Media Tracking
Report
11/15/2007
Article Index
Archive
National Marine Manufacturers Association Coverage
Strong Euro buoys foreign
sales of U.S. yachts
[Miami Herald, 11/12/2007]
By Martha Brannigan
…Much of the U.S. boating industry is in a slump, with the number of boats sold expected to sink about 10 percent this year on top of a 5 percent decline last year, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, a Chicago-based trade group. But as many American boaters retreat to the sidelines to lick their wounds over the housing slump and the subprime mortgage meltdown, well-heeled Europeans, Canadians, Latin Americans and Middle Easterners, whose currencies are stronger and economies often faring better, are taking advantage of attractive U.S. prices. "We're selling a lot more product in Europe, Australia and the Pacific," says Thom Dammrich, president of NMMA. "The export market is what's keeping a lot of manufacturers in good shape."...
This story was
also published in the
High Point (NC) Enterprise (Online) and the
Tampa
Tribune.
Calif. passes emissions-based
registration law
[Soundings (Trade Only) (Online), 11/12/2007]
California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger recently approved a new emissions-based registration law
for recreational boats...“The NMMA worked closely with the
Southern California Marine Association to lobby for passage of this new
law,” said Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine
Manufacturers Association, in a statement. “This demonstrates a
commitment by businesses and boaters to promote clean emission
technology that will offer substantial air quality benefits to boaters
and the public at large.”...“The retail seller and/or purchaser will be
required to submit the engine emission hang tag with the application,”
said John McKnight, NMMA’s director of safety and environmental
compliance, in a statement. “These hang tags are required by California
law to be on new engines at the time of sale.”...
NMMA Certifies 17 Boat
builders
[Boats.com, 11/09/2007]
Seventeen additional boat manufacturers recently became certified under the National Marine Manufacturers Association's (NMMA) Boat/Yacht Certification program…Certification is an NMMA membership requirement beginning with all products manufactured for model year 2007. To date, 270 NMMA member manufacturers have become NMMA Certified. An additional 80 manufacturer members are currently undergoing the Certification process. "Our manufacturer members are truly committed to this program," says Robert Newsome, NMMA director, Engineering Standards. "They understand the value to both the industry and consumers, and they've fully embraced the Certification concept. We applaud our members for showing such dedication to building quality products and making a commitment to do so in the foreseeable future."…
This story was also covered by
Fly Fishing in Saltwaters (Online),
Marlin (Online), and
Sport Fishing
(Online).
The Cold Tack Masters
[Hartford Courant, 11/11/2007]
By Steve Grant
…Some classes, like the Lasers, are
sailed by a single person. Others, like the Etchells, usually have a
crew of three. Each class has its fervent devotees, many thousands of
them nationwide. There are a surprising number of smaller sailboats on
the nation's waters; about 10,000 sailboats 19-feet in length or less
were sold in 2006, according to the National Marine Manufacturers
Association…
U.S.A. Pavilion sold
out
[Soundings (Trade Only) (Online),
11/07/2007]
The U.S.A. Pavilion at the Marine Equipment Trade Show, to be held Nov. 13 to 15 at the Amsterdam RAI in the Netherlands, is sold out. The pavilion, organized by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, will feature 84 companies and will be located in Hall 7 of the show…
This story was also covered by
The Triton – Megayacht News (Online).
NMMA concerned about
proposal to restrict the trade of wood
[Soundings (Trade Only) (Online),
11/02/2007]
The National Marine Manufacturers Association is calling upon its members who use imported timber to voice concerns to their legislators about a proposal to restrict the trade of wood. The bill, the Combat Illegal Logging Act, is aimed at stopping illegal timber harvesting. It is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Similar legislation in the House, H.R. 1497, is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Earl Blemenauer (D-Ore.). The NMMA says the bills "leave considerable uncertainty in terms of enforcement, documentation requirements and international trade in wood products." Through these proposed amendments to the Lacey Act, "a law originally designed for illegal hunting and fishing," recreational marine manufacturers could have timber products seized and forfeited, according to the NMMA...The NMMA says changes to the Lacey Act should integrate an "innocent owner" provision to protect companies and individuals that unknowingly obtained illegally harvested wood products and similar provisions should also be made for documentation requirements.
This story was also covered by
The Log (CA) (Online).
NMMA gets involved in tax
reform efforts
[Soundings (Trade Only) (Online),
10/31/2007]
The National Marine Manufacturers
Association is forming a Tax Policy Reform Working Group to address
any potential changes that may come from federal tax reform efforts.
U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) last week introduced a $1.3 trillion
tax reform bill that, if enacted, will have widespread implications for
the recreational boating industry, according to the NMMA. Rangel
is chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee. H.R. 3970, the Tax
Reform and Reduction Act of 2007, is referred to as "the mother of all
tax bills," given its cost and the scope of its changes to the tax code.
The NMMA believes this will be the first of many competing tax
reform proposals put forward by Congress this year and during the next
two years…
Discover Boating Coverage
GBTV
episodes ready to air
[Soundings (Trade Only) (Online),
11/06/2007]
The Grow Boating Initiative will
introduce one of its most creative and informative tools engineered to
date, says the National Marine Manufacturers Association. Grow
Boating Television (GBTV) is a new series of brief video news clips that
will be sent directly to industry stakeholders via regular e-mails,
providing them with timely updates on the Discover Boating
integrated marketing campaign, dealership and product certification and
water access efforts. Designed like typical television news segments,
GBTV episodes will be included as a link in the NMMA
e-newsletter, Currents, as well as posted and archived on
GrowBoating.org, NMMA.org and several other industry Web sites…
There Must Be
Something In The Water: Research Shows Boaters Make Better Lovers
[Saturday Banner (FL), 10/13/2007]
… But, a recent survey found that if
you're looking for love, the best preparation might be revving up the
engine and heading out on your boat. According to a survey conducted by
Discover Boating and Russell Research, boaters expressed greater
level of satisfaction with their love life than non-boaters. While
making waves in the bedroom may be reason enough for many to chart their
course, the survey found boaters enjoy plenty of other lifestyle
benefits over their land-based counterparts…
Discover Boating
Campaign Is Working
[Marine Business Journal, 10/01/2007]
A recent survey conducted by Russell
Research Inc. of New York indicates that the Discover Boating
campaign is achieving its goals, having increased awareness of the
campaign among non-boaters by 36 percent since its launch in April 2006.
The results from a survey of 4,300 non- boaters showed a high score of
79 percent likability for the TV commercial entitled "Dogs" (a score
above 60 percent indicates a likelihood that commercial will influence
consumer perception and behavior) and indicated that one third of
non-boat owners who viewed the commercials stated the ads would have a
positive effect on their likelihood of going boating in the future.
Other indicators that the campaign is attracting new boaters are that
orders for the "Get Started in Boating" DVD have topped 50,000 and
potential buyers requesting direct contact from manufacturers and
dealers is nearly 20,000 for 2007, already an increase of 7,000 from
2006. For more information, visit discoverboating.com.
Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoors Show Coverage
'Bling' for boaters
[Northwest Herald, 10/17/2007]
By Liz Wolgemuth
Bill Kosick's phones
rarely stop ringing, but the business owner has no desire to slow down.
His company, Bottoms Up Boat Repair, was chosen by the National
Marine Manufacturers Association to outfit a boat with plenty of "bling"
in time for the Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoors Show in January at
McCormick Place…Last year, new powerboats cost more and were bought
less. The number of new powerboats sold dropped almost 5 percent between
2005 and 2006, while revenues in creased 2 percent to $9.6 billion,
according to a 2006 report from the NMMA. The trend last year was
toward larger, better-equipped boats, the NMMA said.
Boat Show Coverage
Save the Date: 36th Annual Minneapolis Boat
Show
[PRWeb, 11/05/2007]