There!

   I’ve said and written what no one else in the industry or related media is willing to say but it’s true. Recreational powerboating in particular has been on life support, in my estimation since 1987, the year of the infamous Luxury Tax. The industry had been through the economic ups and downs, the cycles if you will, but the tax was the first one that the boat manufacturing industry seemed to be unprepared for. Those of us who were working in the industry will recall how devastating those years immediately thereafter were. Some manufacturers closed their doors never to reopen and many dealers followed in the wake of the financial meltdown, the cause of which didn’t really seem to be the tax as much as it was that manufacturers had borrowed heavily to fund expansion of their facilities and dealers had financed their floorplans to unimaginable heights and when boat sales dried up so did the orders and the banks came calling.

   The industry now finds itself fighting and losing a new war, the war of the recession and unemployment. The NMMA has been giving the same “everything is fine and we’ve turned the corner” economic pep talk since 2008 but it hasn’t had any impact on the consumer. The average wage earners in this country are not buying new boats in fact they may not even be buying used boats. When the recession hit most everyone’s discretionary income disappeared. Suddenly the market was awash in used boats, some of which had been purchased with home equity loans and now not only were consumers upside down with their mortgages but with their boats as well. There were also the new boats from the dealers that had gone out of business.  That glut in the market lasted a couple of years and once those boats were gone the industry started to respond to the decrease in new boat orders but not fast enough. We’ve seen the demise of Genmar, Fountain, Pro-Line, Donzi, etc. There are fewer manufacturers but the market is smaller as well and those that remain are fighting for market share and their survival.

   So why do I feel that recreational powerboat manufacturing is dead? Very simply the answer is cost. There is not one domestic manufacturer out there that is building an affordable powerboat for the average wage earner. If you want to get people excited about boats and get them into boats then the manufacturers have to start building boats that the buyer doesn’t have to go heavily in to debt to purchase. In case they haven’t noticed people aren’t even considering new boat purchases. It seems that they’ve been preoccupied with keeping their jobs and a roof over their families heads and that’s not likely to change for the next 3-5 years. When an entry level 19′ bowrider has a price tag of $25,000 it would seem that the industry is not paying attention. Most people don’t need built in GPS units, Sirius enabled radios, amplifiers, sub-woofers, tilt steering, chrome or stainless bezeled gauges, vinyl wrapped consoles, etc. Save that stuff for the higher end boats and yachts because in the end most people don’t want all that stuff but they really don’t have a choice as one builder seems to follow another, who follows another, and so on when it comes to design and amenities. 

   I bet you were thinking that I would throw gas prices in there somewhere but truth be told the cost of fuel has never been that much of a deterrent when it comes to people wanting to spend time out on the water. Owning a boat never meant burning through 50 or 100 gallons of fuel over a weekend. It was always more about having the ability to get away, to be out on your own private floating island whether that was for an hour or a day.

   I got my first boat when I was 13. It was a simple 16′ aluminum v-hull with a 50 hp. outboard and tiller steering. I may never have been happier than when I was out on that boat because it was mine and it was paid for. I took a portable radio with me and a small cooler for my adventures out on the Banana and Indian Rivers. I could take my surfboard and leave our dock on Merritt Island and run across the Banana River and tie up behind my grandparent’s house in Cocoa Beach, walk across A1A and go surfing for the day. At 13 years of age that was all I needed and despite what the boat industry’s public relations machine tells me I still believe that 16′ boat may very well be all that I need still.

   The industry is dying and there’s no stopping it.

                                                                           Capt. Patrick

The Coast Guard and the American Boat and Yacht Council released a draft report, “Human Factors Analysis of Propeller Strikes,” prepared by CED Investigative Technologies Inc.

The report concludes that no universal solution exists to mitigate the risk of injury from accidental contact with boat propellers — an issue that the Coast Guard has studied since as early as 1988.

“While no universal solutions exist for this problem, propeller guards have been shown to offer limited protection under certain conditions with particular hull types and engine combinations and are one method of mitigating this risk of injury,” the report states.

“Other mitigation methods should be studied to extend the opportunity of mitigating injury from propeller strikes,” according to the report. “These methods can include training, the use of alert technology, and even modifications to boat layout, such as the location of boarding ladders.”

The report is open for comment until April 11.

People injured by boat propellers have brought lawsuits against several boatbuilders in recent years.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association has formed a task force to review the report and provide comment. NMMA members who would like to participate or would like additional information are asked to contact Cindy Squires at csquires@nmma.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (202) 737-9766.

Our view from the helm:

   A universal solution is the utilization of common sense. You don’t open the door of a moving car, jump out, get run over and sue the car or tire manufacturer because there wasn’t a warning posted in the car stating that if you engaged in such activity it could cause serious injury or death.

   There is an inherent risk in everything we do, from the time we get out of bed in the morning to, well, the time we get out of bed the following morning and so on.

   It’s high time that we as a society take responsibility for our actions and accept that fact that the majority of products out there are safe but can be dangerous and cause injury or death if not used properly.

   Do we really need a warning on the side of a styrofoam cup that the hot coffee we ordered is “hot”? Or that propellers on boats, whether spinning or not, are sharp and can cut you? Specifically what is it about the marine industry that makes the consumer want to sue for their own lack of judgement?

   There are laws regarding the mandatory use of seat-belts in cars. If a driver or their passengers choose to not use a seat belt and then are injured in an accident whose fault is that? The car manufacturer? The seat belt maker? Of course not. It’s the fault of the person who chose to not secure a seat belt across their body just as it’s the fault of the person that chooses to jump out of a boat with the engine still running, or the person who backs a boat up into one of their passengers, or the drunk boater who operates their boat in such a manner that their passenger falls overboard and is struck by the propeller.

It’s been often said that there ought to be a law. It’s a shame to think that for boaters there may just have to be.

March 14, 2012 
   After an accident left a woman with serious injuries following a day on the water with an inexperienced boat operator last summer, the Lake Norman Marine Commission accelerated its action to create an ordinance regulating boat rentals on the North Carolina lake.

The commission had previously discussed an ordinance to ensure rented boats are operated safely, but it was boat rental operators who brought it to the forefront and spurred it into action, said Ron Shoultz, chairman of the committee.

The commission formed a committee of both rental operators and law enforcement that will have three months to create proposed rules for rental boat companies.

“We are really trying to get people that are familiar with the industry and get their feedback,” Shoultz said. “We are not going to make up rules or regulations that boat operations will say, ‘What are you doing?’ We want it to be self-policing.”

Brian MacArthur, owner of Saltshaker Marine, which rents powerboats on Lake Norman, attended a recent meeting by the commission and said he is in favor of the ordinance – as long as it is within reason.

“I am all for regulation of safety on the water and do not approve of boat rentals that jeopardize anyone’s safety. I know my company does follow the proper procedures,” said MacArthur, whose company uses a safety checklist that covers operating and safety procedures with the operator.

Following last year’s boating accident, Shoultz said boat rental companies, many of which use processes similar to those at Saltshaker Marine, received unfair criticism from the media. The ordinance is aimed to ensure all boat rental companies are mandating safety to the best of their abilities.

“You can have the best boater and instructor in the world, and [tragedy] can still happen,” he said. “We are not going to say, ‘to rent a boat you have to take this nine-hour class.’ The bottom line is to improve safety and ensure a standard that all boat rental companies would adhere to.”

Since 2008, boat rental companies in the state of Washington have adhered to a process similar to what has been discussed for Lake Norman.

Washington is gradually transitioning to an ordinance that mandates boater education for boat owners, which is already in effect for boaters under the age of 40.

However, rental companies are only mandated to use a dockside checklist that takes approximately 10 minutes to walk through with the operator.

Jim French, boating education specialist for Washington State Parks, said requiring boater education for the rental community would deter tourists and customers who spontaneously decide to rent a boat. Therefore, the checklist ensures an understanding while taking a reasonable amount of time, according to French.

Similar to at Lake Norman, French said Washington depends on its law enforcement to ensure the checklist is preventing dangerous boaters from hitting the water.

“The local law enforcement that patrols the waterways notice a novice behind that boat, they can tell us the rental checklist needs a few items added on,” French said.

Our view from the helm:

The story opened with “After an accident left a woman with serious injuries following a day on the water with an inexperienced boat operator….”

The simple fact of this story is that the only fault that can be assigned to the boat operator is that he failed to control the actions of his passengers. The woman that was injured chose to jump out of the boat while the engine was still running and the driver was attempting to position the boat in order to tie up to other boats out on the lake.

If they are going to have an ordinance that is worth more than the paper its printed on they need to have something with some teeth like mandatory boat safety education for all boaters including those who rent boats. A dockside checklist is not sufficient to ensure that a renter has been adequately instructed as to the proper use of the boat. They should also tie any penalties or fines directly to the boat operators drivers license.

The double standard is that you can’t rent a car without a valid driver’s license but you can rent a boat or PWC that can do in excess of 50mph without anything more than a credit card.

State threatens suit against boat hobbyists

Posted: Feb 08, 2012 6:27 PM EST  Posted by Nancy Amons

Creating a sticker system that all levels of law enforcement recognize has the support of the boating community, and several Hudson Valley law enforcement agencies have expressed a willingness to participate, Schumer said.

He noted that not only will the use of a widely recognized inspection sticker minimize hassle for boaters, but it also would free up law enforcement officials and allow their positive influence to be spread more widely throughout the community.

“With spring boating season fast approaching, it is time to jump-start an official boat inspection sticker program, which will help prevent repeated boat stoppages on the Hudson River, which are as annoying as they are inefficient,” Schumer said in a statement. ”I am urging the Coast Guard to take the lead on this important initiative by coordinating a meeting with state and local authorities, as well as boater trade and advocacy groups, so that this coordinated inspection program can get off the ground.”

Rather than screen one boat six times, we need to develop a program to screen six boats once, he added.

Schumer is urging the Coast Guard to meet with stakeholders this month.

Last summer, he sent a letter to Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Robert Papp after a series of media reports documented concerns about a lack of coordination among federal agencies that resulted in recreational boaters being stopped multiple times by different agencies on the same day.

Our view from the helm: To be blunt the placement of an inspection sticker on a vessel should not take the place of law enforcement. To us this would be no different than putting a Police Benevolant Association sticker on your car bumper and expect that it will give you immunity from being pulled over by the police. Part of living in a free society is that we have rules and regulations and in a post 9/11 world this is just something that we’ll have to put up with.

   Instead of a sticker system it would seem to us that communication among the different law enforcement agencies patrolling the waterways would be a more logical place to start. If a vessel is pulled over and inspected a description of the vessel including the registration numbers could be broadcast to all patrolling agencies and barring that vessel or the people on it doing something hazardous, it could then be left alone.

Panel votes to make boat hit-and-run a felony

The Perfect Destination
If I’m not going somewhere on my boat, the odds are I’m planning my next adventure. I’ve come to realize that thinking about and planning a trip to a tropical paradise can be almost as rewarding as the actual trip itself — and honestly sometimes better. In my mind the weather is always perfect, my boat never breaks down and the seas are always calm. Therefore I find myself spending the winter months either planning my summer trips or daydreaming about warmer days and tropical destinations.

Your first stop in planning a cruise is often the internet, but the information you’re hunting for is often hidden and difficult to find. That’s why I created Florida By Water — to save you the endless hours I spent searching for new destinations to explore by boat. The site is broken down by city and then into categories like campgrounds, marinas, daytrips, restaurants, boat ramps and hotels. Often you’ll find reviews from other boaters that can help you make your decision. Every location on the site is accessible by water. Florida By Water does not charge for listings, therefore we list anywhere and everywhere you can get to on your boat.

My recommendation: look for areas you’ve never visited before. Last summer we discovered Carrabelle, Florida. It’s one of those small but great boating and fishing destinations that tend to be overlooked by the majority of boaters. Carabelle’s a quaint town with great water access and the charm that only a small fishing village can bring. Here’s another example a Florida By Water member sent me a few weeks ago:

“We are still cruising. We are at Whiddens Marina on Gasparilla Island, a charming, hospitable, old Florida marina that has been in the same family since the twenties. Another one of those hard to find spots only locals know about. This place has character. A highlight of our journey! When I asked the lady how much to stay the night she said she gets $40. When we said we would anchor in the harbor for the night she said to just stay on the dock for free as there is no one else here staying. I believe she lives in the upstairs of this old building. There is an old (everything here is old) museum attached and an outhouse with shower. It’s wild. Like we have gone back in time. While it may not appeal to all, we feel privileged to find and be able to experience the rustic nature of this place. We will be back home on Tuesday.”

Once I’ve chosen my destination, I spend the next few weeks charting my waypoints. Personally I use Garmin Homeport for my charting software, however many companies make the same type of software. I can easily add all of the GPS coordinates from the comfort of my home, create routes and upload them to the chart plotter. Then I’ll save these and revisit them many times before heading to my new location. Another great information source — a quick call to a local sea tow or marina can provide valuable tips about the area. Just make sure that when you’re boating in unfamiliar waters you always use your charts, as well as local information.

Events
Another winter option is to attend some of the many boat shows that are held after the first of the year. More than half of the NMMA boats shows are held during the month of January. Here in the Jacksonville area, the Jacksonville Marine Association Boat Show is at the Prime Osborne Convention Center from January 27-29, and the Southeastern Boat Show’s at Metropolitan Park April 20-22. If you’re up for a road trip, one of the best boat shows in the nation is in Miami on February 16-20. You can find a complete list of boating events at http://www.floridabywater.com/events

Whatever you decide to do, you’ll find you don’t have to completely break from boating just because the weather is a little less than desirable.

Rusty Gardner is the owner and President of floridabywater.com & Boatflorida.com

(but it’s typed out on four and a half toilet rolls!)

By Jill Reilly

Some people will go to any lengths to win a bet – including one man who spent hours typing out an 822 page novel onto a set of toilet rolls.

But even more puzzling is now that he has finished copying across the classic novel Moby Dick, he is trying to sell the four and a half rolls on eBay for £640.

The American was challenged by a friend to write a book on a loo roll after joking that toilet tissue should come with instructions.

Weird wager: The American was challenged by a friend to write a book on a loo roll after joking that toilet tissue should come with instructions

Roll for your money: The four and a half ‘clean’ toilet rolls are advertised on eBay with a starting price of $999.95 (£640) but is yet to receive a single bid with the auction ending in the early hours of Thursday morning

Labour of love: He typed out the 822-page Herman Melville novel – which tells the story a sailor hunting a giant sperm whale – on four-and-a-half ‘clean’ toilet rolls

He went through with the weird wager and is now selling the work of art on eBay for a staggering £640.

The man, who is from Florida and goes by the name ‘The-Heppcat’.

He is selling the toilet roll ‘to prove the doubters I actually did it’.

He typed out the Herman Melville novel – which tells the story a sailor hunting a giant sperm whale – on four-and-a-half ‘clean’ toilet rolls.

The-Heppcat said: ‘My friend and I once joked that toilet paper should have instructions printed on them for certain people.

‘One day, the conversation grew from there and turned into a wager that i couldn’t (or wouldn’t) be able to type out a novel on toilet paper.

‘Yes, we did have some time on our hands but, as you can see from the photos, I won the bet.’

It is advertised on eBay with a starting price of $999.95 (£640).

The auction ends in the early hours of Thursday morning, but is yet to receive a single bid.

There are a couple of rips on the rolls, which the seller describes as being in ‘excellent condition’.

Our view from the helm: For a novel that is known for its metaphors and symbolism we’re not sure what it being typed out on toilet paper means but in the end if it gets people reading then it can’t be a bad thing, right?

January 23, 2012

NOAA’s polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are part of the international Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System, called COSPAS-SARSAT. This system uses a network of satellites to quickly detect and locate distress signals from emergency beacons onboard aircraft and boats, and from smaller, handheld personal locator beacons called PLBs.

Of the 207 saves last year, 122 people were rescued from the water, 14 from aviation incidents, and 71 in land situations where they used their PLBs. Other rescue highlights from the year include:

• Alaska had the most people rescued on land last year with 39, followed by Florida with 11, and California with 8.
• NOAA SARSAT played a critical role in the rescue of a group of student hikers from a grizzly bear attack in Alaska by directing first responders to the scene.
• In the pitch of night, two people were rescued from a life raft after their boat sank 140 miles off the coast of Marco Island, Fla.
• An elderly hiker was rescued 74 miles south of Colorado Springs, Colo., during a heavy snowstorm.

“With each rescue, this system performs the way it was intended — as a real, life-saving network,” said Chris O’Connors, program manager for NOAA SARSAT.

When a NOAA satellite finds the location of a distress signal, the information is relayed to the SARSAT Mission Control Center based at NOAA’s Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md. From there, the information is quickly sent to a Rescue Coordination Center, operated by either the U.S. Air Force for land rescues or the U.S. Coast Guard for water rescues.

Since 1982, COSPAS-SARSAT has been credited with supporting more than 30,000 rescues worldwide, including more than 6,700 in the United States and its surrounding waters.

By law, owners of emergency beacons are required to register them with NOAA at:  http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov. That registration information often helps provide better and faster assistance to people in distress. It may also provide information about the location of the emergency, how many people need assistance, what type of help may be needed and other ways to contact the owner. At the end of 2011 NOAA’s registration database contained over 329,000 registrations.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.

Our view from the helm: Have the advances in technology made boating safer or have we become too reliant on technology and thus we are more willing to take chances because we know that no matter how bad we screw up all we have to do is flip a switch and we’ll be rescued?