Boats, marine and boating trends

Partnership combines technology and sportsmanship for yachting's top challenge

Munich, 07/16/2008 -- BMW and ORACLE Racing said today that they were very pleased to announce the renewal of their partnership in BMW ORACLE Racing, as they prepare to compete for the next America's Cup.

Speaking at a press conference at BMW Welt, which adjoins the firm's headquarters in Munich, Russell Coutts, the team's CEO and skipper, said they were delighted to be renewing a strong partnership that is now entering its seventh year. Both Coutts and Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management BMW Group, Sales & Marketing, said they looked forward to seeing an exciting event with the technologically demanding multihull yachts to be used in the 33rd America's Cup.

"We are proud to continue this partnership with BMW," Coutts said. "Trying to win the America's Cup is about combining the world's top design and engineering excellence with a passion to succeed. The Cup is a marriage of technology and sportsmanship. And, as BMW is also showing in Formula One racing, this is something it understands extremely well." Coutts added: "We greatly value BMW's team commitment, and will continue to support the values that BMW and ORACLE represent in aiming to compete at our best in the special challenge the next Cup is shaping up to be."    » read more »

21 June the race will be in Copenhagen

June 20, 2008 -- This summer, Volvo Cars is highlighting an entirely new sailing concept in Scandinavia called Volvo City Sailing. The event is aimed at both beginners and experienced sailing enthusiasts. On 21st June the competition can be watched in Copenhagen, in August Gothenburg and Oslo. In September Helsinki will host the race.

"It's an exciting Volvo Ocean Race in miniature designed to be both simple and enjoyable for the participants. We naturally hope it will attract a large public following," says Bengt Magnusson, project manager at Volvo Cars Sweden.

With Volvo City Sailing, the company is aiming at the wider public in the sailing fraternity, offering a variety of activities featuring well-known artists, hands-on events, festival areas and the chance to test drive the latest Volvo models.

"Volvo City Sailing is a concept that we have started in Sweden as well as a few other places in Scandinavia. If the project is successful, we will expand it to additional markets. Our aim is that the competition should gradually grow into one of the world's largest sailing competitions in terms of the number of participants," says Johan Bexell, sponsorship director at Volvo Cars.    » read more »

May 29, 2008 -- The Volvo Ocean Race has confirmed Fan Pier in Boston as the sole North American stopover when the race visits the US East Coast port city in April-May 2009.

Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping in 11 ports around the world and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier global race for professional racing crews.

Agreement between race organisers to bring the race to Fan Pier has been backed by the city of Boston and has been made possible by the efforts of the local developer Joe Fallon, who is working closely with city officials to ensure a successful, world-class event at the coveted waterfront location - Fan Pier.

The entire stopover facility including berthing for the seven-boat fleet, race village, entertainment complex and haul-out area will be accommodated on a five-acre Volvo Ocean Race zone within the development site.

Two weeks of festivals and local events are planned for the beginning of May 2009, to celebrate the arrival and departure of the Volvo Ocean Race, Boston's maritime history and the sport of sailing.

The Fallon Company is owner and developer of the large-scale, 21-acre Fan Pier site. Fallon's plans for the area include a five-star hotel, offices, designer boutiques, restaurants and luxury condominiums with 360-degree views of the Boston skyline and harbour.    » read more »

March 14, 2008, HOUSTON, TEXAS – Cummins Inc. (NYSE), on behalf of the Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) today affirmed the industry’s support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Final Marine Engine Rule. Geoff Conrad, Cummins General Manager – Marine, made the announcement today at a press conference hosted by the EPA.

The Final Marine Engine Rule is intended to reduce emissions from diesel-fuelled engines installed in marine vessels and locomotives. The legislation completes a series of national emissions standards that apply to diesel engines used for a range of major applications.

Due to the unique installation requirements of both marine and locomotive applications, as well as the resources and infrastructure in place to service these markets, Cummins and the EMA worked closely with the EPA on the development of the legislation and its implementation schedule.

Industry experts and marine designers were enlisted to perform a thorough analysis of the ruling’s impact on both the design and operation of a vessel to ensure the industry could continue to operate while achieving a meaningful reduction of emissions.    » read more »

Significantly Improved Fuel Economy During Cruising

TOKYO, Japan, March 6, 2008 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it has implemented model changes for its BF50 (50HP) and BF40 (40HP) medium-sized, 4-stroke outboard engines. The new models will be available starting March 6 at Honda outboard engine dealers throughout Japan.

The new BF50 and BF40 outboard engines will retain their class-leading lightweight, compact packaging, enhanced with PGM-FI1 electronic fuel injection, Honda’s original BLAST2 (Boosted Low Speed Torque) air/fuel ratio and ignition-timing technology, and lean-burn control to deliver powerful startup and acceleration together with outstanding fuel economy during cruising.

BLAST, along with a newly designed gear case and other improvements, contributes to improved acceleration and a higher top speed, while lean-burn control results in a 22%3 improvement in fuel economy over the previous model4 during cruising. Battery charging capacity has also been increased to 17 amperes—over 1.7 times that of the previous model—to achieve class-topping5 charging performance.

1 PGM-FI (Programmed Fuel Injection) is a registered Honda trademark.    » read more »

Honda Display Overview

TOKYO, Japan, February 26, 2008– Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will display its full lineup of 4-stroke marine outboard engines at the Japan International Boat Show 2008 in Yokohama (Thursday, March 6 ~ Sunday, March 9, 2008 at Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan). At this, largest marine exhibition in Japan, Honda will unveil two new mid-sized marine outboard engines that combine outstanding performance with superior fuel economy.

The theme of the Honda exhibit will be “combining boating pleasure with superior fuel economy”. In addition to featuring a lineup of 18 Honda 4-stroke marine outboard engines, from the smallest (2HP) to the largest (225HP), the display will convey the evolution of Honda’s marine outboard performance, backed up by the development history and technologies of the environmentally responsible 4-stroke engine, while presenting a diversity of boating styles featuring Honda marine outboard engines. There will also be an exhibit introducing Honda’s efforts to preserve the global environment through ongoing beach cleaning activities, featuring Honda’s own original towable beach cleaner.

Source:Honda Marine

Portsmouth, England, 18 February, 2008 -- Norway's Knut Frostad (40) has been appointed as Chief Executive of the Volvo Ocean Race. Frostad, who has taken part in the Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race four times, twice as skipper and manager of his own projects, will take up his position at race head quarters in Whiteley, UK, on 3 March.

With background in business management and administration, Frostad has also been a board member and industrial advisor to leading companies as well as a sought after business speaker in Europe.

Gerry Keaney, chairman of the board of Volvo Event Management and Senior Vice President of Volvo Car Corporation, said:

"We are proud to welcome a man of Knut's calibre to our team and look forward to working with him during the build up of the race and throughout the race itself. His sporting and business prowess marks him out as an excellent choice and we are very pleased that Knut has taken up the position of CEO. He is a top sailor and we welcome him onboard."

Knut Frostad said that the Whitbread/Volvo has been a big part of his life for 15 years and that this would be a dream job.    » read more »

Mercury, PCM, Yamaha and Volvo Penta Rank Highest in Marine Engine Customer Satisfaction

MIAMI: 14 February 2008 — Mercury, PCM, Yamaha and Volvo Penta each rank highest among marine engine manufacturers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Marine Engine Competitive Information StudySM released today at the Miami International Boat Show.

Now in its seventh year, the study measures overall customer satisfaction with four marine engine types: EFI inboard; four-stroke EFI outboard; two-stroke DI outboard; and EFI sterndrive. Overall customer satisfaction index scores are based on performance across seven factors: starting ease; quietness at cruise; reliability; fuel economy; shifting smoothness; lack of exhaust fumes; and ability of boat to accelerate rapidly. The study also examines engine quality, where scores are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) engines and a lower score reflects higher quality.

Outboard DI two-stroke segment
Mercury leads in the outboard DI two-stroke segment for a third consecutive year, with slight improvements in engine quality since the 2007 study. Evinrude closely follows Mercury in the segment.    » read more »

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Despite Quality Improvements Across the Industry, Overall Boat Owner Satisfaction Remains Unchanged

MIAMI, 14 February 2008 — Bass Cat, Cobalt, Correct Craft, Grady-White, Manitou, MasterCraft and Regal each rank highest in new-boat owner satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Boat Competitive Information StudySM released today at the Miami International Boat Show.

Now in its seventh year, the study examines the sales, service and product experience of new-boat owners. Owner satisfaction with new boats is measured in seven segments: ski/wakeboard; fiberglass bass boats; small runabouts (16 to 19 feet); large runabouts (20 to 29 feet); coastal fishing (17 to 30 feet); pontoons; and express cruisers (24 to 33 feet). Overall customer satisfaction index scores are based on performance in eight factors: cabin; engine; ride and handling; helm and instrument panel; design and styling; sound system; water sports; and fishing.1

Bass boat segment    » read more »

Portsmouth, England, January 18, 2008 - Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala, is confirmed as the host of the second stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in December 2008. The Indian stopover will come at the end of the second leg of the race from Cape Town, South Africa. Kochi will be the first of three new ports in Asia.

At the Abad Plaza in Kochi today, the stopover port agreement was signed by Andy Hindley, Race Director for the Volvo Ocean Race; Mr. N. Ramachandran, Chairman, Kochi Port Trust and Mr. KG Mohanlal, Managing Director, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

Also present at the press conference were Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the Hon. Minister for Home, Vigilance and Tourism and Dr. Venu, Secretary of Kerala Tourism.

The Kochi Port Trust, which will be responsible for organising the stopover, with the full backing of the Kerala Tourism Department, welcomed the signing of the port agreement today and is confident that the stopover will give Kochi great exposure.

"India has never hosted such a prestigious sailing event and we are very excited that Kochi has been chosen," said Mr. Ramachandran.    » read more »