JOANN W. GODDARD: A REMEMBRANCE p. 14
®
INSIDE: With the U.S.
economy struggling,
American boatbuilders
increasingly are finding
a sales outlet in the
European marketplace.
p. 41
THE BOATING BUSINESS NEWSPAPER VOL. XLV, NO. 12 JUNE 2008
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Dealers cope with brand losses
Four saltwater models dropped by Brunswick were secondary lines for many
By Beth Rosenberg / Staff Writer
b.rosenberg@tradeonlytoday.com
Dealers of the four boat brands being
discontinued by Brunswick Corp. had
mixed reactions to the news — in part
because the brands were secondary
lines for many of them.
Brunswick in mid-May said it was
ceasing production of its Bluewater Marine brands — Sea Pro, Sea Boss, Palmetto and Laguna — and closing its
Newberry, S.C., plant. The decision is
effective with the start of the 2009
model year July 1.
While some dealers reacted with surprise, other were not taken aback by
the latest Brunswick response to the
suffering economy. The impact of the
decision will depend on how much of a
dealer’s inventory consists of the four
saltwater lines.
Robert McCurdy, sales manager at
O’Neill’s Marina in Largo, Fla., said he
was not surprised to hear about the Palmetto line, but was “absolutely
shocked” that Sea Pro was being dis-
“It’s really not that big of
a concern of mine. It’s a
bummer, but as far as
being detrimental to my
dealership, not at all.”
— Darren Largent,
Auburn, Wash., dealer
release was sent to the media.
Though Sea Pro is one of his major
lines, he isn’t too worried about the
overall impact of the announcement.
“It’s really not that big of a concern
of mine. It’s a bummer, but as far as
being detrimental to my dealership,
not at all,” said Largent, who also sells
Smoker Craft and Sunchaser boats,
among others.
“None of this surprises me; that’s a
very crowded market,” said Phil Keeter,
president of the Marine Retailers Association of America. Ten years ago, there
were three to five lines in the saltwater
fishing market, and now there are 15-20
lines, he said.
Also, he noted, saltwater boats can
only be sold in certain parts of the
country, which limits their reach.
Keeter said there probably aren’t
many dealers who sold any of the discontinued brands exclusively, so the
impact depends on how much of their
inventory was one of these four lines.
continued on page 32
n The American Boating
Congress, the industry’s annual
legislative and lobbying sojourn
to Washington, D.C., was held
April 27-29 and attracted an elec-tion-year turnout of more than
275 people. p. 60
n Lobbying on the top-priority item
— exemption of recreational boats
from a national permit requirement
— earned legislative support for the
industry position. p. 38
continued. He sells Sea Pro, Palmetto
and Monterey boats.
Sea Pro sales are not where they were
two years ago, “but with our economic
times, Sea Pro, I thought, was still a viable name and product,” he said.
Darren Largent, sales manager at Sea
Pro dealer Auburn Sports & Marine in
Washington, said he still had not officially been contacted by the company
about the news nearly 24 hours after a
n Progress was reported on a bill to
exempt marinas from costly longshore workers’ compensation insurance. It has passed the House and is
now before the Senate. p. 39
n The industry will be closely
watching tax reform legislation in
the next Congress. p. 31
Flood waters left behind crumbled pavement in Fort Gibson, Okla.
Spring rains curtail boating
in hard-hit Mid-South states
Lake levels high, access points flooded
By Reagan Haynes As if that wasn’t enough, the weekend of May 10-11 brought a new round
of storms, killing more than 20 in Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia. In Missouri, a tornado hit a rural area about
eight miles north of Seneca and continued east.
Tornadoes killed 13 people in
continued on page 33
Seemingly endless spring rains
drenched a swath of the mid-South —
Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri — raising lake levels, flooding
some areas and creating potentially
dangerous and sometimes impossible
boating situations.
Earning a patent
Slide Anchor of Arizona patent-
ed this collapsible anchor box.
Here are
some tips
on how to
protect your
innovations.
p. 16
Surviving
an EPA visit
Some hints for
marina operators
on how to survive
an inspection by
environmental
regulators. p. 24
