The Taylor Made Group sponsored the Earthrace eco boat’s attempt to break the round-the-world speed record. The 78-foot trimaran runs exclusively on biodiesel and has a net-zero carbon footprint. The race began on April 27 and will attempt to make it around the world in less than 75 days, which is the current record. The [...]

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Capital Markets found that domestic boat sales are down about 25 percent at retail, year-to-date, in new sport boats and smaller cruisers. The company reported that lender loss rates are rising despite more conservative lending practices, resulting in tighter standards. Analysts also suggested that promotional pricing wasn’t a motivating [...]

The updated DiscoverBoating.com website features an updated design and focuses on boat-related activities such as fishing, sailing, powerboat cruising and watersports. The web site also offers the Boating Affordability Tool/Budget Planner and a humorous Spousal Conversion Kit. The DiscoverBoating.com web site is part of the Grow Boating Initiative, which promotes the boating lifestyle and improves [...]

The fastest sailboats in the world are now being outfitted with high tech materials like carbon fiber for hulls and Kevlar, used in bulletproof vests, for sails. In the past, sailboats were made with wood hulls and cotton sails. In the late 1960s, fiberglass became the hull material used most and Dacron sails were predominant [...]

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) announced that multiple textile industry associations will conduct meetings at IFAI Expo 2008. The National Textile Association, Textile Bag and Packaging Association, and the Textile Information Users Council, as well as IFAI will hold meetings with their board members and membership to review the state of their industry, creating [...]

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the Clean Boating Act to ensure recreational boaters and anglers, including uninspected charter fishing boats, won’t need federal permits. The act will move to the House of Representatives next.

The House of Representatives approved the U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Act in April. Included in that act was a provision to provide relief to the recreational marine servicing and repair industry. The provision includes exemption for the service and repair sector for the recreational boating industry from the requirement for coverage under the Longshore and [...]

The New York National Boat Show changed its show dates to Dec. 13-21 this year, nearly two weeks earlier than originally scheduled. The earlier date opens new marketing opportunities for the longstanding show, and ensures an increase in consumer attendance. Contact Michael Duffy at +1 212 984 7016 or mduffy@nmma.org.

A two-year economic study on recreational boating in New Jersey indicates that in 2006, the state’s boaters spent about $2.1 billion on in-state recreational boating activities. Trip-related expenditures account for $1.1 billion and annual boating purchases, such as registration fees and maintenance, account for $938 million. The industry also provides about 18,000 jobs to N.J. [...]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule in the Federal Register that is designed to reduce exhaust emissions from diesel-powered recreational boats and simultaneously help the industry avoid a series of aftertreatment catalyst-based standards. The rule would have required U.S.-flagged recreational marine diesel powered vessels with engines greater than 2000 kW to install [...]