Boats and Boating Podcast November 17 2008

Marine Industry Podcast
November 17, 2008
Good morning, good afternoon or good evening. Welcome to marine industry podcast. Thank you for listening This is episode number 2, so oddly enough, the number two features prominently in our stories. We have good news from a pair of boating professional organizations, we have a story about a new and now available double sided bonding tape, news from I am Wesley Thouin your hust.
a marine supplier who is consolidating two facilities into one, and a new product which operates.....you guessed it... in stereo.
I dont guarantee that everything will be triples next time around, but anything can happen.

SMALL CRAFT DESIGNER AWARDED NMRA SCHOLARSHIP

Committed to fostering growth in the marine industry, the National Marine Representatives Association (NMRA) has awarded another promising student an academic scholarship. Frederick Richardson of Somersworth, New Hampshire was presented his $1,500 scholarship by NMRA member Chris Stevens of Atlantic Marketing.

A student of Westlawn Institute of Marine Technologies, Richardson plans to earn a degree in small craft design. His career goals include designing and building safe, dependable craft for private, public and military use. He also hopes to one day open a design office in the Northeast, specializing in sport fishing vessels built to the highest standards with the best materials available.

A veteran of the US Navy, Richardson is a member of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) and the Royal Institute of Naval Architects (RINA). A devoted family man, Richardson enjoys going camping, boating, fishing and attending boat shows with his wife and daughter.

WATERPROOF AMPLIFIER ROCKS OUT WITHOUT BATTERY DRAIN

Now, boaters and personal watercraft (PWC) enthusiasts can enjoy the day out on the water even more with their MP3 players, marine stereos or satellite radio. Watercraft Innovations introduces its new Full Wave Audio Waterproof Stereo Amplifier that's completely submersible and has a low power draw of less than three amps, making it the most efficient amplifier on the market. This robustly designed amp is IP68-rated and comes with the industry's only three-year unconditional replacement warranty.

Designed specifically for applications where battery capacity is limited, this durable amplifier allows users to easily enjoy music for long periods of time while out on their boats, PWCs, kayaks, canoes or ATVs. Featuring digital amplification, it boasts a true 18 W per channel, performing equally to a traditional 80 W unit.

The remote sealed push buttons let owners easily control power, volume and a mute function from any convenient location. The small profile of this amplifier allows mounting where others can't.

With the Full Wave Audio Amplifier's polyurethane encapsulation, there is no need to worry about corrosion, salt water or vibration. The MP3 connection has a gold-plated 3.5 mm jack and only marine grade wire is used to further withstand harsh marine conditions.

The system comes standard with 15' of PVC jacketed battery leads, 15' of speaker wire leads and a 6' source line.

NEW DOUBLE-SIDED TAPE ADHERES TO ALMOST ANYTHING

Bonding difficult materials, such as foam, fabrics, wallboard and plastics, can pose a huge challenge. Rhino Hide's new High Bond Acrylic Transfer Tape (HiBATT) permanently adheres to countless surfaces, including PE and PP film, PVC, metal and wood. The acrylic adhesive is particularly effective with plastic sheeting, carpeting, flooring and signs.

Extremely heavy-duty and long-lasting, the two-sided sealing and bonding scrim tape is like spray glue on a roll without the VOCs and sticky overspray. Supplied on a natural, siliconized paper release liner, HiBATT has excellent tack and high adhesive strength. It is also resistant to temperature fluctuations, UV damage, aging and water vapor.

HiBATT's special formulation provides very good anti-migration of plasticizers. Expanding and contracting with the substrate, HiBATT is durable and flexible and won't crack, become brittle or shrink.

The tape's protective cover stays in place to protect the second bond surface. For extra bond strength, HiBATT can be built up in layers. Scrim reinforcement provides improved lay down for laminating foams and films.

The 108' roll comes in widths of 1" and 3.5". The 1" version is packaged 2 rolls per case, while the 3.5" is single boxed. More information is available at www.rhinohide.com.

CONSOLIDATED FACILITY BETTER SERVES SHAKESPEARE
AND V-TRONIX EUROPEAN CUSTOMERS
Shakespeare Electronic Products Group's UK operations has completed integration of the V-Tronix facility in Westbury, Wiltshire, England into its own location in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. With this consolidation, Shakespeare offers a highly efficient local point of contact for European customers of both brands.

Tim Christie has been appointed marine sales manager for Shakespeare and V-Tronix antenna products in Europe. Shakespeare Electronic Products Group, a business unit of Jarden Applied Materials, acquired Communication Aerials and V-Tronix brands earlier this year.

"Our focus remains on delivering superior quality products and unmatched service to our customers. Our UK operations further strengthens our capacity to provide innovative, world-class marine antenna products to the European market," said Don Henry, director, marine products group.

At the upcoming METS trade show in Amsterdam, the V-Tronix booth has been relocated to stand 2.505, adjacent to Shakespeare's stand at 2.407. A sales meeting for the combined Shakespeare and V-Tronix distributors is also scheduled during METS. "We've joined together to better serve our global customers, and this translates into every aspect of our business operations," said Christie.

Columbia, South Carolina, USA-based Shakespeare is a global leader in the manufacture and marketing of marine and military antennas. They offer a broad line of antennas, mounts, connectors, and related accessories under the Shakespeare®, Galaxy®, Centennial®, SeaWatch®, CruiseNet®, and V-Tronix™ brands.

WASHINGTON, DC, November 5, 2008 - Yesterday, Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment which provides fair taxation to waterfront businesses. Amendment 6 received more than the 60 percent of votes required to make it state law.

Prior to Amendment 6, Florida’s waterfronts were taxed at their “highest and best use,” meaning that businesses were taxed for the potential use of their land instead of the actual use. This system, which created increasingly high tax burdens, forced some waterfront businesses to shut down and sell their land to developers. In many cases, these developers would eliminate boat repair facilities, dry stack storage, boat ramps and in-water slips.

“Amendment 6 is a tremendous victory for marine businesses and the many Florida boaters who depend on local waterfront businesses to store, repair, provision and launch their boats,” said David Dickerson, director of state government relations for the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). “Florida voters showed a clear understanding of how vitally important water access and the marine industry is to them and to the state’s tourism industry and local economy.”