Vancouver and around the world as much as I could . I met Paul for the first time at the Olympic trials in 1972 in Halifax and remember his wonderful drive and focus and the team’s chemistry. During a pick up football game prior to racing I think I might have hit helmsman Dave Miller by accident and if I recall correctly Cote was right there helping his helmsman off the turf for good that day before something really bad happened.

  • NEW CLEANER HELPS SERIOUSLY REJUVENATE BUFFER PADS

    Cleaning tools deserve their own special washing to keep them in the best possible condition. Shurhold Industries' new Serious Pad Cleaner is a scientifically formulated powdered cleaner for rejuvenating buffing pads. Environmentally friendly, this product is biodegradable. When mixed with water, this cleaner dissolves compounds and waxes from wool, foam and blended buffing pads. Using this cleaner helps owners reuse their pads, instead of replacing them.

  • NEW SHRINK WRAP IS DESIGNED TO PROTECT ALL METALS

    Engines, accessories, spare parts and other metal equipment are susceptible to rust and corrosion even when well-protected. Premium shrink wrap supplier Dr. Shrink's new Multimetal ICT Film provides cost-effective and versatile defense against corrosion damage on ferrous and non-ferrous metals in typical shipping and storage conditions. The new Multimetal ICT Film is an easy-to-use protective film containing proven corrosion inhibiting technology. It's available in 20' x 100', 4 mil sheets. The film is intended to be installed as a base layer underneath Dr. Shrink's premium shrink wrap. This combination ensures a durable

  • REC BOAT HOLDINGS ROLLS OUT NEW GLASTRON LINE FOR 2014

    Rec Boat Holdings has launched the 2014 model year line up to an audience of more than 30 International dealers at its headquarters in Cadillac, Michigan today. The Company introduced the new lineup to its top dealers at an exclusive Leadership Conference on August 4-6th. The Glastron brand has undergone a tremendous redesign effort bringing new and innovative features to this iconic line of boats. The new model year adds the all-new GT245, a 24-foot feature-packed open bow boat, new Legacy models and the GTX160 and GTX185, both entry

  • MONTEREY BOATS WELCOMES NEW DEALER: QUARTERMAST MARINE

    Monterey Boats is honored to welcome Quartermaster Marine to the Monterey Boats dealer family!
    “Monterey Boats is excited to begin this journey with Quartermaster Marine,” said Monterey’s Director of Sales, Kim Loenichen. “The addition of Quartermaster Marine into our Monterey Boats dealer family will reinforce our brands reputation as being the very best in the marine industry today.”
    Quartermaster Marine is a premier recreational boating sales and service company located in Prince Edward Island, Canada. And according to Jason Craig at Quartermaster Marine, they are also very excited to be part of the Monterey Boat’s family. Jason Craig stated, “We feel that the Monterey line will be a very nice addition to our business with the many models available”.

  • HALIFAX TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY THE NMEA

    Not everyone can make it to the September NMEA Conference in San Diego but there are Canadian training opportunities available in Halifax, on  August 28/29/30! The location will be the Future Inns Halifax Hotel and Conference Centre in Halifax. You can  still join the upcoming Halifax.  Educational Training Sessions: NEW Basic Marine Electronics Installer, Wednesday, August 28th, NMEA 2000 Training, Thursday, August 29th

  • ONLY 7 WEEKS TO THE NMEA CONFERENCE IN SAN DIEGO

    Only 7 weeks left before the annual NMEA conference and expo begins in San Diego!  Here are a few reminders for those who have and who haven't yet registered and things to think about in planning your visit:
    1.    Booths
    There are a limited number of booths.  If you develop marine electronics, the conference is THE place to get your message to the trade.
     2.    Registrations
    If you have not yet registered, do so soon!  The early bird deadline has been extended.
    If you plan to take the NEW MEI (Jan. 2013), NEW AMEI (Sept. 2013), or NEW NMEA 2000 (Sept. 2012) certificate courses, please register soon to

  • WEST MARINE ANNOUNCES ITS 4TH ANNUAL BLUE FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

    West Marine, the world’s largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has released its BlueFuture® 2012 Sustainability Report.  BlueFuture® encompasses West Marine’s company-wide efforts focusing on sustainability, including improving and protecting the marine environments, reducing the company’s carbon footprint and encouraging people to enjoy being out on the water. From  Pure Oceans, the company’s private label brand of “green” boating products, to giving millions of dollars in grants over the years to marine-based non-profits — West Marine continues to demonstrate its commitment to preserving our waters and ensuring that future