Anchors Aweigh

The boating industry has welcomed over 800,000 new boaters into the fold in the last couple of years and is hard at work reaching new, more diverse audiences to continue growing boating. As more and more people experience boating and boat ownership for the first time, it is incumbent on marine businesses to make sure that the boating experience is as headache-free as possible. One aspect of boat ownership that can be frustrating is not just the expense of service and maintenance, but the challenge in finding good service providers. One company looking to change that dynamic is SHIPSHAPE.PRO.

I got to speak with Merrill Charette, founder and CEO of SHIPSHAPE.PRO. While living on his sailboat the last 5 years, Merrill has launched several marine industry focused businesses, products, and even a podcast! Merrill’s Marine Industry Digital Agency helps marine businesses optimize their presence on the web. On the Shipshape podcast Merrill interviews top boating journalists, experts, and liveaboards exploring the many perspectives of life on the water and in the maritime industry. At SHIPSHAPE.PRO, Merrill is working to connect boat owners and service providers to reduce the friction of boat ownership and help boaters remain boaters for longer. Merrill was also inventor of the Dinghy Thingy which was featured at (and saved) the Newport Boat Show in 2019. We discussed life aboard a sailboat, how he got into the marine business, and much more, enjoy!

I love to mix in guests who may not be ‘in’ the boating industry but rather demonstrate to us what boating can enable. Stephen Ladd is an author and adventurer who certainly pushes the limits on where a boat can take you.

In is mid-30s, Steve designed and built a 12-foot boat named Squeak and rowed and sailed her over 6500 miles over a three year journey, chronicling it in his book Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat. Nearly two decades later, Steve teamed up with his now-wife, Ginny, to spend five years on a 21-foot boat, traveling from Florida down through the Western Caribbean, navigating the river systems of South America, having a baby in Brazil and every kind of adventure you can imagine in between. They covered over 18,000 miles via sail, rowing, and motor in some of the later stages and visited almost 20 countries.

Please Enjoy as Steve and I discuss his vessel, his journey, and the book it inspired, The Five-Year Voyage.

If you have seen a boat rising out of the water as it gets on plane and seemingly gliding above it, you have seen hydrofoiling in effect! Hydrofoils have been used in high technology applications like the Americas Cup races for years and have recently been applied to recreational craft including smaller runabouts and even surfboards!

I have been interested in learning more about foiling on the water, why they are used, what benefits they provide, and how they work. Luckily, I had a chance to speak with Tom Ward, founder of Epoch Boats.

Epoch Boats is helping usher in a new era in boating by building accessible hydrofoiling boats that are efficient, eco-friendly, and high performance. Their first class of boats is a skiff series that will be introduced in the middle of 2022.

Tom broke into the marine industry as an engineer for SeaStar Solutions where he rose to Director of Engineering and managed a fleet of test boats. He transitioned to Lippert Components where he also held the role of Director of Engineering before deciding to strike out on his own. Tom has also served on the ABYC Tech Board and is a wealth of knowledge about everything that makes boats work. We talked about growing up around boats and sailing, his experiences at SeaStar and Lippert, I got a great education on hydrofoils, and we discussed what Epoch is coming to market with. Enjoy!

Think about your typical vehicle buying experience, whether it be car or boat. You research online, head to the showroom either eager to interact with a salesperson armed with all of your knowledge or dreading the back and forth, let me ask my manager negotiation. Some showrooms may stand out to you – well decorated, nice waiting room, great coffee, for me – an area to wait with kids toys. But the experience can often be....unremarkable. And when it comes to boats, something you are buying for the fun of it, the experience should be remarkable! Boats by George, located on our home lake in upstate NY, Lake George, is turning this typical shopping experience on its head and innovating the whole boat buying process. Boats By George is celebrating its 40th anniversary and represents esteemed brands like Cobalt, which they are a top 10 global dealer for, Chris Craft, Malibu, Axis, and Barletta Pontoons. With the recent purchase of a 50,000 square foot former event space, Boats By George is creating an immersive and interactive boat buying destination.

I spoke to Adam Pensel, General Manager of Boats By George, about how this concept will redefine the showroom experience, bring new potential boaters into the mix, become part of the community, and bring back the joy in vehicle shopping. Adam worked his way up through the family business as a dockhand, delivery captain, salesperson and marketing lead prior to taking the GM role. We also spoke about his early days boating with his family then on his own by age 10, technology and connectivity trends in boating, the importance of safety and conservation, and much more.

Fun fact, Adam’s grandfather owned the marina we currently own and operate. When we were renovating, we found his original deed, and saw the mortgage payment. That has gone up just a bit in the past 60 or so years... enjoy!

Amazon, Google, Facebook....Brunswick. What do all these companies have in common you might ask? All will be exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. While you don’t often see marine brands lumped in with these technology titans, Brunswick has made innovation a key focus as technology becomes a bigger and bigger part of boating. From launching an innovation lab in partnership with the University of Illinois, to leading the way in connected boating with Nautic-On, Brunswick has recognized that in order to continue growing boating participation, technology must play an important role.

Lee Gordon has been able to combine his passion for the boating lifestyle with his skills as a communicator and storyteller honed from years as a journalist to take on the role of Director of Marine Public Relations and Communications for Brunswick Corporation. Lee Manages global public relations, communications and media activities to support all marine brands under the Brunswick portfolio including Mercury Marine, Brunswick's boat group and Business Acceleration division. Lee is in charge of communications for, it is safe to say, one of the largest marine companies in the world. Lee had a 15 year career as an Emmy nominated TV news/sports anchor for CBS and FOX, winning 25 Associated Press awards while covering some of the world's biggest events such as Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and various Super Bowls. All the while, he took every opportunity he could to get out on boats after having great boating experiences growing up in Chicago.

I recently had an opportunity to meet Lee, and to see him present, at our franchise conference as Brunswick purchased Freedom Boat Club this year, and after seeing him present I knew I had to have him on the show. He did not disappoint, as we talked about what got him into boating initially and the positive impact it has had on his life, fun stories from the boating industry life, some of the key Brunswick initiatives including presenting at the Consumer Electronics show, and more!