Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Here, in Annapolis, Md., the season is among the most pleasant weather-wise — a respite from the hazy, hot and humid “dog days” of summer that Mother Nature consistently throws at us in July and August. This is also when the sail and power shows roll into our seaside town on crisp autumn breezes.
Though I don’t attend those specific shows as often as I used to, I do have fond memories of working right in the middle of the action when I was a salesclerk at Fawcett Boat Supplies from 1990 to 2001. The events were built right on top of and around the store, giving us employees a great view of the shows moving in, running their courses, and then moving out. I can still smell the top-round beef cooking over an open flame at the Fleet Reserve, which makes the best pit beef sandwiches on earth. It’s a Maryland thing.
We make this global show preview issue every year in the heat of summer. And every year, when I think about boat and trade shows, I ask myself, “How in the hell am I writing about fall already?” While part of me always misses the abundant summer daylight and sweet smells coming from the flowerbeds around my home, I do find myself getting excited about traveling to the boat and trade shows between October and December, when I rack up most of my frequent flyer miles for the year.
This year’s show preview coverage begins on page 40. The reporting reveals that organizers are cautiously optimistic about what this year’s shows will bring. While global macroeconomic headwinds have created a challenging environment for sales, the folks in charge at the Cannes Yachting Festival and Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show are predicting robust attendance, and are selling out of exhibitor and dock space. That’s good news for everyone.
The two biggest boatbuilding-focused shows of the year, Metstrade and the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference, are promising expanded shows with added components for attendees. One such component is Soundings Trade Only’s Marine Ideas Exchange event, which combines a keynote conversation, interactive forums, panel discussions and networking designed to foster collaboration and creativity among industry participants.
The desire to build better boats is a common theme running through the IBEX and Metstrade events, and it’s also what drives the owners and employees of Scarano Boat Building in Albany, N.Y. The company has been building schooners and commuter-style boats since the mid-’80s and is always trying new methods and modern materials. Two of the builder’s creations, Woodwind and Woodwind II, sail the waters around my home port each summer and fall. You can read about John and Rick Scarano’s boatbuilding outfit starting on page 44.
Speaking of modern materials, senior editor David Conway reports starting on page 48 about Supersede’s Marine Board. It’s a polymer-based replacement for marine plywood. The water- and rot-proof product is extruded from recycled polypropylene using a zero-waste process, and is designed to match the dimensions, fastener pull-out strength and density of ¾-inch marine ply. Conway also discovered InventWood’s Superwood while researching this story. Superwood uses real lumber and is manufactured by altering wood’s lignin and hemicellulose structures. It is reported to be stronger than steel, rot-resistant and has a Class-A fire rating.
Switching gears to the technical end of things, there’s no doubt that the connectivity introduced in boats during the past 15 to 20 years has made boating easier, safer and more enjoyable. While cellular and satellite connectivity, onboard networks, touch-based user interfaces and other bits of tech have ushered in new ways to navigate, enjoy entertainment and remotely monitor a boat’s systems, that tech has also potentially created a way for digital miscreants to access and exploit the personal data sometimes found in these systems. Our tech columnist, Ben Stein, examines the issue on page 56.
There is also a lot of discussion these days — everywhere — about artificial intelligence. The recreational-boat industry is in the early stages of figuring out how AI can help automate any number of tasks, from writing promotional materials and sales proposals to ordering supplies or interacting with customers. So far, no single AI silver bullet has come to the top as a game changer. Marketing columnist Wanda Kenton Smith set out to discover how marine marketers are wielding AI. She conducted a confidential study that asked 13 AI-related questions. The results show broad use of AI in marine marketing circles, and in some surprising ways. She dissects the results starting on page 73.
You’ll no doubt see many different ways that boatbuilders, dealers and manufacturers are using AI as you roll through the upcoming fall boat and trade shows. Our crew here at Soundings Trade Only will certainly be looking for ways the technology is pushing the industry forward. It’s bound to do some things better than others, but I guarantee it can’t make a pit beef sandwich the way Fleet Reserves makes ’em every year when the big boat shows come to town.
