The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently denied a petition to establish a mandatory speed limit and other vessel-related mitigation measures for the protection of endangered Rice's whale in the Gulf of Mexico. According to NOAA, the decision was made based on various factors, including scientific assessments, the potential economic impact on commercial and [...]

Cedarville, Mich.-based Great Lakes Boat Building School (GLBBS) has secured a $354,600 Rural Business Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The school applied for the support as part of its “Enhancing Education with Equipment” campaign, which provides equipment and technology for skilled trades training. According to an article in Soundings Trade Only, GLBBS [...]

The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) Foundation has opened registration for its fourth Educator Training Conference set for April 2-4, 2024, in Annapolis, Md. The in-person conference caters to high school and post-secondary educators and administrators who are involved in, or thinking about starting, marine service technology programs at their school. Industry leaders interested [...]

Sea Tow, an on-water marine assistance provider, is marking its 40th anniversary in business in 2023. Sea Tow is a provider of non-emergency on-water assistance including towing, fuel delivery, battery jumps and ungroundings, as well as salvage and recovery services including response to catastrophic events and marine spill response. At the forefront of on-water assistance [...]

The deadline to submit projects to the Marine Fabricators Association (MFA) Fabrication Excellence Awards is Oct. 31, 2023. From design excellence to quality workmanship, the MFA Fabrication Excellence Awards program showcases projects that represent the breadth of the industry—from tops and covers to interior and exterior upholstery. Categories include: •Hybrid Enclosures: Sailboat & Powerboat •Marine [...]

The latest sales trends report for cruisers, watersports, fishing boats and trailers, part of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) 2022 U.S. Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract, is now available. The report examines retail unit sales for each category and by application. Following two years of extraordinary record growth, sales of new cruisers, watersport and fishing [...]

Sattler Outdura, a division of The Sattler Group, Austria, has hired Amy Smith as regional sales manager for the Casual Furniture division. Smith joins Outdura with a strong industry background working as senior sales manager, business development specialist and sales executive in previous positions with Outward, Inc., Culp and Vision Fabrics as a director of [...]

The latest Powerboat Sales Trends report, part of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) 2022 U.S. Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract, is now available. Coming off extraordinary record demand in 2020 and 2021, as expected, sales of new traditional powerboats (outboard, inboard wake sport, inboard cruisers, sterndrive, jet) began a correction in 2022 with a normalizing [...]

Herculite Products Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance and custom fabrics, has been selected by the Central Penn Business Journal and Lehigh Valley Business as one of the Best Places to Work in PA for 2023. Best Places to Work in PA identifies, recognizes and honors the best places of employment in Pennsylvania. Companies are ranked [...]

The Sea Tow Foundation, a boating safety nonprofit, announced the winners of its fifth annual National Boating Safety Awards. These awards recognize efforts to promote boating safety within the for-profit sector of the boating industry. This year, the Sea Tow Foundation received a record-breaking number of entries. The winners of the 2023 National Boating Safety [...]