Boats and Boating Podcast November 17 2008

Marine Industry Podcast
December 9, 2008
Good morning, good afternoon or good evening and welcome to Marine Industry Podcast, where it is always a good day for boating. I am Wesley Thouin, your host. Despite the fact that it is defiitely not boating season in most of the United States, we have stories about marine companies from Michigan and Illinois who continue to innovate or win awards in the cold weather. We have a story about a company who has actually had price reductions due to good management, as well as two stories reproduced with permission from the NMMA publication The Washington Wave. Each story is supplied by its respective newsmaker and we rely on each newsmaker to maintain high standards for veracity.

COBRA MARINE WINS DAME AWARD AT MARINE EQUIPMENT TRADE SHOW (METS)
Cobra Marine, a division of Cobra Electronics, recently won a prestigious DAME award at the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam, Netherlands for its MR F300 BT waterproof handset with Bluetooth® wireless technology for cellular phones. The achievement was announced on the first day of the show.
The MR F300 BT features Cobra's exclusive MicroBlue™ technology, enabling the user to reliably conduct calls using the cell phone's existing Bluetooth® wireless technology while the cell phone is stowed away and protected from water or harmful conditions. With its state-of-the-art noise-canceling microphone, boaters can have loud and clear communication even when surrounded by engine noise or wind. Easy to program, the innovative MR F300 BT offers auto redial, call log and a phone book, just like a cell phone.
"We are proud to take home first prize for the marine electronics category in this world-leading design competition for new marine electronics and accessories," said Tony Mirabelli, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Cobra.
The DAME awards are determined each year by an independent panel of judges for the best-designed new products in eight categories. Competition included entries from well-established and start-up marine electronics manufacturers around the world.
Based in Chicago, Illinois, Cobra Marine is a division of communications and navigational designer and marketer Cobra Electronics,
Recemtly Cobra has identified new growth opportunities in the marine market The Consumer Electronics Association, Forbes and Deloitte & Touche have all recently recognized Cobra for the company's innovation and industry leadership. To learn more about Cobra Electronics, please visit the Cobra site at www.cobra.com.

NEW TORQEEDO CRUISE 4.0 SETS NEW STANDARD FOR ELECTRIC OUTBOARD EFFICIENCY
Torqeedo introduced a new electric outboard propulsion unit at this year’s METS in Amsterdam, Netherlands. With an overall efficiency of more than 50%, the Cruise 4.0 R redefines the standards for electric propulsion.
It converts supplied battery power better into propulsion more efficiently than any other outboard. Now, users get more power and range from the same battery supply.
The new, powerful Cruise model runs on 48 V. Offering 215 lbs. of thrust, the Cruise 4.0 R has the thrust equivalent to a 9.9 hp internal combustion outboard. More importantly, the propulsive power, measured as speed times thrust after all losses including propeller losses, compares to an 8 hp gas outboard in displacement mode.
"When talking about electric propulsion for boats, battery power is always the limiting factor. said Torqeedo managing partner Christoph Ballin.
"For electric outboards, overall efficiencies range between 20% for trolling motors and up to 35% for stronger electric propulsion motors. The overall efficiencies for internal combustion outboards are significantly lower than that," said Ballin. "We don't know of any other outboard that even gets close to the efficiency levels we offer." he said
Designed specifically for remote steering and throttle, the new, lightweight Cruise 4.0 R also offers an integrated board computer combines information from the motor, the batteries and a built-in GPS. The board computer lets boaters have battery charge, speed and remaining range at current speed always under control.
The new Cruise 4.0 R is intended for boats on green lakes, pontoon boats, sailboats and catamarans. It operates on a 48 V lead-gel or AGM battery bank or two high-performance lithium-manganese batteries available from Torqeedo's Power series.
Each outstanding electric outboard comes standard with a cable set, fuse, main-switch, remote throttle control with integrated board computer and magnetic on/off switch as well as a link-arm to connect to standard steering systems.
Contact Torqeedo Inc in Crystal Lake, IL or at www.torqeedo.com

VTE STREAMLINES PROCESSES AND SAVES CUSTOMERS MONEY
Everywhere prices seem to be getting higher, but not at electrical component manufacturer VTE Inc. Due to improved processes, better efficiency and stable cost planning, VTE has seen a decline in its production costs. Therefore, the innovative manufacturer is passing the savings on to its customers and implementing a company-wide 2% decrease in prices. VTE president W.R. (Ralph) VanTielen made the announcement.
At VTE, we're constantly striving to find better, faster and more efficient ways to run our business while creating higher-quality, more-affordable products for our customers," said VanTielen. "It's only natural we would see our prices go down."
Established in 1992, VTE Inc. produces advanced terminal insulators, electro-mechanical connection devices, fuses and fuse holders. The unique, hard-to-find products are significantly less expensive than the competition. With offices in Michigan, United States and the Netherlands, the company has extensive networks of dealers and distributors in over 15 countries.The VTE website is www.vteworld.com.

Our final two stories are presented courtesy of the NMMA publication, the Washington Wave.

Major Concessions 10+2 Trade Regulation Welcomed
NMMA is pleased that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has modified the proposed “10+2” trade regulation after evaluating feedback from NMMA and other industry partners to allow for more flexibility for marine manufacturers. The regulation, known as “10+2” because it requires carriers to submit two new documents in addition to the ten data elements required as part of an Importer Security Filing, would have required importers to report additional data on cargo destined for the United States twenty-four hours prior to the cargo shipping date. Since much of this required data would not even be available at that time, this would have created massive supply chain delays resulting in significant implementation costs, forcing many U.S. marine manufacturers out of business.
NMMA will continue to monitor how the modifications are implemented and will help establish the final rule to ensure it meets the needs of CBP as well as U.S. marine manufacturers.

NMMA Continues Collaboration with EPA on Emission Regulation
NMMA met with EPA certification and regulatory staff on the recent evaporative emission regulation for marine engines issued this past October. The agency was very helpful in answering questions and providing clarification on a number of issues. However, a revised deadline for when boat builders are required to label compliant vessels has yet to be finalized. (The current deadline, which EPA recognizes is not feasible, is January 1, 2009.)
Based on NMMA’s recommendations, EPA plans to host several workshops to educate manufacturers on the revised rule. Proposed workshops include two in-person sessions in Ann Arbor, MI for engine manufacturers and evaporative emission component manufacturers as well as a Web-based session for boat builders. NMMA will work closely with EPA and ABYC to develop these workshops and provide details on how you can participate as soon as they are available.