Join us at BB’s 25th Anniversary Party

10 Jun 2008

ANNIVERSARY: It was early 1983 that Boating Business was launched in its current form by the then Thrusting Publisher Hall and Editor Nash.

That seems a good enough reason to have a bit of a party, so come and join us for a bite to eat and a few drinks at Seawork.

Earls Court Boat Show re-brands

10 Jun 2008

BOAT SHOW: The Earls Court Boat Show has re-branded itself as The New Boat Show at Earls Court. In a statement the organisers said the move was intended 'to further differentiate it from shows of the past that were organised by National Boat Shows (NBS) and the British Marine Federation (BMF)'. 

Dufour loss sinks Portway

10 Jun 2008

ADMINISTRATION: Portway Yacht Sales has gone into administration following the withdrawal of the Dufour dealership last month. The family run business, which had three offices, called in the administrators after a potential sale of the company fell through. 

LBS wins best consumer show at AEO Awards

10 Jun 2008

BOAT SHOW: The 2008 Collins Stewart London Boat Show organised by National Boat Shows (NBS) received the highly acclaimed title of Best Consumer Show at the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) Excellence Awards 08 announced recently, and rather ironically, at Earls Court. 

Seago issues lifejacket safety warning

10 Jun 2008

SAFETY WARNING: Seago Yachting of Hailsham, Sussex, has issued a safety warning for its Seago 150 and 175 Newton lifejackets, including the Junior Lifejackets. Seago says these jackets may have a defect that could result in serious injury. 

NBS MD opens South Wales Boat Show

16 Jun 2008

BOAT SHOW: On Friday 13 June Andrew Williams, managing director of National Boat Shows (NBS), officially opened the third South Wales Boat Show at Margam Park near Port Talbot. 

Lowland canal developments completed

16 Jun 2008

SCOTLAND: Two significant projects have been completed on the Forth & Clyde Canal: Southbank Marina at Kirkintilloch, and the completion of The Boathouse pub hotel at Auchinstarry, writes Mike Balmforth. 

Nigel John retires

16 Jun 2008

RETIREMENT: After nearly 23 years in the federation, joining when it was the Ship and Boat Builders’ National Federation (SBBNF), Nigel John retired from the British Marine Federation (BMF) last week and will, by now, be found, along with Janice and Bentley the dog, in La Tremoulie in the Dordogne. 

Seawork – the success continues (Pt 11)

16 Jun 2008

SEAWORK: The 11th edition of Seawork International was the 11th year of continual success as the show saw more than 450 exhibitors attracting more than 6,500 visitors – over 8% more than last year. 

Reichhold increases European prices

16 Feb 2008

COMPOSITES: Reichhold, the giant North Carolina-based composites components manufacturing company, is to increase its prices to €110 per metric ton with effect from 1 July 2008. The price increase affects all the company’s products sold to the composites industry in Europe. 

Three jailed in first OFT cartel case

23 Jun 2008

CARTEL: Three UK businessmen were sentenced to imprisonment for between two and a half to three years for cartel offences involving allocating markets and customers, restricting supplies, fixing prices and rigging bids for the supply of marine hose and ancillary equipment in the UK. 

Raymarine warns of lower sales

23 Jun 2008

FINANCIALS: Raymarine released a pre-close trading statement last Tuesday, 17 June, warning that the company's full-year sales are expected to be lower than originally anticipated. 

Scott Bader hikes all Crystic prices

23 Jun 2008

PRICE HIKE: Scott Bader Composites Europe will be increasing prices across its European sites of all Crystic unsaturated polyester, DCPD and Vinyl Ester resins, plus all gelcoats, bonding pastes and Crystic Crestomer structural adhesive products by 100 €/mt on all invoiced orders from 1 July 2008 onwards. 

ECBS rebrands - again

23 Jun 2008

BOAT SHOW: Following closely on the rebrand from Earls Court Boat Show to the New Boat show at Earls Court, we now have the ECBS changing - hopefully got the last time - to The Sail Power & Watersports Show. 

Oulton mud aids Waveney flood project

01 Jul 2008

EAST COAST: The dredging of a Suffolk broad has been brought forward by three years, writes Debbie Cowan. The Broads Authority (BA) is carrying out the work early after the Environment Agency (EA) said it could use the 5,500 cubic metres of mud from Oulton Broad. 

Broads up for carbon audit?

01 Jul 2008

EAST COAST: The Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) is currently financing a scoping study for a carbon audit of the Broads carried out by CRed at the University of East Anglia, writes Debbie Cowan. 

Five join Broads Navigation Committee

01 Jul 2008

EAST COAST: Five new people have been recommended to join the Broads Authority’s (BA) navigation committee in September following the largest number of applications ever received for the role, writes Debbie Cowan. 

New berths in Lowestoft's Hamilton Dock

01 Jul 2008

EAST COAST: A £500,000 investment has seen the creation of 46 new berths in Hamilton Dock in the Associated British Port (ABP) of Lowestoft. 

Surf costs are up

01 Jul 2008

SOUTH COAST: Bournemouth's surf reef will end up costing double the amount first thought, it has been revealed, writes Iain Sutherland. The original estimate of £1.35m to create Europe's first artificial reef has doubled to £2.68m. 

Sailors worried Cowes could lose out

01 Jul 2008

SOUTH COAST: Top sailors in Cowes are claiming the town could lose its place as a yachting centre if boatyard facilities are lost to a hotel and retail development, writes Iain Sutherland. 

Indentured in Cowes

01 Jul 2008

APPRENTICES: Cowes based South Marine Mouldings are training six Nigerian engineering graduates in boatbuilding, writes Iain Sutherland. The six month programme has been devised as part of a contract with IMC Group, a major boat operator in Nigeria.

Some you win, some you lose…

01 Jul 2008

BOAT SHOWS: The Sportsboat & RIB show run by MDL at Hamble Point and RIBEX, run in Cowes, experienced completely contrasting shows this year, writes Iain Sutherland. 

Plymouth gets dry storage

01 Jul 2008

MARINAS: A £7m development to create Plymouth’s first purpose-built dry storage unit has been given planning permission, writes Katina Read. 

Wilkie retires, Balmforth steps up

01 Jul 2008

SCOTLAND: David Wilkie has retired from the British Marine Federation (BMF) Scotland presidency after 14 years, and also as Scottish vice-president of the BMF, writes Mike Balmforth. 

Henderson elected 1st SBA chairman

01 Jul 2008

Green launches latest Volvo boat

01 Jul 2008

SOUTH COAST: Green Marine of Lymington has launched the VOR70 for Team Russia's entry in the next Volvo Ocean Race, writes Iain Sutherland. 

WWII bomb halts Prescott Lock work

23 Jun 2008

UXB: Work on Prescott Lock was halted last month after a huge unexploded World War II bomb was unearthed on 2 June at the Prescott Lock and Water Control Structure construction site at Three Mills Island, Bow, East London during excavation works. 

Formula loses the formula

01 Jul 2008

ADMINISTRATION: The directors of Formula Yacht Spars say the company is now trading under voluntary administration. After making significant investments into the business over the past seven years the main founder of the company could no longer continue support in the current financial climate, says a company statement. 

World journos tour UK leisure marine firms

01 Jul 2008

INWARD MISSION: Supported by Marine South West, the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWERDA), Dorset County Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and sponsored by Ocean Safety and Henri Lloyd, 20 journalists from 13 countries last month went on five-day tour of UK leisure marine companies. 

Sunseeker stars in next Bond movie

01 Jul 2008

MOVIES: Sunseeker is to make its fourth consecutive appearance in a James Bond film when Quantum of Solace hits our screens in October this year. 

Yanmar approves use of B5 biodiesel

01 Jul 2008

BIODIESEL: Yanmar Marine has approved B5 Biodiesel fuel for use across most of its recreational marine engines as part of the company’s continuing efforts to encourage environmentally friendly boating. 

A bigger schplash

01 Jul 2008

AUCTIONS: Despite stagnation in certain sectors of the car market amphibious vehicles are as buoyant as ever, writes Dave Selby. Certainly, this Volkswagen Schwimmwagen looks just the thing for 'schplashing' about on the river, but the price could be a little hard to swallow. 

EA: Thames lock house sale 'on hold'

23 Jun 2008

LOCK HOUSES: In a statement issued on 20 June, the Environment Agency (EA) said it had agreed to put its Thames lock house sell-off on hold. The move came following a meeting with the minister Phil Woolas and MPs Martin Salter and Theresa May. 

If the market won't come to BBEx, we'll take BBEx to the market

23 Jun 2008

BBEx: The future of BBEx was decided at a meeting at Mercator Media last Friday 20 June. BBEx is going to adapt to move with the times and match the current market conditions.
'From the various discussions we've had with the industry and with the target audience, it became obvious the manufacturers and importers wanted us to keep BBEx,' said Mercator Media managing director Andrew Webster. 'But the target audience is no longer interested in attending BBEx.'

Dawson wins Best Marine Installation

01 Jul 2008

AWARD: Bournemouth based Dawson AV Marine won the award for Best Marine Installation at the 2008 Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) awards. 

Bruntons – 140 years old this year

01 Jul 2008

OLD AGE: Congratulations to Bruntons Propellers is 140 years old. Originally started as Barton and Co in 1868, and operating as millwrights and mechanical engineers, the company was taken over by Harold Brunton on 13 June 1908 and very soon after made its first propeller. 

Marine AV: first ever AV catalogue for the marine industry

01 Jul 2008

CATALOGUE: Tamworth, Staffordshire, based Marine AV has launched the first catalogue of audio-visual equipment for the marine industry featuring over 350 individual products and produced in full colour with over 100 pages. 

Dean & Reddyhoff go large at Portland

01 Jul 2008

MARINAS: Dean & Reddyhoff has just placed an order for the largest Hoist Neptune marina forklift ever imported into the UK, for use at the new Portland Marina in Dorset. 

Boating goes to the Motor Show

01 Jul 2008

MOTOR SHOW: The star of the Marine Experience at the British International Motor Show (BIMS), Earthrace, has transited the Suez Canal and is now on her way through the Mediterranean for her date with ExCeL and the motor show between 27 July and 3 August. 

The world’s first quad-IPS yacht?

01 Jul 2008

BIG POWER: Spotted being offloaded in Southampton recently after a delivery voyage from Florida was this 75’ Lazzara equipped with four Volvo Penta IPS drives - apparently the first in the world. 

Farming biofuel company flooded with marine orders

01 Jul 2008

WALES: A new farm-based biodiesel plant in North Wales has sparked a flood of interest from yacht and boat owners worried about rising duel costs and the November increase in diesel prices following the loss of the UK's red diesel derogation.