Hi gang, Rick Ostler here from North American Waterway bringing you Bayliner Boats along with news and views from the boating industry. Unfortunately more doom and gloom to report.
Slow boating industry leads to layoffs at Four Winns
CADILLAC - Tough economic times are hitting the boating industry hard.In Cadillac, tough times led Four Winns to layoff a portion its workforce last week. Four Winns President Jeff Olson said Monday he didn’t have specific numbers but layoffs were across the board. The hope is to bring people back in a few weeks, he said.
"We’re trying to develop some sort of backlog so we can bring these people back," Olson said.
What’s hitting Four Winns now has been hitting the boating industry since last fall. Olson calls it the perfect storm of home mortgage problems in the U.S. because people often finance boats through a second mortgage loan, fuel prices and a "general malaise" among consumers.
"Everyone wants to feel down about something," Olson said.
In the last 90 days - and about the time gas hit $4 per gallon - Olson said retail sales fell off. At Four Winns boat show in Cadillac recently, the turnout wasn’t as great as it had been in previous years, partly prompted by bad weather, Olson said.
As an example of what’s happened elsewhere in the industry, Brunswick has announced plans to reduce its cost structure by $300 million. The move means permanent layoffs and factory closings at Brunswick. Suppliers too, like engine companies, are facing the same downturn in the market, ¨ Olson said.
"We’ve fortunately been able to dodge the bullet a little longer," Olson said. "We have a lot of new product where other people didn’t invest in new product."
Lines are still running for the Wellcraft boats and Four Winns’ 45-foot model.
The company is working to strengthen its Wellcraft lines while continuing an emphasis on a strong international market as dealers across the globe are re-stocking with new model year boats, Olson said.
Thanks to Matt Whetstone, cadillacnews.comJob layoffs
• Who: Four Winns
• Where: The company has laid off a portion of its workforce in Cadillac
• Extent: Specific numbers are not available, the company hopes to have people back to work soon but it depends on getting a backlog of orders first
• What’s happening in the boating industry? Four Winns President Jeff Olson calls it the perfect storm:
1) The mortgage crisis has taken away a common funding mechanism for people interested in buying boats because they may be unable to secure a second mortgage
2) Gas prices
3) A general malaise among consumers
Showing posts with label high gas prices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high gas prices. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Bayliner Boats - Layoffs at Four Winns Boats
Friday, July 11, 2008
Bayliner Boats - Drop in traffic on state canals
Sponsored by Seized Boat Auctions
Hi gang, Rick Ostler here from North American Waterway bringing you Bayliner Boats along with news and views from the boating industry. Boaters likely to log fewer miles. Drop in traffic on state canals blamed on high cost of filling gas tanks
WATERFORD -- Less gasoline, more elbow grease. Less hot rodding, more chilling. Goodbye New York City, hello Castleton.
High gas prices are putting a new twist on the fun for many boaters this summer
But it's too soon to tell whether they'll be keeping some folks off the water entirely, state canal watchers say. Through mid-June, the state's 524-mile canal system saw a 14 percent drop in the number of recreational boats traveling through its locks, said state Canal Corp. Director Carmella Mantello.
But while Mantello said she's quite sure that high fuel prices played a role in that drop, she noted that several weekends were rainy and the weather was often unpredictable. And at the same time, commercial traffic has been up sharply in the first few weeks of the season.
Having an impact, especially for weekend boaters
"There's no doubt in our minds that it is having an impact, especially for weekend boaters," Mantello said of the high fuel prices, "but it's still early. I'm not waving the white flag yet."
At Lock 2 in Waterford, Chief Lock Operator Frank Jones said lockings actually have been up slightly on most weekends, with exceptions when the weather was stormy or exceptionally hot.
Jones, who has spent 31 years working on the canal, said the main difference he sees is in how boaters are behaving and where they are choosing to cruise. In addition to what he sees himself, he said, he hears a lot about plans for the season when boaters come in for their permits.
"They're staying local," Jones said. "They're using the canal instead of going up to Lake George. They're not pulling their boats up the Northway." And while they're here, Jones and lock operator Rick Pucci said, boaters are taking things easier and saving the additional fuel they'd burn if they were going faster.
"They're not going nuts. They're not water skiiing and pulling tubes," said Jones.
The Waterford Wall, where boats can tie up for the night, is busier than ever, Pucci said, and Jones said others are heading to shallow areas and sandy beaches on the Champlain Canal to swim. Greg Schwartz, vice commodore of the Troy Motor Boat and Canoe Club in Lansingburgh, said he and his wife, Sue, have pared back their boating plans a lot because of gas prices.
Last year, while fuel was still $2.75 a gallon or less, Schwartz and a few friends planned a sightseeing journey to New York City this summer. Now, that's off. "It's become cost-prohibitive," Schwartz said. "I didn't want to take out a home equity loan to go on my vacation."
Instead, the Schwartzes will take their 31-foot Bayliner out on shorter weekend excursions, visiting neighboring boat clubs in Castleton, Coxsackie and other closer towns. They're also teaming up with other couples and sharing one boat instead of taking two.
Call it boat pooling
High gas prices also may be steering more vacationers to boats without motors, like canoes and kayaks, and to biking and hiking trails. "We are seeing good things happen on land," Mantello said. "We expect tons of people to cycle the Erie."
More than 500 people have signed up for the 400-mile Cycling the Erie Canal bike tour from July 6-13, and museum operators and festival organizers along the waterway are reporting strong interest, she said.
Meanwhile, throughout the state, "there's a huge interest in nonmotorized boats," said Ro Woodard, a boating education specialist with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "The kayaks are hot stuff."
Cathy Woodruff can be reached at 454-5093 or by e-mail at cwoodruff@timesunion.com.
Canal lock activity
Lockings on the state canal system through mid-June
2008 2007
Erie 14,792 17,196
Champlain 2,811 3,151
Oswego 2,422 2,818
Cayuga-Seneca 658 973
Total 20,683 24,138
Commercial traffic
May 2007: 0 trips
June 2007: 4 trips
May 2008: 12 trips
June 2008 (through 6/9): 3 trips
Source: NYS Canal Corp. Thanks to CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer http://timesunion.com for this.
Find out more information on Bayliner Boats Bayliner boat canvas, Do-it-Yourself bayliner cover kits and subscribe to our FREE newsletter.
Rick Ostler, North American Waterway
Please visit our sponsors, they help make this possible, thank you.
Sponsored by Seized Boat Auctions
Hi gang, Rick Ostler here from North American Waterway bringing you Bayliner Boats along with news and views from the boating industry. Boaters likely to log fewer miles. Drop in traffic on state canals blamed on high cost of filling gas tanks
WATERFORD -- Less gasoline, more elbow grease. Less hot rodding, more chilling. Goodbye New York City, hello Castleton.
High gas prices are putting a new twist on the fun for many boaters this summer
But it's too soon to tell whether they'll be keeping some folks off the water entirely, state canal watchers say. Through mid-June, the state's 524-mile canal system saw a 14 percent drop in the number of recreational boats traveling through its locks, said state Canal Corp. Director Carmella Mantello.
But while Mantello said she's quite sure that high fuel prices played a role in that drop, she noted that several weekends were rainy and the weather was often unpredictable. And at the same time, commercial traffic has been up sharply in the first few weeks of the season.
Having an impact, especially for weekend boaters
"There's no doubt in our minds that it is having an impact, especially for weekend boaters," Mantello said of the high fuel prices, "but it's still early. I'm not waving the white flag yet."
At Lock 2 in Waterford, Chief Lock Operator Frank Jones said lockings actually have been up slightly on most weekends, with exceptions when the weather was stormy or exceptionally hot.
Jones, who has spent 31 years working on the canal, said the main difference he sees is in how boaters are behaving and where they are choosing to cruise. In addition to what he sees himself, he said, he hears a lot about plans for the season when boaters come in for their permits.
"They're staying local," Jones said. "They're using the canal instead of going up to Lake George. They're not pulling their boats up the Northway." And while they're here, Jones and lock operator Rick Pucci said, boaters are taking things easier and saving the additional fuel they'd burn if they were going faster.
"They're not going nuts. They're not water skiiing and pulling tubes," said Jones.
The Waterford Wall, where boats can tie up for the night, is busier than ever, Pucci said, and Jones said others are heading to shallow areas and sandy beaches on the Champlain Canal to swim. Greg Schwartz, vice commodore of the Troy Motor Boat and Canoe Club in Lansingburgh, said he and his wife, Sue, have pared back their boating plans a lot because of gas prices.
Last year, while fuel was still $2.75 a gallon or less, Schwartz and a few friends planned a sightseeing journey to New York City this summer. Now, that's off. "It's become cost-prohibitive," Schwartz said. "I didn't want to take out a home equity loan to go on my vacation."
Instead, the Schwartzes will take their 31-foot Bayliner out on shorter weekend excursions, visiting neighboring boat clubs in Castleton, Coxsackie and other closer towns. They're also teaming up with other couples and sharing one boat instead of taking two.
Call it boat pooling
High gas prices also may be steering more vacationers to boats without motors, like canoes and kayaks, and to biking and hiking trails. "We are seeing good things happen on land," Mantello said. "We expect tons of people to cycle the Erie."
More than 500 people have signed up for the 400-mile Cycling the Erie Canal bike tour from July 6-13, and museum operators and festival organizers along the waterway are reporting strong interest, she said.
Meanwhile, throughout the state, "there's a huge interest in nonmotorized boats," said Ro Woodard, a boating education specialist with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "The kayaks are hot stuff."
Cathy Woodruff can be reached at 454-5093 or by e-mail at cwoodruff@timesunion.com.
Canal lock activity
Lockings on the state canal system through mid-June
2008 2007
Erie 14,792 17,196
Champlain 2,811 3,151
Oswego 2,422 2,818
Cayuga-Seneca 658 973
Total 20,683 24,138
Commercial traffic
May 2007: 0 trips
June 2007: 4 trips
May 2008: 12 trips
June 2008 (through 6/9): 3 trips
Source: NYS Canal Corp. Thanks to CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer http://timesunion.com for this.
Find out more information on Bayliner Boats Bayliner boat canvas, Do-it-Yourself bayliner cover kits and subscribe to our FREE newsletter.
Rick Ostler, North American Waterway
Please visit our sponsors, they help make this possible, thank you.
Sponsored by Seized Boat Auctions
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
