liest and costliest to the U.S. Ike barreled through Galveston Bay, Texas, in
mid-September, leaving in its wake
nearly 15,000 damaged or destroyed
boats. It caused $200 million in damage
to boats — $175 million of that in
Texas alone.
There were 16 named storms in the
hurricane season that ended Nov. 30,
including five major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
Spring rains curtailed boating in the
Mid-South states of Arkansas, Kansas,
Oklahoma and Missouri. Rising lake levels and flooding created potentially
dangerous boating situations.
In June, Wisconsin’s Lake Delton
completely disappeared when the isthmus that separated the lake from the
Wisconsin River washed away. The dirt
and sand were so saturated they simply
couldn’t hold. It only took a few hours
for the lake’s estimated 75 million gallons of water to escape.
Many Iowa boat dealers also reported business was off as a result of
flooding that made boating impossible. The Cedar Rapids area was especially hard hit.
One bright spot was the rise in water
levels at Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border. Levels on the country’s
second largest man-made lake rose
enough that a well-known shortcut —
Castle Rock Cut — was open to boaters
for the first time since 2003. All this
was a result of the heaviest snowpack
in eight years.
and many owners have discovered
green initiatives can be a draw for
boaters in a market with several locations to choose from. Accessories
makers, too, are increasingly developing and marketing environmentally friendly products.
Alternative fuels also are being
looked at in the boating industry.
Biodiesel, made from vegetable oil or
animal fats, is non-toxic and emits less
smoke and odor, and is a renewable
source of energy.
Even boat shows and other industry
events went green in 2008, with many
shows offering “green” areas to feature
products or conference organizers touting the use of recyclable materials at
their event.
10. ment 6 — The Florida
boating community
Florida passes Amend-
worked hard to pass Amendment 6,
which requires county assessors to set
the value of working waterfront for
tax purposes at its current use, instead of at its highest and best use. It
passed with the support of more than
70 percent of Florida voters.
In a state where boating is a way of
life, advocates of the amendment ar-
gued that marine business owners are
under pressure to convert their marinas, boatyards, drystacks, commercial
fishing and other marine-related facilities to other more profitable uses, in
part because of high waterfront taxes,
which reflect the value of condominiums and other high-end properties in
the neighborhood.
“We’re thankful for the public of
Florida — that they came through,”
says John Sprague, government affairs
chairman of the Marine Industries Association of Florida. Sprague worked for
three years to get the amendment on
the ballot. n
“MURPHY’S HELMVIEW 1000i DISPLAY
GAVE US A HIGH-DEFINITION DASH.”
9.and engine manufacturers, accessories makers and marina
Going “green” — Many boat
owners were “going green” in 2008.
Boatbuilders are looking at solar,
wind, wave, battery power and
other “clean” alternatives for boats,
while new hybrid systems and other
green methods are reaching the marketplace. Clean Marina programs are
growing throughout the country,
Hurrrriicane IIke barrrrelled
tthrrough Gallvesstton Bay,,
Texas,, iin miid--Septtemberr,,
damagiing or desttroyiing nearlly
15,,000 boats to the ttune off
$200 miilllliion iin damages..
“
Conventional dials require a great deal of dedicated dash space. We wanted a product that would
simplify the dash. We also needed to integrate user-friendly features like speed control and
the stereo system. Plus, we had to customize it to our exact needs.
FW Murphy went above and beyond with technical, engineering and sales support on location
at our office. We maintained our release schedule by working closely with Murphy’s engineering
and design team.
Murphy's HelmView1000i display simplified our interface by integrating seven mechanical gauges.
This new high-definition dash reduced our mechanical dash components by 78 percent.
Thanks to Murphy, our Nautique boats will be the first in the watersports market with an
integrated platform that supports engine information as well as speed control, GPS mapping,
video playback and stereo controls.
Greg Meloon
Vice President of Product Development, Correct Craft
”
BEEN THERE.
SOLVED THAT.TM
0810323
www.fwmurphy.com
FW Murphy
phone
+1 918.317.4100
e-mail
sales@fwmurphy.com
