Boating Industry Canada April 2016 - (Page 4)

INSIGHT I Need To Lighten Up BY ANDY ADAMS IN OUR COMPANION PUBLICATION Canadian Yachting, in the April issue, we featured a story on Underwater Lighting. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know that we often deal with important and sometimes "heavy" subjects like generating winter work or the shortage of young people joining the industry, but when I look at that article in Canadian Yachting on Underwater Lighting, it reminds me that I really need to lighten up! Apart from the obvious cheap pun, what I really like about Underwater Lighting is that it's something that enhances boating, adds pleasure and generally makes people feel good. From an industry perspective, Underwater Lighting systems are valuable accessories that usually involve worthwhile shop and labour charges, making for a very profitable accessory for the industry to sell. At a minimum, there are simple little LED lights that can be installed in place of the transom drain plug in many small boats and that alone, will give a bit of light at night. There is a system for any size of boat, from a little fishing boat to a superyacht and everything in between. Selling an owner a system that has three transom mounted LEDs and that costs perhaps $3,000 is not a big investment for the owner, but it's a worthwhile sale for the yard or marina. Typically, you can get LED lights in white, blue, green or red to suit the owner's tastes or needs. Moving up the scale, there are systems that can change colour, giving some flexibility in use and a creative opportunity for the owner. But it goes up further. There are systems that can "strobe" and even change to an input like the music feed from the onboard stereo. The boat can look like the dance floor in a nightclub! I realize that not everyone wants the boat in the next slip to be blasting music and driving the strobe lights to the beat, but some owners will love that. Underwater Lighting can be an important addition to the enjoyment of their boat and by lighting up the dark night waters, may increase boat use as well. Not to get "heavy" in the discussion again but there is a worthwhile safety aspect to Underwater Lighting too. There can be real value in that additional lighting when running after dark; it's a safety benefit that other boats can see your boat much more clearly. As a lifelong cottager, I have often been out in the dark in a busy cottage area where lights from shore sparkle across the water and make it difficult to differentiate those from the sternlight of a boat that is idling along, enjoying the evening. In particular, I was returning with friends from a dinner party last summer when we encountered a number of boats passing through a small, but not speed restricted area between two islands. The boats were all moving at different speeds. We stayed close to shore because we were going slowly, but my big concern was having another boat come up fast behind us and run up our stern. If we had been running with underwater lighting on, it would have been much easier to see our boat from a safe distance. We see Underwater Lighting as a valuable addition to your accessory line and we know there is rising interest among owners who are pleased to invest a bit more into the pleasure of going boating. Maybe we should all lighten up a bit! Andy Adams - Editor To read the digital version of Boating Industry Canada anytime visit www.BoatingIndustry.ca and click on Digital Magazine in the menu bar. 4 Boating Industry Canada APRIL 2016 http://www.BoatingIndustry.ca

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boating Industry Canada April 2016

INSIGHT
INDUSTRY NEWS
AD NAUSEAM
MANUFACTURING & FABRICATION - BOSTON BOATWORKS: Behind the scenes at Boston BoatWorks where Kevlar-protected, preimpregnated epoxy and cored construction makes the exceptional MJM Yachts super-strong and light for remarkable performance and range. – By Kate Fincham
IMPACT - GENCO MARINE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS: The family history and tradition of innovation that has shaped family-owned Genco Marine over the past 50 years – their 2016 anniversary celebrations. – By Boating Industry Canada Staff
MADE IN CANADA – ROSBOROUGH BOATS: A well-established tradition of trailerable boats continues with the Rough Water 9.11 RHIB, the latest models from Rosborough Boats – By Glen Cairns
MADE IN CANADA – NOR’EASTER BOATS: Down-east influence shapes the Nor’Easter Boats, while the builder offers owner specified features. – By Glen Cairns
ABYC - WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? ABYC challenges our readers to spot the problems in this photo. In future, readers can submit their own photos of marine systems and installations, good or bad. – By David Broadbent

Boating Industry Canada April 2016