A few magazine gigs and more than 10 years ago, I curated and wrote a monthly report about boatbuilders and repair facilities all around Chesapeake Bay. I spent much of one or two days each month on the road, popping in unannounced to photograph and take notes about the projects going on inside boat sheds and out in the yard.
A good part of that job was meeting all the characters who work in boatyards and boatbuilding operations — trust me, there are some very interesting folks in the boat world. However, what I found most rewarding was learning how boats were conceived, designed and built, from computer or lofting drawings to the fully finished product. In those three years, I learned more about boatbuilding techniques and the products that go into boats than during my previous 20 years in the industry.
This knowledge has been handy for me as I tour boatbuilders and tool-manufacturing facilities every year. It allows me to talk to anybody and everybody with at least a minimal understanding of what they’re showing me.
If you’ve never been to these types of facilities, I encourage you to connect with the builder of the boats you’re selling or that you’re providing components and accessories to build. Seeing a boat with its lid taken off and all the systems being installed provides a deeply educational perspective about what goes into a modern vessel.
You can get a close look at the sorts of technology designers and boatbuilders are wielding these days by reading senior editor Eric Colby’s feature on Page 58. Robots and high-tech materials play a role, as do virtual reality and heavy-lift software for design and engineering. All these tools and more are being used to ensure the industry delivers better boats to end customers.
Switching gears, we also have exciting news: Earlier this year, the Soundings Trade Only Group launched a one-of-a-kind global workforce study designed to ensure that the marine industry is doing everything possible to attract, retain and develop talent for the future. The survey — conducted in collaboration with sponsors MarineMax, Volvo Penta, Imtra Corp., Yamaha, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, the International Council of Marine Industry Associations and Marine Industry News — tapped more than 700 respondents who provided a plethora of interesting data, which you can find some of on Page 56.
Check out the survey data in its entirety on our data hub online. I promise it will pique your interest about where the marine industry workforce is today, and where it is headed.
In still more news, I got a lot of letters the past few months asking where the monthly “By the Numbers” feature has been. Our previous partner that provided the registration data for this column decided to go another direction, so we’ve been seeking another partner. With a suggestion from MRAA president Matt Gruhn, we are now partnering with Info-Link to bring you commentary about where specific boat markets are headed, based on registration data. You can find this month’s report on Page 95.
Unfortunately, when we looked at the latest numbers, we saw that many segments are down as the market continues to normalize. We’ll have reporting in next month’s issue that asks the question, “When does the normalization stop and a worrisome downturn begin?” Some industry leaders I have spoken with say that downturn is already underway, but we’ll see what a broader survey reveals.
Also toward the back of the magazine, on Page 90, is our “Economy Report,” where we recently added detailed information about the U.S. job market. This addition expands the section footprint by nearly a page. There’s a lot of interesting data there, but most notable is the softening of the job market, which is slowly contracting each month. Industry folks I’ve spoken with almost universally are adding fewer employees every month, unless they are in the service and repair business. Those segments still struggle with keeping qualified workers who consistently show up to do their jobs.
On the other hand, I was amped last month to sit down with someone who loves his job: Garmin CEO Cliff Pemble. He does not often grant interviews, but for this month’s Q&A, we discussed a lot of things that tie in nicely with this issue’s technology theme. Pemble has been at the company since the beginning and has a lot of insight about the markets Garmin is involved with, both inside and outside of the marine space. The interview appears on Page 16.
I also spoke with Ben Duke, president of Polaris Marine, at a recent Bennington, Godfrey and Hurricane press event in Lake Wawasee, Ind. He provided insight into how the acquisition of these brands has enabled them to design and bring new models to the market that probably would not have been possible without Polaris’ help.
Like most leaders I speak with throughout the year, Duke is passionate about boatbuilding and bringing better boats to end consumers. He also said I could tour Bennington’s Elkhart, Ind., facility any time I want, adding another factory visit feather in my cap. Look for that reporting in a future issue.
This article was originally published in the October 2024 issue.
