Boating Industry Canada April 2015 - (Page 8)

INDUSTRY NEWS strength of this segment of the market Aaron remarked "short of increased taxation I know of no better way to redistribute wealth than superyachts in both construction, crewing and maintenance." As for the rest of us Aaron said "the future of the middle class yacht design may be something that looks good behind a Ford pick-up." Russ Newberry - The Deadliest Catch everyone has at least heard of the reality tV show the deadliest Catch. russ served as a crewmember on several of the vessels featured on the show and appeared in a number of episodes. As one would expect, russ had some amusing stories and behind the scenes anecdotes. Although his presentation could be considered the light entertainment for the conference, russ also showed the very real dangers that await all who go deep-sea fishing. something which many in the room could well understand. Paul Gartside - Traditional Design in the 21st Century Paul is extremely well known in the wooden boat world both as a builder and even more so as a designer of beautiful sail and power boats. In a very entertaining presentation Paul outlined some of what he has learned in over 40 years in the business. however, he made no claim to having a grand plan "It is very hard to steer your business as we are usually driven by our clients in a particular direction." Chebucto Pilot built by ABCO Industries of Lunenburg. having more than one related activity does add stability to a small business. In Paul's case it is custom building, custom design and the sale of stock plans. having dipped his toe in production boatbuilding, Paul is convinced that the only way to go for the smaller operator is in custom one-off builds. he also maintains traditional or classic boat styles will always hold their value much better than the trendy designs of any period - they are always in style. Les MacIntyre - Stemming the Tide how to recruit and retain a quality workforce was the focus of Les macIntyre's talk. Les owns superport marine services in Port hawkesbury, Cape Breton, where holding on to skilled workers, when they are constantly tempted by the lure of big money in the Alberta oilfields, is a constant challenge. the recent drop in oil prices may just be a temporary reprieve. with a mix of hard data and folksy anecdotes Les outlines his belief in the value of a company and a workforce that is rooted in the community where they live. Dave Gerr - How Realistic is All-electric or Hybrid Electric Propulsion the final speaker for the conference was well known designer and author dave gerr nA who addressed the issue of hybrid propulsion systems for yachts and small commercial vessels. everybody wants to be green these days so it would seem that hybrid propulsion for boats should be a no-brainer. however in a detailed but very clear analysis dave showed how, at least for the time being, hybrid systems do not make sense from a purely practical cost benefit point of view. that is not to say, if the priority is not necessarily cost efficiency calculated in dollars per mile, but rather silent operation for example, then the trade-off for using hybrid power may be worthwhile. dave pointed out he was designing a boat for a customer who planned to do the great Loop and who's main consideration was silent operation for a much time as possible. there's no question that gliding through the countryside listening only to your bow wave is an appealing prospect. there is not sufficient space here to do justice to david's argument. his presentation did provide a great starting point for an excellent panel discussion on the prospects for hybrid propulsion both in the near term and longer. the panel consisted of tony thompson nA of eye marine, sue molloy Phd. 8 Boating Industry Canada APRIL 2015 http://www.bridgeportmarina.ca

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boating Industry Canada April 2015

Insight
Industry News
Ad Nauseam
Impact - John Pfeifer
Propulsion - Mercury's Latest & Greatest
Product Innovation - Xantrex
Made in Canada - Nova Kool
The Boat Shop - NMEA

Boating Industry Canada April 2015