It’s weird the way our brains work. Useless bits of data like my childhood phone number are easy to retrieve from the gray matter, while answers to those pesky online banking security questions tend to vanish into the ether.

Most peculiar, however, is the way I can recall part numbers from the boat shop where I worked for 10 years in the ’90s. Whether it’s a joker valve for a Wilcox Crittenden head or a quart of Pettit Z-Spar Captain’s Varnish, these numbers are always readily available from my organic random-access memory.

I experienced a similar phenomenon recently at the Perko factory in Miami, where I spent two days learning about the 100-plus-year-old company’s manufacturing processes. On the factory floor, a battery switch caught my eye. My brain instantly recalled “PER 8511.” An unfinished intake strainer brought “PER 0065” out of storage. After two days there, I sensed my host growing tired of me spurting out random part numbers like a robot.

Since I regularly geek out on How It’s Made videos on YouTube, seeing how those Perko parts are made was a real treat. The visit, which you can read about on Page 30, is part of a push Soundings Trade Only is undertaking this year to get out into the field regularly post- Covid. We’re two stories in, and we have plans for more facility visits in the next nine months.

Also in this issue is our coverage of the recent Miami International Boat Show, which was the 23rd edition of the event that I’ve attended. This year’s show went off without a hitch, unless you count the strong storms that swept through the seven venues on Sunday, scaring away some attendees. Exhibitors say foot traffic was down, but the people who did attend the five-day show were ready to buy. Our full recap is on Page 34.

Notable at the show was that the Active Interest Media Marine Group, of which Soundings Trade Only is a part, won 33 of 48 awards in this year’s Boating Writers International writing contest. In the nearly 25 years I’ve been entering the contest, I’ve never seen such a sweep by one publishing group. It’s a nice recognition of the hard work that my colleagues and our team here put in to create the most compelling content we can.

In the Business of Boating category, Soundings Trade Only contributor Kim Kavin earned first and third places for “How to Play Smart Defense,” about cybercrime, and “So Far, Not So Bad,” about boat-sales trends. In the Women in Boating category, yours truly received a certificate of merit for “Strength in Numbers,” about Viking Yachts’ women team members.

One subject I heard bandied about a lot in Miami was supply chain. Despite the world now being fully post-pandemic, there are still challenges in moving goods around the planet. Most notable is shipping in the Red Sea, which has been under steady attack from Houthi rebels in Yemen. The good news is that during the pandemic, many industry companies learned a lot about sourcing the raw materials they need. Those lessons have made them much nimbler in today’s trade climate. Kavin spoke to industry leaders to get their pulse on current supply-chain concerns. You can see their take starting on Page 38.

Also during the past month, we focused on speaking with dealers, who are the lifeblood of our industry and the front line of our efforts to attract new boaters. Despite the challenges of high interest rates and inflation, and an apparent overabundance of inventory, dealers seem optimistic about the year ahead as we enter the prime selling season in North America. Senior editor Eric Colby’s reporting on the subject begins on Page 46.

As this issue went to press, we also began reporting on a lawsuit brought against the International Yacht Brokers Association and others from a boat seller that alleges a conspiracy to inflate broker commissions in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. As we continue our reporting, we want to hear from brokers and others in the industry about how the lawsuit could affect them. Please reach out to me at [email protected] with your thoughts. 

This article was originally published in the April 2024 issue.