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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here bringing you Bayliner Boats and news and views from the boating industry. If it wasn’t always Serge Trottier’s favourite place to stop for a coffee before, the Tim Horton’s on Laurier Street is now.His last visit there won him a brand-new boat.

The Rockland man is one of the first local big prize winners in the annual Rrroll Up the Rim to Win contest at Tim Horton’s.

The Canadian international restaurant chain features 100 Bayliner Bowrider boats as part of the grand prize collection in this year’s contest and Trottier is now the proud owner of one of those boats.

Yves and Nathalie Paris, Rockland franchise owners, stated in a press release that having a local grand prize winner “creates a lot of excitement” at the Laurier Street operation.

“People are happy when they win a donut or a coffee, so you can imagine how thrilling it is when a customer becomes the proud owner of a boat or other grand prize.”

The annual Rrroll Up the Rim to Win contest continues until all of the special contest cups are gone at all the franchise outlets or until the May 25 deadline for claiming all prizes. Thanks to visionrockland.ca for this.

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 Hi gang, Rick Ostler here from Used Pontoon Boats with an interesting article from Thunder Bay, Ontario. I encourage you to take a quick trip down to your favourite marine store to see just what they have to offer these days. It’s mind-boggling to say the least.There are makes and models to suit anyone or any situation, from small kayaks and canoes to huge cabin cruisers. Aluminum, wood, fibreglass, Kevlar, steel, and even fabric – you name it, they make it. Two-strokes, four-strokes, Optimax’s, E-Tecs, stainless props, aluminum props, speed props, fuel-injected, carburated, jet powered and electric cover the motor department.

So what’s the best answer when it comes time to buy a boat? Sometimes it’s not what we want, but rather what’s the most practical and sensible for our budget. Money is one of the main factors when deciding what kind of boat to buy. Let’s face it, they range from less than $1,000 and can reach as high as the mortgage on an average house – or more – so your ability to pay factors heavily into the equation.

Over the years, the Bohonis family has had many boats and motors, dating back to the time when my grandparents owned and operated Royal Windsor Lodge on Lake Nipigon.

At the time they had several 35- and 40-foot cabin cruisers to ferry their clients for a week at a time about the big lake, and although this is not the norm today, it was a thriving business back then. These large vessels fared well on a large, rough lake. My grandparents towed smaller aluminum boats behind them, sought out sheltered bays and used them to fish from.

Many of the family boats were used solely for fishing rather than pleasure riding or towing a water skier, and therefore were geared and designed for that purpose. We’ve had the usual 14-foot aluminums, closed bows, open bows with walk-throughs, side consoles, tillers and they all met our needs at the time.

Today we have a very simple outfit consisting of a Princecraft (Yukon model) 15-foot regular aluminum boat with a 25-horsepower Mercury two-stroke motor, swivel leather seats, a Hummingbird fish/depth finder and a custom-made travel cover that sits on a Shorlander galvanized trailer.

The boat is very light, at 220 pounds and with this motor I can scoot along at 54 kilometres an hour with two people and gear.

I chose this set up simply because it’s easy to tow and allows me to launch in places where I could not launch a bigger, heavier model. I often frequent places where the landing is non-existent and the roads are trails, but the fishing is awesome. At times I have lifted the boat off the trailer and carried it to the water’s edge to get into some of the spots I like. However there are downfalls to this smaller lighter setup, like space limitations. There’s also the danger of bigger, rougher water, but I weighed all the options to determine what would suit me and my lifestyle best.

If I had a camp on one of the bigger lakes, and didn’t venture out on other bodies of water to fish, it might make a lot of sense to have a bigger, heavier more luxurious and spacious boat sitting at my dock for the summer.

There is no perfect setup that will allow you to do everything, but boat manufacturers are pretty diverse in what they put on the market, as they know the consumer has different wants and needs.

Some people are content to go slow and enjoy the room of a big platform on a pontoon boat, which is becoming more and more popular with cottagers. I have seen more of these units on the lakes than ever before, and according to the marine dealers, they are selling more of these units every year.

Then you get anglers who are very serious about their passion and want a custom rig. They want it fast and decked out with all the goodies like live wells, bait wells, rod storage, trolling motors, fish finders, casting decks, moveable pedestal seats, the works. If that’s what you want, there’s nothing stopping you from fishing in luxury. Except money, of course. Once again these types of fishing rigs come in all sizes, makes and models.

Motors have changed a lot in the last 10 years and now with gasoline at ridiculously outrageous prices, we all have to think about motor choices.

Two-stroke outboard motors have been around what seems like forever and still are today, however, there has been a huge influx of four-stroke motors and although they are much more costly to buy, they are that much more fuel efficient and their emissions are half of what a two stroke produces. Four-stroke motors are not as fast as two stroke motors and are a lot heavier, but what they lack in those two factors they make up for in mileage and pollution control. A four stroke mid-size motor will go twice as far on a tank of gas as a two-stroke will. I’ve done the comparisons and in most cases have found this to be true.

A brand new 50-horsepower, two-stroke motor will cost you between $1,500 and $1,800 less than the same type of four-stroke motor, but depending on how much you use the boat, it won’t take long to recover the difference in fuel consumption given today’s ridiculously high prices.

With the opening of walleye season just a mere month away, there’s no doubt the marine dealers are starting to get busy selling and servicing for another great summer on the water. If you want to learn more about what’s out there in the way of boats and motors, take the time to go to our marine dealers here in Thunder Bay and talk to a professional. Let him or her show you first hand what today’s technology has to offer.

Don’t forget, you can also get a lot of information online and in most cases all the manufacturers offer technical support right from the comfort of your own computer.

Remember, when thinking about buying a boat and motor, think long and hard about what will be the most practical for you and your family or friends.

Don’t let a salesperson talk you into something that might look good, but does not really serve your purpose. It’s easy to get caught up in all the new technology. Do your research and ensure you buy what meets your needs. See you on the water and be safe. Thanks to Mick Bohonis, tbsource.com/tblife for this. 

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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here from Used Pontoon Boats. An interesting article recently appeared in our local newspaper. I hope you enjoy it. A tragedy half a world away hit a little too close to home for Peterborough’s Survivors Abreast.

A Singaporean dragon boat team capsized in November in Cambodia, causing five people to drown. The tragedy happened across an ocean, but the news was chilling for the worldwide tight-knit dragon-boat community.

The news led the Peterborough dragon boat team to heighten safety at its annual festival on Little Lake, said team member and founder Meredith Cosburn.

Plans include buying a pontoon boat for people to climb onto should a boat capsize, she says. The festival plans to pay up to $10,000 for a pontoon, but would also welcome the donation of one, she said. Bell Canada has always provided a pontoon boat to the Peterborough festival, but this year the team wants to have its own and equip it with a grab rail on each side for people to hang on to while waiting to climb aboard, said festival chairman John Gullick.

It’s intended to have a safety cage around the propeller and would have more ladders for people to use, he says.

Also aboard would be standard safety equipment such as first-aid kits, lifejackets, a two-way radio and whistles.

The festival has always been safe, Gullick said, and has ensured all participants wear lifejackets.

But in light of the Singaporean tragedy, the festival has decided to formalize safety procedures such as making it standard practice to call 911 immediately if a boat capsizes.

There are also plans to have a formal buddy system in the boat to ensure everyone is accounted for, he said.

It may not be ready until 2009, but there are also plans to make a video of a boat capsizing to show festival participants exactly what to do, he said.

 Only one boat has ever capsized at the Peterborough festival - it was a few years ago and everyone was fine, Gullick said.

But formalizing safety rules just makes sense, he said.

“Safe boating is enjoyable boating,” Gullick said. This year’s festival takes place June 14.  Thanks to ELIZABETH BOWER, ebower@peterboroughexaminer.com for this.

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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here bringing you Bayliner Boats and boating industry news. More doom and gloom due to the economy slowdown in the United States. MORGAN HILL, Calif. – Marine, RV and outdoor aftermarket parts and accessories supplier Coast Distribution System, Inc. (Amex: CRV) saw its 2007 earnings decline due to economic conditions, it reported in a statement earlier this week.

Coast reported a net loss of $1.5 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, on net sales of $26.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2007. For the same period of 2006, Coast reported a net loss of $1.9 million, or $0.42 per diluted share, on net sales of $26.5 million.

The company reported that the fourth quarter net loss was not unexpected. There is a traditional seasonal slowdown in the fourth quarter every year, as customers typically wait until the first quarter to place orders for the upcoming buying season and it has not been uncommon for Coast to sustain a loss in the fourth quarter in prior years as well, it stated.

“Industry associations for the RV and boating industries reported double-digit declines in industry-wide shipments of recreational vehicles and boats in the 2007 fourth quarter. By contrast, Coast’s sales increased slightly year-over-year during the quarter,” said the company.

For the year ended Dec. 31, Coast reported net earnings of $215,000, or $0.05 per diluted share, on net sales of $164.3 million, compared with net earnings of $3.0 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, on net sales of $179.1 million in 2006.

“Fiscal 2007 was a difficult year due to challenging industry conditions, as higher gasoline prices, a slowing economy and a decline in consumer confidence led consumers to curtail discretionary expenditures and, therefore, to reduce their purchases and usage of RVs and boats, causing a decline in the demand for and in purchases of the products we sell. However, during 2007, we made important investments that we believe will put us in a better position for the future,” said Coast Chairman and CEO Thomas R. McGuire.

“We made investments in leadership with the promotion of Stephan Lussier and the hiring of Bryan Fletcher. We made investments in new facilities and product development, such as our new Elkhart product-testing center. We expect that these investments will help us continue to add new products and improve our margins. We are especially focused on our outdoor power generation and towing product lines and our imported and branded products,” he added.

“Industry analysts are predicting a 4.8 percent decline in recreational vehicle shipments and similar reductions in recreational boat volume in 2008. As a result, we are expecting another difficult year in 2008. Our focus remains on improving margins and increasing our market share primarily through increased sales of foreign sourced and proprietary products,” stated McGuire.
Thanks to Boating Industry U.S. for this.

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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here bringing you Bayliner Boats and boating industry news. WATSONVILLE, Calif. – Boating supplies retailer West Marine, Inc.’s (Nasdaq:WMAR) preliminary results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Dec. 29 are a reflection of market conditions, the company suggested in a statement Wednesday.

Not only were the company’s net losses up dramatically, its revenues declined further than expected. Analysts also noted that the company’s earnings estimates for 2008 were “disappointing.”

Excluding the impact of certain events outlined below, West Marine’s adjusted pre-tax income for the fifty-two weeks ended Dec. 29 was $6.9 million, compared to $3.6 million last year, the company reported in a statement Wednesday.

Net loss for the year was $50.2 million, or $2.31 per share, compared to a restated net loss of $7.7 million, or $0.36 per share, a year ago.

The company suggested the following “significant events” greatly impacted fourth quarter and full year results:

An updated assessment of goodwill in the fourth quarter which resulted in a non-cash impairment charge of $56.9 million pre-tax, or $2.25 per share after-tax. The after-tax, per share equivalent of this impairment charge reflects the non-deductibility for tax purposes of certain goodwill components;

Continued cooperation with the previously-announced SEC investigation resulted in expenditures of $2.7 million pre-tax, or $0.08 per share after-tax;

The departure of our former chief executive officer resulted in related severance costs in the fourth quarter of $1.3 million pre-tax, or $0.04 per share after-tax; and

Management’s ongoing evaluation of individual store performance resulted in a non-cash asset impairment charge of $0.9 million pre-tax, or $0.02 per share after-tax.
An additional factor impacting comparison to prior year was: costs relating to West Marine’s store closure and restructuring in 2006, which affected both years, the company added.

“The previously-reported pre-tax expense impact was $14.5 million in 2006, or $0.46 per share, and there was an additional $0.6 million, or $0.02 per share, in 2007 as we adjusted store closure reserves to reflect revised market information,” the company said.

Net sales for the year were $679.5 million, compared to net sales of $716.6 million in 2006. Comparable store sales decreased 1.9 percent compared to the same period a year ago.

“West Marine’s financial results for 2007 reflected a challenging year in our industry,” said Geoff Eisenberg, West Marine CEO. “Within this climate, we have focused on managing the business to weather this downturn and emerge as an even stronger company. We will continue to pursue initiatives and strategies that we expect to drive growth and profitability in the medium and long term.”

Net loss for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 29 was $65.7 million, or $3.00 per share, including the impact of the significant events. This compares to a net loss of $12.8 million, or $0.60 per share for the fourth quarter last year, which reflected $9.4 million, or $0.30 per share in store closure and other restructuring charges. Comparable store sales decreased 3 percent for the quarter. Net sales were $118.3 million, a decrease of 4.6 percent from net sales of $124.0 million for the same period a year ago. West Marine operated 372 stores during the fourth quarter of 2007, compared to 377 stores during the fourth quarter of 2006.

For fiscal year 2008, West Marine currently estimates earnings ranging from $0.02 to $0.09 per share and a decrease in comparable store sales ranging from (5.0 percent) to (3.5 percent). Net sales are expected to range from $660.0 million to $670.0 million for fiscal year 2008. This earnings estimate does not reflect expense relating to the ongoing SEC investigation, according to the company.

That compares to analysts’ expectations of 24 cents a share, excluding exceptional items, on revenue of $678.9 million, Reuters reported on Wednesday. It noted that shares of the company had lost more than 55 percent of their market value in the last 52 weeks. Since then, the stock has dipped even lower.
Thanks to Boating Industry U.S. for this.

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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here again bringing you Bayliner Boats and news from the boating industry. KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. — Instead of preparing their boats for spring, some owners spent Saturday preparing claims for their insurance companies. Gordon Weathers, a spokesman for Southern Stone County Fire Protection District, said “This is the first lightning to a boat I’ve heard of.”

Shortly before midnight Friday, fire department officials believe, lightning hit the Port of Kimberling Marina, sending an electric surge throughout the dock. That surge shorted out a pontoon in one of the bays, sparking the fire.

Weathers says a big ball of fire was visible from Reeds Spring, 10 miles away. When firefighters arrived at dock 72 the metal structure and nine boats were on fire.

Weathers says their first job is to preserve life and property so, instead of battling flames, firefighters cut the untouched boats free from the dock. Eight boats were saved but nine boats were destroyed. A neighboring dock was also saved from an errant burning boat that broke away from dock 72.

The fire was under control in less than an hour. The dock still afloat on Saturday is ruled a total loss.

The dock owner says the marina will be back up and running, good as new, by Memorial Day. Thanks to Chad Plein, KY3 News for this.

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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here bringing you Bayliner Boats and news from the boating industry. Disturbing news coming out of of Bucyrus, Ohio.

Brunswick Corp., the parent of Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac, said Thursday that it plans to close a Baja boat plant in Bucyrus, Ohio, eliminating 285 jobs, and sell some of the assets of the Baja business.

Brunswick said it signed a letter of intent to sell certain assets relating to the Baja boat business to Fountain Powerboat Industries Inc., of Washington, N.C. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, and completion of the sale is subject to certain conditions.

In preparation for the transition, Brunswick will close the plant by the end of May. Pre-tax costs associated with the plant closure are estimated at $10 million to $15 million.

“This was a strategic decision to further refine our product portfolio and best focus our resources on brands and marine segments that we believe are core to our success going forward,” said Brunswick chairman and CEO Dustan McCoy.

Brunswick said it will work to transfer as many of the affected employees to other Brunswick plants or to Fountain’s facilities. Employees who are not transferred will receive severance pay.

In addition, it was also disclosed this week that Brunswick’s Sea Ray boat subsidiary in Merritt Island, Fla., will lay off 400 employees at its plant, 50 more than previously reported.

In February, the company reported it would lay off 350 employees at the facility because of the sagging economy and slower demand for boats. However, the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation reported Wednesday the company plans to layoff 400 employees between May and July.

The company says in a statement it will be able to move some of those employees to other plants as it relocates the production of some of its boat models. Two of Sea Ray’s other Merritt Island facilities — a product development and engineering facility and a manufacturing plant — will not be affected by the layoffs. In February, the company reported the net job loss would be 80.

Lake Forest, Ill.-based Brunswick (NYSE: BC) is a manufacturer of recreational products, including Mercury and MerCruiser marine engines; Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, and Sea Boss boats; and Brunswick bowling equipment and billiards tables. Its Mercury Marine marine engines business is based in Fond du Lac and its Brunswick billiards business is based in Bristol.

Thanks to The Orlando (Fla.) Business Journal, a sister publication of The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee, contributing to this report.

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Hi gang, Rick Ostler bringing you Bayliner Boats and boating industry news. Since 1973, Hunter Scott had made sailboats, powerboats and custom-made lobster boats.

But he decided to close his Pocasset, Mass. shop in December, lay off half his staff and switch to cabinetry work as orders for the $300,000 vessels all but dried up.

“I had a lot of fun in the marine industry,” he said. “But the economy has taken its toll.”

Across the country, the $40 billion boating industry is struggling to weather a season of gloomy news.

A triple threat of falling consumer confidence, rising gas prices and the nation’s economic downturn has pummeled the industry, changing the boating habits of recreational skippers while forcing layoffs, plant closures and corporate reorganizations the likes of which haven’t been seen in nearly two decades.

“It’s a challenging time,” said Bill McGill, chairman and president of Clearwater, Fla.-based MarineMax Inc. The nation’s largest recreational boat and yacht retailer recently laid off 10 percent of its work force as profit fell nearly 50 percent during the last fiscal year.

Industrywide, sales of new boats have been slipping virtually every month since mid-2004, when the nation’s consumer confidence began to dip. Sales closed out the year down nearly 15 percent compared to last December, according to market research data.

Even more troubling: souring sales, which began with smaller and cheaper boats and progressed to 30-foot mid-sized models, are beginning to infiltrate the yacht market, where yearslong waiting lists for the 50-foot-plus multimillion dollar vessels are evaporating, said Marisa Thompson, an analyst at Morningstar.

That’s a sign that even the wealthy are beginning to watch their pennies.

“A lot of people are holding out hope that things will turn around, that in another six to eight months they’ll get a glimmer of a turnaround,” Thompson said. “But that’s up in the air right now. I don’t see the catalyst on the horizon.”

Since the beginning of 2007, Lake Forest, Ill.-based Brunswick Corp. — which manufactures more than a dozen boat brands including Bayliner, Sea Ray and Hatteras — closed or announced plans to mothball seven factories and laid off more than 1,300 workers as it realigns its business and cuts boat production by more than 10 percent.

The company’s boat segment lost $81.4 million in 2007, weighed down by a hefty one-time charge and anemic sales.

“We’re running our company as if 2008 is going to be down and when we get to midyear, we’ll begin to look at 2009 and we’ll do what we have to do,” said Chief Executive Dustan McCoy.

The industry’s downturn became particularly pronounced more than two years ago as the nation’s housing sector began to falter and grew as each month progressed.

“We thought last fall that what was being experienced by the industry was as bad as it was going to get,” said MarineMax’s McGill. “(It) has actually gotten worse.”

Until consumer confidence returns, industry executives said they’re making an effort to reach out to customers, offering classes and excursions, focusing on overseas sales buoyed by the weak dollar, and developing fancy-featured new models in an effort to win back U.S. shoppers when consumer confidence grows.

“When a recession first hits, the boating industry — like many of the other leisure industries — is the first to get hit and the last to bounce back,” said Scott, 57. “Until that happens, it’s going to be a little slow around the marinas.”

Brian Tinkler, general manager Sunset Marina in West Ocean City, Md., is preparing for a slow summer — especially if the mid-Atlantic’s fishing business is anything less than robust.

Already, Tinkler’s seen customers ration boat trips and share expenses for a single boat, rather than taking trips with several boats at a time.

“If people know the fish are there, they’ll pay the money for the fuel to go catch them. But they aren’t going to pay the money to go on a wild goose chase for fish,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tinkler’s seeing his charter business ebb as fuel prices climb. Three years ago, his marina on Maryland’s Eastern Shore chartered boats for between $800 and $1,500 a day. Now, a daylong rental for the same fleet costs $1,200 to $2,500.

Alex Laidlaw, a corporate vice president of Encino, Calif.-based Westrec Marinas, said he expects to see fewer smaller boats out on the water and fewer medium-sized boats, which can cost between $75,000 to several hundred thousand dollars — departing from his company’s 26 marinas.

“We’re clearly going to see a slower summer,” he said. “They’re going to the boat, but the boat is staying at the dock.”

With twin 75-gallon gas tanks — and a fuel efficiency of just few miles per gallon — Hixson, Tenn. insurance agent Gary Brown has no plans to keep his 32-foot cruiser “Gentle Persuasion” in its slip.

Instead, he’s making plans to economize fuel as gas prices for marine fuel soar above $4 a gallon.

“I’ll throttle back, consume gas a little better, and just take a little longer to get there,” he said.

Al Ehrlich, a 67-year-old boater from Chicago is already scaling back what he spends on movies and other shows so he can afford to spend as much time as possible aboard his 45-foot boat “Adrenaline” when the ice on Lake Michigan thaws.

“I’m almost thinking of putting a sail on my boat to let the wind help me along,” he joked.

But like most die-harder boaters who’ve invested as much in their boats as some people have in their houses, Ehrlich says he no plans to be landlocked.

“I have a large investment in mine, so I’m going to use it one way or another,” he said. “I’m not going to let it sit.”
Thanks to ASHLEY M. HEHER, The Associated Press for this.

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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here bringing you Bayliner Boats with news from Discover Boating. New additions to campaign make it easier for potential buyers to get started

The 2008 Discover Boating advertising campaign kicks into high gear this month with new components specifically designed to make it easier for interested boat owners to order the Discover Boating DVD and ultimately, drive these potential buyers to manufacturers and dealers.

These new campaign additions include an enhanced call-to-action within the TV advertising, new online creative and search engine marketing. The campaign starts the last week of March and will run through the end of May for a total of 9 weeks.

“Our primary objective with this year’s advertising campaign is to continue to build brand awareness while sealing our lead generation results,” says Lindsay Rennie, Marketing Director of the Discover Boating program. “Our advertising has been a crucial part of the success of the Discover Boating initiative, as it’s a major driver of leads. It is exciting that we’re able to add these new targeted, lead-generating elements this year.”

The campaign is again national in scope, meaning it reaches every home across Canada via specialty cable television, online advertising and search engine results derived through Google. A total of approximately 1,800 occasions of the successful “Wave” and “Dogs” spots will air from March through May on several major cable TV networks throughout the country, including: TSN, Discover Channel, History Channel and RDS. “1,800 spots that run nationally translates to 1,800 spots running in every city, big and small, across the country, with no skew to any particular region,” explains Rennie. Graphic enhancements to this year’s versions of the spots include an image of the DVD and the text “Free DVD” appearing on-screen, both to provide a greater push for the offer.

Internet advertising is ramping up again in 2008, with ad placements on a wide variety of websites, including MSN/Sympatico, Yahoo and Canoe. The new online creative includes eye-catching Flash video embedded into the ads. New keyword advertising on Google.ca will also run throughout the campaign period which will drive increased traffic to DiscoverBoating.ca through highly ranked results of online searches around boating topics.

Discover Boating is a public awareness effort managed by NMMA Canada on behalf of the Canadian recreational boating industry. Discover Boating programs focus on increasing participation and creating interest in recreational boating by demonstrating the benefits, affordability and accessibility of the boating lifestyle while helping to educate potential boaters and offering opportunities to experience the fun and togetherness of being on the water in a boat.

Each year more than 6 million people in Canada enjoy boating, the recreational activity that “connects like no other.” To find out more, visit DiscoverBoating.ca.
Thanks to Boat Industry Canada for this.

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