July 17, 2018
We had the pleasure of speaking to Mike Gridley, Show Chairman of the Gravenhurst Antique Boat Show, which took place this past weekend, on July 7th as part of the Toronto Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.
Mike reports that Another Vintage Boat Show is in the books. By all accounts and the feedback and comments that we have received thus far it was a fantastic show. An absolute sell-out with 120 boats on display in the water and more on land, including fiberglass boats! ACBS President Tom Crawford was in attendance.
For the second year, the show was free. Mike shares that they want the show to be accessible to everyone. So how did they make the show run so well, with no entry fee? Well thanks to 16 great sponsors: Mercedes Benz – Barrie, Walkers Point Marina, Cedar Coast Timber Homes, Hagerty Classic Boat Insurance, Town of Gravenhurst, RBC Wealth Management – Dominion Securities, Ridley Windows and Doors, Audi of Mississauga and Audi Brampton, Part Time CFO Services, Platinum sponsor - Pfaff Auto, Grant Thornton, BDO, Muskoka Springs Water and the Marriot Residence Inn, a host of Partners and lower security costs the show was a booming success.
So how did they do attendance wise? Well, since they couldn’t count tickets they took several drone shots, and compared them to other years and the attendance was estimated to be over 5000 people, which is higher than its been for several years! Last year they hit about 4500.
The theme of the show this year was ‘Keeping the Passion Alive - a Salute to the Heritage Boat Shops’. Mike explains that back in the day there was about a dozen shops building wooden boats, now there are 18 shops involved in the maintenance restoration and building of reproduction wooden boats that help us keep going - this was the way to recognize these shops, as they keep the passion for Heritage Boats alive.
We wanted to ask Mike, how does the show get people involved in boats and boating, as that’s a topic we often explore. “To get the crowds enthusiastic about classic and vintage boats in general was a combination of things. First, was making the show free so that everyone could have access to it. The other was the addition of the classic fibreglass boats alongside wooden boats, people loved this addition as they may remember from them the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Additionally, what we’ve done for a few years now is ‘ride alongs’, where we have volunteers taking people on rides this year, the crowd loved it, we had 320 rides total and only stopped because we ran out of time.” Sounds like a complete success.
For more information please visit: https://www.acbs.ca/
Corporate Profile - Dometic Outdoor Global Marine Division
Dometic Outdoor Global Marine Division is one organization that has set the bar high globally on quality standards in all aspects of its operation. From its human resources practices to its product development and manufacturing standards, the company strives for 110% in all it does. Dometic’s Vancouver, British Columbia design and manufacturing facility is the largest marine focused company in Canada. Its global standards are admirable, and our entire industry can learn from its leadership and positive practices.
In 1962, Dometic (then under the name Teleflex) developed, launched, and marketed a mechanical steering system and with its success came the first hydraulic steering in 1983 and No FeedBack Steering in ’91.
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The 10th edition of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC) has wrapped up at the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) and it gives a compelling look at the future of electric boating.
The MEBC was started in 2014 as a competition between university teams who built and raced boats powered only by solar power and batteries. To encourage more participation from institutions that may not have naval architecture or boat construction expertise, the YCM introduced the Energy Class competition. The club supplies the student teams with the same one-design catamaran hull, and each team adds their own cockpit and propulsion system that can be powered by any renewable alternative energy sources, not just solar.
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Questus Marine patented, Self-Leveling Radar Mounts automatically keep radar antennas level with the horizon, eliminating target loss.
Regardless of the angle of heel, with a Questus mount, a radar antenna will pick up targets to either side of a vessel, rather than aiming to the sky and water (for planes and fish). The Questus Marine Self-Leveling Radar Mount can be installed in three basic configurations: backstay mount, mast mount or Stern Pole mount.
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Torqeedo announces new structure and names business unit management
Left to right: Matthias Vogel, Fabian Bez, Sven Mostoegl
Torqeedo, the global market leader for electric mobility on the water, announced on July 18th, the creation of two dedicated business units and named their managers. Matthias Vogel will lead the Customized Solutions unit, and Sven Mostögl will lead the Branded Retail line.
“The new Customized Solutions business unit will serve our marine industry and commercial maritime clientele with a dedicated team of experts in sales, application engineering, customer service, and after-sales service,“ said Fabian Bez, CEO of Torqeedo GmbH.
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