Category: Featured Post

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Is Bigger Really Better?

   I've read over the past couple of days about an ongoing boat test by a boating magazine. I am not going to name the magazine or the boat brand and model that they are currently testing even though what I am writing about really doesn't cast a bad light on either one of them but just to be on the safe side……here we go.

   The boat is being marketed as “The World's Largest _________” but when I looked at the pictures some questions came to mind that sort of tie in with another post I wrote. How big is too big? Can you have too much boat? and more importantly should a boat manufacturer be able to tout that their boat is the “largest”, “biggest”, “widest”, “roomiest”, etc. just because they have added on an additional part to increase the length or beam?

   Shouldn't a  more accurate indicator of how ‘big” a boat is by attributed to how much living space it has? Should an extended swim platform or an extra long bow pulpit count? Does it even matter?

   Personally I think it does. I think manufacturers do a disservice not only to their brand but also to their customers by adding on these parts just for marketing purposes. Everyone wants to wear the crown and seems to be willing to do whatever they can to lay claim to a title.

  In this current economic climate aren't we well past the “I've got to have the biggest, newest, shiniest, fastest, most expensive” new gizmo? Haven't most of learned the hard economic reality of either living within or slightly below our means?

   How much boat is too much? How much is just enough? Is bigger really better?

                                                                                                                                                       Capt. Patrick

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The Death Of A Friend

Scott Keatly, known to Scuba Radio and World Of Boating listeners as Single Scott, passed away the past Sunday due to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

   I did not know Scott as well as Greg, Bill, and other members of the radio shows but I did have the pleasure of making his aquaintance several times at the old studio and the last time I saw him he was with Bill and I as we were doing interviews at the DEMA show in Orlando last year. From the stories I heard he had a zest for life whether it was traveling to his next dive destination or scuba diving for treasure in the Keys.

   I know his presence will be missed by all that had the pleasure of being in his company and my heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and those that only knew him as a voice on the radio. He was so much more than that. I only wish I could have had more time to get to know him better.

   “A Joyful Dive”

As you strap on your armor one last time

and descend into the blue

Into a world of silence

color and hue

May you dive forever

and be at rest

As you swim among the creatures

no more a guest

Forever in a peaceful world full of life.

May you rest in peace and may God bless and keep you close.

                                                                                                                          Capt. Patrick

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The End As We Know It

Boating is dead.

   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

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NEWS FLASH: PROPS ARE SHARP!

Comments sought on propeller-strike report

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.

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Double Standards & Double Talk

Following accident, Lake Norman explores boat rental ordinance

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.