OFFBEAT MARKETING FOR DEALERS P. 44

®

INSIDE: Denial of a big marina project in Fort Laud-
erdale has the city and developers going to court. p. 10

THE BOATING BUSINESS NEWSPAPER VOL. XLV, NO. ³ SEPTEMBER 2007

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boats built with the 953 Series gelcoat between 1998 and 2002. In 2004 Viking also began to notice massive cracking in ³² ^boats ^built ^from ¹⁹⁹⁷ ^to ^2002.These occurred most often in boats Finance & Insurance stored or used in cold climates. Failures consisted of extensive cracking of the A Trade Only special report gelcoat skin. Post Marine stopped using CCP gelcoat in 2002, and Viking stopped using the product in 2004.

The boatbuilders are claiming damages for “repairing the gelcoat failures on various yachts and also … future damages from the continued failure of the gelcoat product on other yachts

continued on Page 13

Mixed rulings in gelcoat dispute

Viking and CCP wage a court battle over allegations of product flaws

By Melanie Winters / Associate Editor

m.winters@tradeonlytoday.com

A federal court judge issued summary judgments in a case that pits New Jersey boatbuilders Viking Yachts and Post Marine against gelcoat manufacturer Cook Composites and Polymers of Kansas City, Mo.

Some of the judgments work in the boatbuilders’ favor, but most benefit CCP. Summary judgments are judgments without a full trial. Such judgments may be issued as to the merits of an entire case, or of specific issues in that case.

Both sides have since filed motions to have the judge reconsider his opinion.

Viking and Post Marine are suing CCP over allegedly defective gelcoat material. The New Jersey boatbuilders originally filed suit Nov. 4, 2004 in Superior Court of New Jersey. The case was refiled Jan. 26, 2005 in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Composites One, which acted as the distributor for CCP, was also named in the suit. However, those claims were dismissed this past February.

The case revolves around CCP’s 953 Series gelcoat, which the boatbuilders began using in 1997, according to court documents. Post Marine said it began seeing massive cracking in 2002 in 32

n How are marine lenders weathering the downturn? A Q & A with Jim Coburn. p. ³⁶

n F&I can pick up the slack in a market in which dealer margins are low. p. ⁴⁰

Floor was slow, meetings productive at MAATS

The aftermarket show satisfied most participants, producing good leads for exhibitors

Attendees and exhibitors alike said good contacts were made at the July 18-20 MAATS at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Raising the bar

Boatbuilders are looking at MBAs
— an emerging trend — to help
them remain competitive and stay
ahead of
the curve
in prod-
uct devel-
opment.
p. 28

By JoAnn W. Goddard / Associate Editor j.goddard@tradeonlytoday.com

After more than four decades catering to the OEM market, GEM recently expanded into the aftermarket to offer more direct access to customers. The company, which makes stainless steel products for the marine industry, made its debut at the Marine Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show in Las Vegas.