Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

[outboardnut]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

The best commentary I've seen regarding the economy is this:

"Joblesness is not due to a lack of jobs -- it is due to a lack of skills!"

To validate this, I read recently about a fellow who started a shipbuilding (actually an ocean going barge) business and had to hire skilled welders from other countries because he couldn't recruit any here. Opportunity abounds -- but people are simply refusing to upgrade or learn the skills needed to go after those jobs. Can't afford school is not a valid excuse. You can't afford NOT to cross-train these days. OK -- I'm done here. Blood pressure you know!!!!

I have a tough time buyng this........there are skilled welders everywhere. He probably didn't want to pay what a qualified welder gets......and chose to use cheaper, foreign labor under a disguise.
If you don't believe me call your local ironworkers union hall.........they are not taking anybody in due to a "lack or work".
I do agree that if you can't find a job you need to upgrade your skills and something will come your way.
Also, the boating ecomomy in my neck of the woods has been crap IMO since gas hit $2. Whenever it goes up over $3 here it REALLY slows down.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

I just recently went to a huge boat show. Two things surprised me....

1. I saw a boat on the floor. I checked out the engine...a 2006 model!! And this was a Feb 2008 boat show!

2. The prices! A 14' boat with a 25hp was 6g's. That's nuts.

I personally hate 4 strokes for anything but houseboats and maybe large party barges. If I can help it, I will never own one. My 28hp 2-stroke will give a 40hp 4stroker a run for it's money. And be simpler and easier to maintain and half the weight while doing it.

And I hate the idea that my tax dollars are helping to bail out poorly run airlines. (This was from another thread on this post.)

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

And I hate the idea that my tax dollars are helping to bail out poorly run airlines. (This was from another thread on this post.)

Well, rest assured, they aren't being baled out... all those government funds they are getting, barely cover the executive bonuses.

 

[Hardaground]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

March 27, 2998 *

Yacht maker lays off unionized staff
Posted By Matthew Van Dongen, Standard Staff
Posted 1 day ago

A struggling St. Catharines yacht maker has laid off its unionized workers while the owner searches for new investors, says a union official.

?It?s not closed down, but all our members were laid off as of Tuesday,? Wayne Gates, president of Canadian Auto Workers union Local 199, said of Neptunus Yachts.

?I talked with the owner (Tuesday) ... he?s trying to get new investors. Hopefully that will be successful and our members will get back to work.?

The high Canadian dollar has pummeled the luxury yacht maker, which sells many of its custom creations to U.S. buyers.

The workforce at the Port Weller plant had dropped from a high of about 100 in early 2007 to 35 in February of this year. About 17 of those were unionized, said Gates.

In February, owner Ken Nichols expressed hope potential orders on the horizon might bump the workforce back up to 50.

He noted the luxury boat business is cyclical, and that the company was considered successful in 2006 operating with 60 employees.

It wasn?t clear Wednesday night whether the company?s non-unionized employees were still on the job.

Reached Wednesday night, Nichols said he didn?t yet want to comment on the company?s situation.

But he confirmed the layoffs occurred and added he hoped they would be temporary.

In the past, the yacht maker?s annual sales were in the range of $10 million to $24 million.

 

[BillP]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

It's unbelievable what boats are selling for now in Florida. This past week...

First...2006 36' Contender with tripple 250hp obs and rigged to the max for offshore fishing...30hrs mint, sold for $90k...approx 1/3 of new cost.

Another...2005 48' SeaRay...sold for $340k...approx 1/3 of new cost.

Again...2006 26' SeaCat cuddy with twin 150x4s Suzukis...$24K.

It's getting common to see deals like this.

bp

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

It's getting worse, not better. Mercury just laid off another 50 white collar types and is actually praying that their union employees go on strike so that they don't have to lay them off. I think we are going to see a number of dealers close for good after this season.

On as more positive note, for me anyway, business is up 2% over same time last year.

 

[BillP]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

In the last couple weeks I've talked to two pro boat "speculators" here in Florida. They have (as of lately) been buying boats cheap and shipping over to Europe. They have brokers on the other end to handle the sales but evidently the boats are sold as fast as they arrive and selling prices are very high compared to the USA. These are 40'-50' range ready to go powerboats and not projects.

I also spoke to a pilot (airplane) friend yesterday. We got on the subject of aviation fuel prices ($5.50 gal). He said private plane prices are also plummeting and Europeans are coming to the USA to buy planes too.

bp

 

[Lundman]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

It's getting worse, not better. Mercury just laid off another 50 white collar types and is actually praying that their union employees go on strike so that they don't have to lay them off. I think we are going to see a number of dealers close for good after this season.

On as more positive note, for me anyway, business is up 2% over same time last year.

This might be just a bit "off topic",I think,...but did I hear recently that
Mercury was moving some motor production to China? If that is any bit
true,...no wonder people are finding themselves out of work and our
economy in recession. Could that be the reason for the layoffs,you think?

As for dealers closing for good,...I hope not. I don't want to have to drop
$60 bucks in my Buick Rendezvous SUV and drive to Michigan to a larger
Lund dealer just to get my A-14 utility-v bottom Lund boat I want. I
would like to keep it local here in Indiana so I won't have to drive that far.

We have weathered many economic "storms",and recovered from it all be it
slowly,...but we did recover. Heck,the auto industry is far worse off than the
Marine industry. Seems that anytime we have any kind of an economic slow
down,the auto industry is the first to get hit by it.

 

[ziemann]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

The Mercury venture in China with their 40, 50, 60's is old news. ALthough I would agree that it is sad, it is part of their global strategy to compete with other manufacturers in order to survive long term....

Do a search on the subject- it has been discussed and then beat to death...then hamburger was made out of it....then it was sold to a Chinese McDonalds....

 

[cbavier]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

We can thanks NAFTA and CAFTA and all the other Afta's for our Economic downturn. Big buisness is lapping up the profits while our economy is gone to H**L . Thanks to you know who for signing it. He sold us "Americans" down the drain and now wants to become First_____ in the white house. It's a good thing the Columbian Deal was shot down or we would have even been in further demise. All Big Business could see was cheap labor and high profits which lead to Ridiculously high CEO's wages. Thus the American and particularly the middle class have paid the price. It hurts the Marine industry as well as all manufacturing jobs in America. We've lost our Steel Mills, Textile Industry, almost our Auto Industry and the Marine Industry will be right behind it as well as other manufacturing jobs.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

It seems to be sort of a mixed bag here in south Louisiana. My local OMC/BRP dealer is doing well on repair and service work. I recently asked him to time and carb tune my motor just because I don't have a test wheel and don't feel like trying to do the work in the water with the prop on it. He can't even touch my motor for three weeks.

He also has a guy selling Sundance boats (similar to Carolina Skiff), packaged with trailers and Yamaha motors. They say they are doing well and I believe them because I have been seeing the boats all over my area.

On the flip side, I am seeing used boats for sale all over the place. Most seem to be the gas guzzlers. The shrimpers here are also taking a beating and many are getting out of the business. This situation, however, is not just due to fuel prices - it has been going on for some time due to "dumping" of shrimp in the U.S. market by foreign sellers.

Since the boating season is essentially 12 months per year where I live, I think that it is much more integral to everyday life than in most places. This, I think, is why my local dealer is still hanging in there. But, I do think that there is a certain reality in the cost of fuel these days, and it seems to be showing up in boat size. Perhaps the decent boat sales that I mentioned before are because folks are dumping their larger boats for something smaller and more economical.

 

[cbavier]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

I don't think it's just the cost of fuel but it is also the loss of jobs, the surge in inflation as well as the decline in the value of the American dollar. It's everything compounded that's causing the problems. Higher taxes and lower wages means cutbacks and the extras and pleasure Items are the first to feel the pinch or get the axe. I don't see it getting any better either, at least not soon.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

I work at Bennington marine and it is pretty bad, last year at this time we were doing 28 a day and 26 every other Sat. now we are at 18 a day 4 days a week and we are doing better than almost everyone else from what I hear.
I have heard as low as 5 a day 4 days a week.
I am a supervisor so I am still getting my time but my guys are really hurting, some haven't woked 40 hours all year.
I have heard production is off more than sales so dealers are selling boats and not reordering so I am hoping they run out of boats soon.

 

[Godsgift2drums]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

As long as there are taxpayers and roads needing to be built, i will always have a job, but if the day comes to where I lose MY job, then i can guarantee you that the economy is pretty much no more.

 

[azlakes]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

As long as there are taxpayers and roads needing to be built, i will always have a job, but if the day comes to where I lose MY job, then i can guarantee you that the economy is pretty much no more.

... amen. we have changed our state flower to the "construction cone". what is it with your bosses anyways? they had to redo a perfectly new freeway because they forgot to put in the car pool lanes. or was that budget tatics

this years on the waterboat show was the worst on record for a local dealer. he said people are looking and just not buying. someone here said it best. "no one needs to buy a new boat, he certainy needs to sell one"

 

[mickjetblue]

Re: Just how bad off is the marine Industry?

I had occasion to talk to a fisherman fishing from a chair in the boat launch
area. He knew quite a bit about the waters in the area, and was willing to share
what he knew about it. He also said that he has a jon boat with a jet motor on
it, but he couldn't afford to run it anymore with the high price of gas.

Have to admit, made me feel kind of sad overall.