It was only April, but marine consumers had summer fun on their minds as sales of personal watercraft, jet boats and ski boats roared upward by margins ranging from 22 to 44 percent.
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Sizable gains in all three categories helped propel sales industrywide to 15,180 boats, a gain of 17.6 percent from the same month last year, according to figures compiled by Aarn Rosen, national sales manager at Statistical Surveys Inc.
Sales of PWC rose 21.8 percent to 2,501, sales of ski boats rose 28.2 percent to 409, and sales of jet boats surged 44.3 percent to 329.
Another category that showed dramatic growth during the month was aluminum pontoon boats ranging from 16 to 99 feet. Pontoon sales climbed 37.7 percent, to 2,329 boats.
Aluminum boats have helped to lead the industry’s recovery for more than a year. Sales of aluminum fishing boats from 16 to 99 feet rose 12.8 percent to 2,589, and gains in the aluminum categories were a major factor as sales in the industry’s main powerboat segments rose 16.9 percent to 10,053 boats.
Sales in the high-volume 11- to 40-foot outboard fiberglass segment were up 14.5 percent at 3,032 boats, and sales in the core 14- to 30-foot fiberglass category rose 8.9 percent to 1,856 boats.
“April numbers continue to reinforce a moderate market recovery, with sterndrives included in the mix,” Rosen said. “Pontoons continue to set the bar as far as year-over-year growth with volume.”
The sales data for April were based on information from 28 early reporting states that represent about 59 percent of the U.S. boat market. April sales represent 12 to 13 percent of the year’s retail activity.
Reports of sales of documented vessels were complete only through April 10 because of data entry delays at the Coast Guard, Rosen said, which means sales totals for boats 30 feet and larger were significantly understated in the data.
Sales of 31- to 40-foot cruisers were listed at 129, down by 10 boats, or 7.2 percent, from April 2011, and sales of 41- to 62-foot yachts dropped by nine boats, or 8.3 percent, to 100. There were 18 reported sales of 63- to 99-foot semicustom and custom yachts, two more than in April of 2011.
“Cruisers appear to be lagging the market, but as the Coast Guard continues to catch up, even the cruisers and big boats appear to be gaining ground,” Rosen said.
Sailboat sales rose 17.5 percent to 168 boats.
Click here for April sales figures.
— Jack Atzinger
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The marine industry’s opposition to the distribution of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol received a boost this week.
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Engine durability tests by the Coordinating Research Council, which studies the interaction of engines and petroleum products, found leaks from uneven valve seat wear and pittage in two of eight 2001-09 vehicle engines run for 500 hours on an E15 fuel blend, the organization supported by the American Petroleum Institute and automobile manufacturers said.
The news was in an article published Wednesday at the Oil & Gas Journal website that was retweeted earlier this morning by National Marine Manufacturers Association president Thom Dammrich fromGasBuddy.com.
The NMMA and other industry groups oppose E15, saying it can too easily find its way into boat and other engines for which it was not designed. Studies have shown that E15 can harm marine engines.
“There are a minimum 5 million engines on the road today with characteristics similar to the ones that failed,” API president Jack N. Gerard told reporters during a teleconference on Wednesday. “It’s not like we’re talking about prospective application. We’re applying this to the fleet that’s on the road today. We believe our estimate is conservative.”
The test results confirm that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prematurely approved E15 for use in 2001 model year or newer cars and light trucks before the Coordinating Research Council could complete its tests, added Michael J. Stanton, president of Global Automakers, and Mitch Bainwol, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
“Policy goals are being advanced by putting consumers at risk,” Bainwol suggested. “Now we have material evidence that validates our concern.”
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/520106-new-tests-raise-questions-about-e15
Engine durability tests by the Coordinating Research Council, which studies the interaction of engines and petroleum products, found leaks from uneven valve seat wear and pittage in two of eight 2001-09 vehicle engines run for 500 hr on a 15% ethanol-85% gasoline fuel blend, the organization supported by the American Petroleum Institute and automobile manufacturers said.
“There are a minimum 5 million engines on the road today with characteristics similar to the ones that failed,” API Pres. Jack N. Gerard told reporters during a May 16 teleconference. “It’s not like we’re talking about prospective application. We’re applying this to the fleet that’s on the road today. We believe our estimate is conservative.”
The test results confirm that the US Environmental Protection Agency prematurely approved E15 for use in 2001 model year or newer cars and light trucks before CRC could complete its tests, added Michael J. Stanton, president of Global Automakers, and Mitch Bainwol, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “Policy goals are being advanced by putting consumers at risk,” Bainwol suggested. “Now we have material evidence that validates our concern.”
Former CRC Chairman Mike Leister, who also participated in the teleconference, said that stakeholders concerned with potential impacts from mid-ethanol fuel blends discussed the initial design of CRC’s research with EPA and kept the federal environmental regulator updated as the studies progressed. “One of the problems with EPA rushing to a solution was that it knew our research wasn’t complete yet,” he said.
Test specifics
Leister said the test cycle used a standard that original equipment manufacturers use to test their products. It was not designed to duplicate a vehicle’s full life as it is normally driven because that would take 15-20 years, but accelerated the process in a harder manner by running each of the eight engines for 500 hr to approximate 100,000 miles, he explained.
The two engines that had problems were from newer vehicles, he said. “We believe that because of the metallurgy that’s involved, similar vehicles would have the same problems,” Leister said. “We’re concerned with cars that are rolling off assembly lines now. A few manufacturers warranty their cars for E15, but most don’t. Some even have E15 warning labels on the gas caps.”
Gerard said EPA cites US Department of Energy catalyst research to justify its E15 waivers, but added that catalysts are just one part of a vehicle which would come in contact with the fuel blend. “While EPA had once supported comprehensive testing similar to what CRC has been doing, including engine testing, it ignored the CRC test programs,” he said.
API and other organizations sued in 2011 to get EPA to reverse the E15 waivers in a case that’s now before appellate court, he noted. “The test results we’re announcing today should make clear to everyone that our concerns were valid,” Gerard maintained.
Contact Nick Snow at nicks@pennwell.com.
“Swamp People” star Mitchell Guist, right, died Monday in Louisiana. He is pictured here with his brother Glenn.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
“Mitchell passed on the swamp, doing what he loved,” the History Channel says
He fell on a boat and may have had a seizure, a sheriff says
“Swamp People” chronicles the lives of alligator hunters in Louisiana
(CNN) — Mitchell Guist, a star of the reality TV show “Swamp People,” died Monday in Louisiana.
He was aboard a boat near Belle River Landing in the southern part of the state when he appeared to have a seizure, said Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack, citing an unidentified man who was with Guist.
The reality show star then fell on the boat.
The man who was with Guist towed both his boat and Guist’s boat back to the landing, called 911 and performed CPR, said Waguespack.
Guist was transferred to the Teche Regional Medical Center in Morgan City, where he was pronounced dead.
“We are extremely saddened to report that our friend and beloved member of the ‘Swamp People’ family, Mitchell Guist, has passed away earlier today. Mitchell passed on the swamp, doing what he loved. We appreciate your respect for the Guist family’s privacy and hope you join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to his brother, Glenn, and the rest of the Guist family,” the History Channel said in a statement.
Glenn Guist is also a cast member on the show.
“Swamp People” is the popular History Channel TV series that chronicles the lives of alligator hunters in Louisiana.
Catch a Viking star
The Salt Tales, a Viking 42 Open is an official Hollywood debutant, ah, make that a Real Housewives of New Jersey debutant after a cameo appearance on Sunday, April 22 in the Season Four premiere of the popular Bravo television show. Although no call backs about its appearance have yet occurred, we understand Salt Tales’ owners Ken and Deb Hirsekorn, shown here before fame came to town, are considering their options and have signed on as the boat’s manager and agent respectively.
In saltwater fishing’s version of baseball’s infamous pine tar incident, an angler who reeled in a world-record yellowfin tuna had his home-run catch called back — because a deckhand touched his fishing pole as he fought the mighty fish.
Robert Pedigo hooked the 427.9-pound fish last Thursday and fought it for a half-hour before bringing it aboard the “Journeyman.” But everyone on board agreed that Danny Osuna, a local captain working that day as a deckhand, blew the record by touching Pedigo’s pole during the battle between man and beast off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The rules say an angler can’t have any help pulling in a fish if he or she wants to make history.
“I do this for a living and we’re really hardcore fishermen,” Osuna told FoxNews.com. “We have caught a lot of fish in the high 300s, but this is the first time we’ve caught something like this.”
Osuna admitted touching Pedigo’s fishing rod, disqualifying the catch from consideration by the International Game Fish Association. But he said Pedigo, who could not be reached for comment, isn’t too broken up about the technicality.
“We’re fine with that,” Osuna said. “Actually, we never even thought the fish would be that big.”
Osuna said everyone who was in on the fishing trip got a big meal out of the monstrous catch before the rest was given away.
“We never sold the fish,” he said.
Like the famous home run by George Brett in 1983 that was disqualified when Yankees Manager Billy Martin pointed out that the Kansas City Royals’ slugger had pine tar smeared too high on the barrel of his bat, the pole touch indeed disqualifies the catch, according to IGFA officials.
A spokesman for the agency confirmed to FoxNews.com that the all-tackle record for yellowfin tuna remains 405 pounds, caught by Mike Livingston near Baja Sur, Mexico — because Osuna touched the rod.
“No one (to my knowledge) has been contacted by the angler or any member of the crew in regards to this catch,” IGFA World Record Coordinator Jack Vitek wrote in an email. “We have heard of the catch on various fishing forums and websites, and are pleased to hear that the angler and crew are being up front about such an impressive catch, and are respecting the IGFA rules.”
Scott MacDonald joined the Kent Narrows, Md., sales office of Bluewater Yacht Sales as a broker.
A lifelong boater and fisherman, MacDonald is a seasoned inshore and offshore angler and an experienced sales professional, the company said.
Bluewater is a Mid-Atlantic dealer for Viking Yachts, Princess Yachts and Regulator Marine, as well as Sabre Yachts, Back Cove Yachts and Duffy Electric Boats in the southern Chesapeake. It operates from four locations: Kent Narrows; Hampton, Va.; and two in North Carolina, Wrightsville Beach and Wanchese in the Outer Banks.
Those whose lives were touched by Capt. Jose Wejebe are invited to attend a Celebration of Life at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the International Game Fish Association Museum in Dania Beach, Fla.
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Wejebe, 54, of Summerland Key, died April 6 after the single-engine plane he was piloting crashed shortly after takeoff in Everglades City, Fla. Weather is believed to have been a factor. He was the respected host of the long-running Spanish Fly fishing show, which began in 1995 on ESPN and later was shown on the Outdoor Channel.
He was also a member of the Hell’s Bay Boatworks’ pro team, a blend of flats captains, authors, producers, TV hosts and leading fly- and light-tackle fishing educators who shared Wejebe’s love for fishing and the environment.
“I admired Jose’s energy, love for life and dedication to his friends. Jose inspired me with his ability to make everyone around him feel as if they were his personal best friend, or bro,” Hell’s Bay president Chris Peterson said in a statement. “He had charismatic energy to light a room with just his mere presence. Jose was always willing to give to the children’s charities, where he gave of himself and his personal time, a rare quality today.”
Jose Wejebe, the host of a popular TV fishing show, was killed in the Everglades City plane crash Friday, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
Crews on scene say the plane’s tail number is N548SF. And according to the FAA, the aircraft with that number is registered to Wejebe.
Officials we spoke to say he was flying in an experimental, single-engine aircraft. The type is a CA8-SF.
Former Collier EMS Chief Jeff Page was chartering a boat when the crash happened. He said he saw the aircraft take off from the Everglades City Airport after 4:30 p.m. Friday and then felt the winds shift.
He said he thinks the plane got caught in a crosswind before hitting the ground and exploding.
“The plane popped up and it looked like it got its nose too high into the wind and it almost put it straight vertical,” he said.
Page went on to describe the actual crash.
“The initial explosion of when it hit, there was no way anyone could survive it – no way anyone could even approach the plane,” Page said. “It immediately burst into flames.”
Wejebe was the host of the show, Spanish Fly.
April 1 marked the 48th anniversary of the Viking Yacht Co., the day when brothers Bill and Bob Healey opened the doors to their new boatbuilding venture.
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What started in a single, self-contained building in 1964 has evolved into an 810,000-square-foot manufacturing facility encompassing five freestanding structures equipped with the latest technologies and machinery.
With its vertical integration, Viking designs and manufactures in-house virtually every part found aboard the boats and produces a present day lineup of 19 distinctive models, with new introductions every year, the company said.
New Jersey-based Viking buildings convertible sportfishing yachts from 42 to 82 feet.
Click here for a Q&A with Viking Yachts executive vice president Patrick Healey.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions filed by a receiver on behalf of Fountain and related entities have been dismissed by Judge Erik Kimball in the bankruptcy court of the Southern District of Florida.
The order was in response to a motion by Joseph Wortley to dismiss the cases. Wortley is at least a partial owner of Fountain and other related entities. A U.S. trustee had also filed a motion to dismiss the bankruptcy case or, in the alternative, appoint a Chapter 11 trustee, but that motion was denied as moot due to this ruling.
At issue was whether the receiver, Ronald Glass, had the authority to file the bankruptcy petitions. The filing was made Jan. 18 and marked the second time in less than three years that Fountain had filed for bankruptcy protection. At the time of the January filing the company listed more than $53 million in liabilities and less than $50,000 in assets, according to court documents.
In his order, dated March 23, Kimball wrote, “… the court finds that Ronald Glass was not duly authorized to file the petitions commencing these cases.”
Glass told Trade Only Today that he had no comment on the judge’s order.
Entities involved in the dismissal include: American Marine Holdings LLC; Donzi Marine Inc.; AMH Government Services Inc.; Baja Marine Inc.; Fountain Dealers’ Factory Super Store Inc.; Fountain
Powerboat Industries Inc.; Fountain Powerboats Inc.; Fountain Powerboats LLC; Palmetto Park Financial LLC; and Pro-Line Boats LLC.
Following this order, an attorney for Fountain Powerboats Inc. and Baja Marine Inc. filed a motion in North Carolina to dissolve the temporary receivership.
A North Carolina Business Court judge appointed Glass a temporary receiver last October in First Capital’s case against Fountain Powerboats and other defendants. First Capital is seeking $61.04 million in damages from Fountain Powerboats and other entities for the “borrower defendants’ ” breach of loan agreements, according to documents filed in the North Carolina court.
Attorney Randolph James noted in his recent motion that Glass said in depositions that he filed the Chapter 11 petitions because “FCC informed Glass verbally that they (FCC) would not continue to fund the entities unless they were in Chapter 11. Ronald Glass further testified he knew at the time he filed bankruptcy petitions that all of the parties were waiting for Judge Gale to rule on a number of issues.
“When asked if Ronald Glass knew the filing of the petitions would prevent a written decision by Judge Gale, Ronald Glass stated, ‘I didn’t know that, but I’m not surprised by it.’,” James continued.
“Undersigned counsel has consistently maintained before this court that Ronald Glass has an inherent conflict of interest in acting as a receiver for the manufacturing, parts and service companies which occupy the building owned by the movant Fountain Powerboats Inc. and financed by an FCC mortgage,” he added. “Ronald Glass, while acknowledging his fiduciary duties, has failed to discharge those duties fairly, evenly and uniformly.”
The motion adds that Fountain Powerboats Inc. is prepared to immediately resume building Baja boats and employ 25 to 30 people in Washington, N.C., through its parts and service division as soon as the court discharges Glass as the temporary receiver for Fountain Powerboats and Baja Marine.
James also said FCC “intended to liquidate the defendants since the begining of this action” despite its statements in prior hearings that it intended to start production and take finished boats to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
“The intention to liquidate these companies was confirmed by Ronald Glass in his deposition testimony,” James said in his motion.
The entities asking for the dissolution of the receiver’s authority include: Fountain Powerboat Industries Inc.; Fountain Powerboats Inc.; Fountain Dealers’ Factory Super Store Inc.; and Baja Marine Inc.
No mention was made of Donzi or Pro-Line, and James did not immediately return a request for comment.
According to previous bankruptcy court filings, the ownership of Fountain, and its related entities, breaks down like this:
• Debtor American Marine Holdings LLC is the parent corporation, owning 100 percent of Donzi Marine LLC; AMH Government Services LLC; Pro-Line Boats LLC; and Fountain Powerboats LLC. AMH is owned by 50509 Marine LLC. The Wortley American Marine Trust is a 20 percent owner and 50509 Marine Corp. is an 80 percent owner of 50509 Marine LLC. In turn, The Wortley 50509 Marine Corp. Trust owns all of the interests of 50509 Marine Corp.
• Liberty Acquisitions FPB LLC, a non-debtor entity, is the parent company, owning 100 percent of the following debtor entities: Fountain Powerboat Industries Inc.; Fountain Powerboats Inc.; Fountain Dealers Factory Super Store Inc.; and Baja By Fountain Inc. Liberty Associates LC owns all of the interests of Liberty Acquisitions FPB LLC. Joseph Wortley owns 99 percent and Bill Gates owns 1 percent of Liberty Associates LC.
• Wortley owns 100 percent of Palmetto Park Financial LLC.
- Beth Rosenberg
Thousands of coastal recreational fishermen, business owners, commercial fishermen, charterboat and party boat owners and others are expected to descend today on Washington, D.C., for a rally calling for efforts to “Keep Fishermen Fishing.”
Set for noon at Upper Senate Park, not far from the U.S. Capitol, “the unified efforts of America’s fishermen will hopefully set the stage for bipartisan accord in protecting coastal jobs and maintaining access to healthy public resources,” according to Bob Healey Jr., a board member of theRecreational Fishing Alliance, one of the rally’s organizers.
As many as two dozen members of Congress are expected to address rally participants. The first fishing rally in 2010 brought together about 5,000 fishermen.
“Those fishermen planning to attend should remember that the rally has been coordinated in an effort to reform Magnuson. At precisely 12 noon the rally will start with presentations by key senators and congressmen who are supporting our efforts in the fishing community to add common sense to the federal fisheries law, primarily through passage of key pieces of legislation now being reviewed in the House Natural Resources Committee, most notably HR3061, the Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act,” according to the RFA.
This bill would extend rebuilding timelines in certain situations; suspend ACLs and “accountability measures” for fish stocks where science and data are insufficient to meet the national standards; call for socioeconomic impact reporting when certain management decisions are made; and require the National Research Council to perform another comprehensive review of the NOAA recreational data collection programs and the improvements made since the 2006 reauthorization.
“The RFA firmly believes that these pragmatic amendments to the federal fisheries law would help keep fishermen fishing on healthy and sustainable fish stocks, which is something supported by both the recreational and commercial fishing communities,” the group said.
Rally organizers and supporters include the Southeastern Fisheries Association, Viking Village, Lund’s Fisheries, Fishermen’s Dock, North Carolina Watermen United, Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Southern Off Shore Fishing Association, Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Long Island Commercial Fishermen’s Association, the National Association of Charterboat Operators, Montauk Inlet Seafood, Hull’s Seafood, New York Fishing Tackle Trades Association, Panama City Boatmen’s Association, Alliance of Communities For Sustainable Fisheries, Westport Charterboat Association, Garibaldi Charters, Monkfish Defense Fund, California Wetfish Producers, Rivercenter Marine, Garden State Seafood Association, Big Game Fishing Journal, , New York Sportfishing Federation, United Boatmen, Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, Atlantic Capes Seafood, West Coast Seafood Processors Association, Lower Columbia Alliance for Sustainable Fisheries, Ocean Isle Fishing Center, Tailwalker Marine, Fishing United, Raffields Fisheries, Patriot Sportfishing, the American Albacore Fishing Association, Montauk Boatmen’s & Captains Association, Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen’s Association, Marine Trades Association of New Jersey and Viking Yachts.
See Thursday’s Trade Only Today newsletter for full coverage of the rally.
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/519282-fishermens-rally-set-for-today-in-dc#
Over the last five or six years, Pod Drive Propulsion Systems have evolved from novel engineering concepts to marine industry game changers.
Though pod drives have long been used for cruise ships, ferries and tugboats, their evolution and recent impact has occurred in the pleasure boat industry. They’ve quickly replaced traditional shaft drive systems as the standard option on many small and mid-size cruising boats.
Now they are finding applications in larger sport fishing boats and larger production boats in the 50′ to 80+’ range. It won’t be too long before advancements in horsepower allow for pods to be used in motoryachts in the 80′ to 150′ range; they’re already found on many larger catamarans.
Maneuverability alone makes them a worthwhile consideration for many owners and builders. But Pod drive systems offer many other benefits including fuel efficiency, less space requirements within the engine room, tracking, turning control and better cruising range. Note that some of those benefits are dependent on boat design, use and associated engineering.
To get a real sense of the pros and cons of maintenance, usability and maneuverability with pod drive systems on mid-size motoryachts, read Beyond The Hype from Yachting Magazine or Pushing The Limits Of Joysticks and Pod-Drives.
One thing that has really driven change over the last few years is the market. Owners who have enjoyed the benefits of pod drives on smaller vessels are pushing to have pods installed on other boats, specifically the larger sport fishing boats and semi-custom production yachts.
In North Carolina, many of the old school sport fishing boat builders who initially shied away from the pods due to the perceived negative impact on fishing, have started incorporating pods into their designs. Their customers want the ease of use and performance of the pods and are willing to overlook some of the downsides of pod systems. Spencer Yachts is one example of the change within the industry. Their 70′ Penta Gone shows just how valuable the new drive systems are and how the pods can be incorporated into boat designs. You can now find pod drive systems available on many other top-of-the-line sport fishing models from builders including Freedom Boatworks, Jarret Bay and Viking Yachts.
If pods can be adapted into the design of a 70′ fishing yacht or used on tugs and cruise ships, it won’t be too long before larger luxury yachts incorporate them as well. Eventually advancements in engineering will provide the horsepower needed. Some builders, like Lazzara Yachts, have had pods on the radar for quite some time (read Pod Systems Are The Future by Lazzara Yachts).
To learn more about Pod Drive Systems, visit the websites of the industry’s top manufacturers:
Volvo Penta Inboard Performance System (IPS)
ZF Marine
Caterpillar Zeus Pod Drive System
For more information about pod drives and how to incorporate them within your vessel design, please contact Nick Boksa at www.boksamarinedesign.com
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will propose amendments to House Bill 1307 to substantially reduce the proposed cost of registering a boat in Maryland, the department announced. The department introduced the legislation to address the state’s boating infrastructure needs. The original proposal would have replaced the flat $24 boat registration fee paid every two years with fees ranging from $50 to $700, depending on the size of the boat. Under the proposed changes, it would cost $25 every two years to register boats under 16 feet in Maryland. It would cost $50 every two years to register boats of 16 to less than 21 feet; $75 every two years to register boats of 21 to less than 32 feet; $100 every two years to register boats of 32 to less than 45 feet; $200 every two years to register boats of 45 to 65 feet; and $300 every two years to register boats of more than 65 feet. The bill also includes a voluntary non-motorized decal for boats such as kayaks and canoes for $12 every two years. The proposal eliminates the second tier of phased-in registration increases, which means the new costs would start in 2013. In addition, amendments would increase the one-time boat title price to $35, as well as some other costs to boat dealers. “We appreciate the department taking into consideration the concerns of the Maryland boating industry by significantly reducing the proposed boat registration costs to a level that is acceptable to our boat dealers and marinas,” Marine Trades Association of Maryland executive director Susan Zellers said in a statement.
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/519195-plan-calls-for-reduced-boater-fees-in-maryland
U.S. brokerage sales increased again in February as 1,908 boats sold for an aggregate of $231 million. According to YachtWorld.com member brokerages reporting in their proprietary database, Soldboats.com, the volume of sales rose 13 percent, compared with February 2011, and the total value of the boats was up 25 percent.
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For the year to date, 3,452 boats have been sold for an aggregate price of $425 million. Those represent 8 percent and 17 percent increases, respectively, from sales volume and valuation in January and February of 2011.
Sales of big boats and superyachts have dominated the headlines for much of the last year, but boats under 26 feet sold well in February; 639 changed hands, a 16 percent increase from 2011.
Sales of boats 36 to 45 feet increased 11 percent, to 370 boats. Even the 26- to 35-foot category, which lagged in January, saw improved year-over-year sales in February — a 10 percent increase, to 714 boats. Collectively, 1,723 boats under 45 feet changed hands, a 12 percent increase, and they sold for $102 million, an 11 percent gain.
Not to be outdone, brokers selling boats over 55 feet closed 147 deals in February, a 32 percent increase from the same month in 2011. The boats involved sold for 43 percent more, totaling $177 million in sales. Sales of 16 superyachts (boats over 80 feet) accounted for $56 million of the total, which was more than double the total price paid for the nine superyachts that were sold a year earlier.
A detailed report summarizing recent U.S. brokerage sales will appear in the April issue of Soundings Trade Only.
A spike to $5 a gallon for the national average by the summer would mean that the rise in gas prices over the next few months would have to exceed the 8 percent climb we’ve seen over the past four weeks.
Is it possible? Perhaps. Inevitable? Not really.
“There’s nothing inevitable about it,” says IHS chief economist Nariman Behravesh, speaking on the sidelines of the CERAWeek Energy Conference in Houston. “To a large extent it depends on what happens in the Middle East.”
I’m not sure there has ever been a trip like this in the history of big game fishing. Nathan Adams and his friends were out on his boat in the New Zealand waters when the hauled in two record-sized fish, and several other prize fish.
The first confirmed record is a nearly 790-pound black marlin that set the Muriwai Sport Fishing Club records. But the real prize may be the near 740-pound Pacific bluefin tuna, which may be a new world record.
These weren’t the only prize catches on the boat over the 11-day trip.
According to Stuff.Co.Nz, Jessie Wright, 16, caught five marlin, including a 301-pound marlin, which made her national junior striped marlin champion.
Her two older brothers won prizes too. Logan Wright was second in the champion line weight section with a 317.5-pound marlin caught on the same boat.
