Recent Headlines
BoatUS Needs Lifejacket Cash — 04.01.08
The good news is that there is increased demand for BoatUS’s Lifejacket Loaner Program, which loans lifejackets to children for the day or over a weekend...
Yacht Show Planned for D.C. — 04.01.08
Featuring “only discriminating yachts of imposing size,” a new boat show will be held in Washington, D.C. in June...
Boating Booming in Asia — 03.24.08
Boating might be going through a rough patch here in the USA, but it seems to be booming in Asia...
PDQ Cat Gets New Life — 03.14.08
When Canadian company PDQ closed its doors for the last time, it seemed that one of North America’s few builders of big cruising cats was gone forever...
Oyster Marine Sold — 03.14.08
One of the world’s most prestigious boat brands has changed hands. Oyster Marine, founded by Richard Matthews 35 years ago, has been bought by private equity firm Balmoral Capital...
Sailboat Sales Down, Not Out — 03.14.08
Although 2007 was a tough year for both powerboat and sailboat builders, sailboats are weathering the tough times better than powerboats...
Europeans Take the Lead — 02.12.08
For the first time, the European boating market has exceeded North America’s in terms of dollar value. According to a just-released global recreational boating industry analysis by Lucintel...
Boat Registrations Down — 02.12.08
According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), boat registrations were down by 1.5 percent in 2006, the most recent year for which numbers are available...
Moves For J Boat — 02.07.08
US Watercraft of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is to become the U.S. builder of the popular J/105...
New Owner For Tartan, C&C — 01.28.08
Novis Marine, owner of the Tartan and C&C brands, is selling up. New owners of the famous brands will be Grand River Investments, a Cleveland, Ohio-based private equity group...
Dehler Buys ETAP — 01.28.08
Germany’s Dehler Yachts has acquired Belgian boatbuilder ETAP Yachting. It seems an unlikely marriage, with Dehler building lightweight...
Goodbye Vanguard, Hello LaserPerformance — 01.17.08
Vanguard Sailboats, the Portsmouth, R.I.-based builders of the Laser, 420, Optimist and a other small fun boats, is no more...
Goggins Elected Sail America President — 01.15.08
Bill Goggins, commercial manager at Harken Yacht Equipment, has been elected Sail America’s new president...
Hall Buys Matrix Masts — 01.02.07
Rhode Island-based spar maker Hall Spars & Rigging has acquired the New Zealand firm Matrix Masts...
Fawcetts in Hot Water — 12.20.07
Fawcett Boat Supply, the venerable Annapolis, Maryland chandler, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection...
West Marine CEO Resigns — 12.12.07
Peter Harris, president and CEO of West Marine for the last three years, resigned this month...
Goodbye to PDQ — 12.11.07
It’s always painful to see a sailboat brand bite the dust, especially so when it’s one of a small handful of North American catamaran builders...
Tails Up at Paris — 12.11.07
During the last couple of years, one of the few constants in the boating industry has been the vibrancy of the European marketplace. The Paris boat show, which ended this week, showed that while the good times are still rolling in Europe, industry leaders are cautious about the future...
Inspecting the Inspectors — 11.13.07
Look on most modern boats and somewhere you might well find a plaque with the legend "NMMA certified." I am the first to admit that I have seen these stickers often and have never really given them a second thought, but I've recently found out a little more about NMMA certification...
Leonard Joins North — 10.30.07
Larry Leonard, founder of Quantum sails, has joined former arch-rival North Sails...
West Marine Sales Down, Income Up — 11.13.07
West Marine’s sales declined by 4.1 percent to $187.5 million for the third quarter compared to 2006...
Boatbuilding to Contract, Industry Leaders Say — 11.13.07
Speaking at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show last month, three leading boat manufacturers said they expect the boatbuilding industry to shrink here and in Europe over the next 12 months...
Award for Boucher — 11.13.07
Stephen Boucher, chairman and CEO of New Hampshire–based marine transducer and sensor maker Airmar Technology Corp, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award...
Pacific Seacraft Lives On — 10.26.07
It’s always sad to see a boatbuilder bite the dust, and even sadder when a respected brand name is lost. When Fullerton, California-based Pacific Seacraft...
Doyle Goes To China — 10.24.07
Doyle Sailmakers has opened a 24,000 square foot loft in Qingdao, China...
Performance Cruising Hull #1000 — 10.22.07
Annapolis-based multihull builders Performance Cruising celebrated a special occasion last month—they launched hull number 1,000...
Hunter's Peterson Wins SAIL Award — 10.17.07
Hunter Marine sales and marketing director John Peterson has been presented with the SAIL Magazine Industry Award for Leadership...
Hanse Explores U.S. Plant — 10.17.07
European boatbuilders who export to the U.S. have certainly found the going tough, with the dollar’s poor showing against the Euro making it difficult...
Beneteau Goes Fractional — 10.17.07
Beneteau has started its own fractional sailing scheme, aimed at attracting newcomers into boat ownership...
Lewmar Becomes...Lewmar — 10.17.07
Lewmar Marine’s parent company, Clyde Marine, has changed its name—to Lewmar Marine...
Judges Named for 2007 IBEX Awards — 09.19.07
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Boating Writers International (BWI) have announced judges for the 2007...
Morris 35th — 09.15.07
Boatbuilding can be a volatile business, so we were delighted to see one of the country’s premier builders of luxury yachts...
Bavaria Changes Hands — 09.15.07
Germany’s Bavaria Yachts, one of the world’s largest boatbuilders, has been bought by private equity company Bain Capital...
