Back in 1992, the only pieces of electronic navigation gear we had in our marine supply shop were a suitcase-sized LORAN-C unit and an RDF about half that size. If you don’t know what either of those acronyms stand for, you likely were born after 1995. I am pretty sure both units had some vacuum tubes inside.
Those pieces of navigation equipment, only years later, were replaced by a wildly popular handheld GPS made by Magellan called the NAV 1000. Rugged and waterproof, it had a monotone liquid-crystal display, a numeric keypad and 12 function buttons. Magically, it would provide a navigator’s exact latitude and longitude, which could then be pinpointed on a paper chart.
Today, an Apple Watch, which is almost as small as a book of matches, can pinpoint an exact location and show it on a tiny touch-screen display, all within a few feet under ideal conditions. That sort of jump in technology got me thinking about the integrated electrical systems we find on boats today. We take many of them for granted, which is why they are one of the themes of this issue.
Whether it’s a complicated lithium-ion power-delivery system matched with high-output outboard alternators to serve as a generator replacement, or a set of multifunction displays hooked up to digital switching that allows a boat owner to turn off a water pump or sync underwater LED lights to the beat of the groove, there’s more comfort and convenience aboard than ever.
Our tech columnist Ben Stein provides an excellent update on all sorts of integrated systems starting on Page 26. His reporting includes autonomous boating systems, digital switching, systems integration among on-board components and more. It’s a great read that reminds me of a Wired magazine article but for boats.
We took the technology bend a step further in this issue by reporting on software designed to help marine dealerships, marinas and boatyards be more efficient and profitable. Senior editor David Conway spoke to a marina executive to follow her journey in sourcing a software management system for a 13-marina company. David also interviewed companies that provide software solutions to marine businesses. His story shows that while QuickBooks might be an OK solution for some industry businesses, software solutions tailored to the marine market can revolutionize the way shops are run. The reporting starts on Page 32.
Those business owners, leaders and participants, along with the rest of us, all seemed to be wringing their hands in response to the history-making tariffs the Trump administration levied against virtually every trading partner in early April. As this issue went to print, only a few days after the tariff announcements, there was a lot of confusion as people tried to negotiate what this so-called “trade war” will mean to their businesses. Adding to the confusion, as I typed this, was a social media post by President Trump putting a 90-day pause on a bevy of those tariffs.
So far, based on the conversations that our reporters and I have had with industry leaders, most are carefully watching what’s happening on a minute-by-minute basis. Obviously, steel, copper and aluminum imports are of greatest concern, but there are other components that come from outside the United States that affect boatbuilders such as Smoker Craft.
One example is the vinyl that the builder imports from Costa Rica. “Our vinyl manufacturer came in and said they would split the tariff cost with us,” Smoker Craft senior vice president of marketing and corporate development Peter Barrett told contributing writer Kim Kavin. “They’re trying to do things to prevent us from doing an instantaneous price increase to the dealers.”
Barrett added: “Where it gets complicated is that vinyl goes up 7%, the ladder goes up 8%, the lighting goes up 10%, you add all these things up together, and it’s like, wow, this is a serious increase.”
He told Kavin regarding tariffs from China: “We’re starting to see some price increases that we’re concerned about. We also have some vendors we’re very thankful for that are trying to make those changes for model year, which will help us with our pricing because that would be July 1. It’s a lot easier for us to incorporate higher prices for our product at that time with a new model year.”
Add to the complexity and confusion of the tariffs the unique nature of every corner of the marine manufacturing world. Boatbuilders will feel different effects than electronics manufacturers. Components manufacturers will feel different pain points than fishing-tackle manufacturers. And of course, dealerships of all sorts and sizes will feel effects from just about everywhere.
Rest assured, we’re putting extra effort into providing the reporting our industry needs to run businesses effectively amid the ever-changing trade news. It’s all as complex as the innards of an Apple Watch, but we’ll do our best to decipher the data and bring it to you in this magazine and daily online through Trade Only Today.
