News — Boating

Polaris Industries Looks to Make a Splash in Pontoon Boats

By: Motley Fool

The powersports vehicle maker looks to reenter the water market after leaving over a decade ago.

After a 14-year hiatus, Polaris Industries (NYSE:PII) is taking the plunge into watersports again by acquiring pontoon boat maker Boat Holdings for $805 million cash.

The powersports vehicle manufacturer exited the industry in 2004, selling both its personal watercraft (PWC) vehicles and powerboats because of changing industry dynamics. Rising costs and a lack of "commonality" with its existing powersports business led to the exit.

The market has apparently shifted once more as Polaris now says its customer base has a lot in common with boating -- 30% of them also own a boat. Buying Boat Holdings immediately catapults Polaris to the top of the pontoon market because it commands 26% of the industry.

Making waves

The boat market has been soaring. The U.S. powerboat market is an $8 billion opportunity, with pontoons one of the largest and fastest-growing segments. Polaris points out that pontoon sales have grown at an 11% compounded annual rate since 2010, though it may be starting to slow.

According to Statistical Surveys says the pontoon market grew 7.2% last year, but notes that some markets like Houston were devastated by Hurricane Harvey and finished down for the year. Prior to the storm, however, sales had been positive and many large markets still enjoyed double-digit growth. Fort Wayne, Indiana, for example surged over 22% for the year.

Pontoon boats are a versatile vessel as they can be used for fishing, sports, cruising, and day trips. That latter part is key because rival boatmaker Brunswick (NYSE:BC) -- which Polaris used to have a business relationship with when it was in the marine market -- says that overnight trips with boats are fading. Industry site Boat Industry quotes Brunswick's freshwater boat group President Jeff Kinsey as saying, "There's been a clear shift toward day boating, and that speaks directly to the pontoon with its seating capacity, its open space, its amenities and its comfort."

National Marine Manufacturer's Association data that shows where pontoon boat market share has remained steady at around 20% of the market for the past five years, cruisers with overnight facilities have just a 3.2% of the market.

Riding the rising tide

Boat Holdings generated $560 million in revenue last year with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $75 million. Polaris says that if you take into account the net present value of the tax benefits from the deal of $100 million, the purchase price represents a multiple of approximately 9.5 times Boat Holdings' EBITDA. The deal is expected to add $0.10 per share to Polaris' earnings depending on how sales do over the next few months.

Polaris has been eyeing a return to the marine market for four or five years, but couldn't find the right spot to jump in. That changed with Boat Holdings, which was originally explored last year, though Polaris CEO Scott Wine said the opportunity wasn't right then.

Boat Holdings brings with it four brands: its top-selling Bennington, which generates 70% of the company's sales; Godfrey, the third best-selling pontoon brand; Hurricane, the leading deck boat brand; and Rinker, manufacturer of sterndrive and outboard powered runabouts and cruisers.

The latter will put Polaris in competition with leading powerboat manufacturer Malibu Boats(NASDAQ:MBUU), which last year bought Cobalt Boats, the top maker of 24- to 29-foot sterndrive boats.

While the acquisition brings Polaris Industries back into the marine market, it really is a different one than it left a decade and a half ago. It's a different demographic that buys pontoons compared to those buying personal watercraft vehicles like Kawasaki's JetSki or Bombardier's Sea-Doo. 

Millennials are targeted by PWC dealers, but boat registration tracking firm Info-Link Technologies says younger families are buying pontoons and baby boomers are selling their PWCs.

Yet with the biggest manufacturer in the fastest-growing boating segment, Polaris should be able to make a big splash once again. 

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site. 

Small Efforts Make Big Difference in Recreational Boating Safety

By: National Safety Council 

There are over 11 million registered boats in the United States. Most boating experiences are positive – the stuff memories are made of. But the most joyful times quickly can turn deadly if boaters are not vigilant about safety – at all times. 

One of three things usually happens when a good day on the water turns tragic, according to the U.S. Coast Guard:

• A passenger falls overboard
• A boat capsizes
• A boat collides with another boat or object

In 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard counted 4,291 boating incidents that involved 658 deaths, 2,629 injuries and about $46 million of damage to property. 

Perils of Falling in Frigid Water

Hypothermia can set in if a person is exposed to water less than 70 degrees for too long. The body cools 25 times faster in cold water than in cold air, according to the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association. In June 2015, a Utah doctor, his two daughters and one of their friends died in the frigid waters of Bear Lake, about 120 miles north of Salt Lake City, after their boat capsized. Lance Capener reportedly swam to shore with his wife, Kathryn, only to perish when he went back for the girls. Two other teenage girls survived by massaging cramps out of each other's arms and legs and praying while waiting for help to arrive. All were wearing life jackets, but their body temperatures plummeted in the 53-degree water and 70-mph winds.

Just Wear It

Life jackets are the lifeblood of safe boating. The U.S. Coast Guard reports 76% of boating deaths in 2017 were due to drowning, and 84.5% of the victims were not wearing a life jacket. The good news is, comfortable – and stylish – Coast Guard-approved life jackets are widely available. The Wear It campaign promotes boating safety by encouraging boaters to wear life jackets all the time. Before setting sail, review a pre-departure checklist to ensure you have everything you need in your boat, including a tool box and first-aid kit. Once on the water, use common sense. In a split second, a situation can arise or the weather can turn. If you notice storm clouds, a sudden temperature drop or wind speed increasing, the best advice is to play it safe. Get off the water.

Get Educated, Reduce Risks

The National Safe Boating Council promotes safer recreational boating through education, outreach and training. In 2017, Coast Guard data indicates 81% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had no boating safety instruction. By comparison, 14% of deaths occurred where the operator had received a nationally approved boating safety education certificate. To further reduce risk, the Coast Guard offers these tips:

• Don't drink: Alcohol affects judgment, vision, balance and coordination
• Take a safety course
• Get a free vessel safety check; contact a local volunteer here
• Know about carbon monoxide; this odorless, colorless poisonous gas is emitted by all combustion engines and onboard motor generators

The extra effort that goes into taking these kinds of precautions will help create fun-filled adventures for you and your family on the water.

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.

Pontoon Boat Maintenance Tips & Tricks | Pontoon-Depot

By: Boat Life

All boats are alike—after all, they’re all designed to keep you above the water, right? Anyone who’s ever owned a pontoon boat, however, knows that there’s more to it than that. A pontoon boat can be a fun, relaxing way to enjoy the water. If you want to go on enjoying the water in your pontoon, here are some key pontoon boat maintenance tips to help keep your boat in top shape.

COVER YOUR BOAT WHEN NOT IN USE

Pontoon boats are just as susceptible to sun damage as any other boat. It’s important to cover the pontoon when it’s not in use or to keep it stored in a dry, sheltered place if possible. Why all the work? Simple: sun damage. While you can head indoors and get out of the sun, a pontoon can be exposed to a continuous blast of UV rays through the day—including the days you don’t use it. To keep its color and quality, it’s vital to add some sort of protection.

USE THE RIGHT ALUMINUM CLEANING PRODUCTS

Why a dedicated cleaner? Won’t soap and water do just fine? You’ll want this cleaner for your pontoon boat maintenance, because it has brightening and polishing properties that you can’t get from soap. The appearance of aluminum can be difficult to restore once you’ve lost it. But regularly using an anti-oxidant cleaner will help to maintain its “like new” appearance over time.When dealing with most boats, fiberglass maintenance is the name of the game. But it’s important to understand how vital aluminum is to your pontoon—and how to care for this light metal. We recommend a dedicated Aluminum Cleaner to deal with all that aluminum and make quick work of it.

SALT WATER IS DIFFERENT THAN FRESH WATER

Sure, you already knew that—but do you know how salt water affects a pontoon differently than fresh water? Some experts recommend flushing the engine after every use when you use a pontoon in salt water.

Fresh water is generally easier on your pontoon, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be exempt from regular cleaning and maintenance. Experts also recommend that you wax your pontoon every season, depending on the quality of the wax—which leads us to our next pontoon boat maintenance tip.

REMEMBER TO PROTECT

It’s important to cover your pontoon. It’s also important to regularly inspect your pontoon, especially after you bring it out of the water and have room to look at those hard-to-spot areas.

STAY VIGILANT

Your pontoon boat can be powerful and peaceful, relaxing and reinvigorating. But a pontoon is just like any other boat, which means it requires vigilance if you’re going to extend its life as long as possible. Keep it clean, inspect it regularly, and browse our full collection of boat cleaning products to help keep it 

Your pontoon boat can be powerful and peaceful, relaxing and reinvigorating. But a pontoon is just like any other boat, which means it requires vigilance if you’re going to extend its life as long as possible. Keep it clean, inspect it regularly, and browse our full collection of boat cleaning products to help keep it protected.

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.

Using Drones for Marine Photography Finding The Place for...

By: Boating Magazine

Pic By: Seahex Drones

...drones in shooting boats for photos and videos.

We’re boasting two innovations in presenting this month’s content to you, both centered on our cover.

We normally photograph cover boats from a helicopter, but the Malibu M235 gracing this issue’s cover was shot utilizing a drone. These days, using a drone for photography might appear to be a no-brainer, but the fact is the situation needs to be just right for a drone to make sense. The boat needs to be going slow enough so the drone can match speed with the boat so a blur-free still image can be shot. Still images are much more demanding in this regard than video.

Moreover, most new boats don’t look right until they are up and running at 30 or more miles per hour. Such speed delivers a bow-up attitude, ensures the stern isn’t dragging, and shows some of the boat’s bottom. It also adds energy and excitement to the image that one can feel, especially if the viewer is a boater to begin with. But higher speeds can outrun many drones and, at the least, cut down on the amount of time they can remain airborne.

Then there’s the drone pilot. How do we get the shot without including the pilot in the shot? Answer: We need another boat to chase the cover boat, which is not that big of a deal — the expense is similar to that of hiring a helicopter. But we often shoot on the ocean, and even on a calm day, the motion at the speed required makes it difficult to control the drone with precision. If any group can understand the challenge of manipulating a mini-joystick while watching a cellphone screen at planing speed in ocean swells, it’s you, Boating readers.

But for this issue we bring you the stunning Malibu M235. A watersports boat, it shows best doing what it was designed to do: make great wakes and waves for its crew to ride. Wakesurfing happens at a very drone-friendly 11-or-so mph. The photo shoot took place on a lake, the boat’s natural element. And because of the specifics of wakesurfing, we were able to incorporate innovation number two on this cover: showing watersports in action. Unlike tubing, water skiing or wakeboarding, wakesurfing occurs close to the boat’s transom. That allowed us to frame a shot to include both boat and rider at a size where the boat can still be seen in some detail (that’s why we use aerial photography for you in the first place).

I’d like to thank Garrett Cortese for spearheading this exciting cover as well as other content in this Watersports Issue. Though Cortese is the editorial director of our parent company’s Watersports Group, he is also now a newly minted member of Boating’s editorial team. He joins Pete McDonald, Jim Hendricks, Randy Vance and a host of other experienced professionals who are privileged to bring you the best boating content on the planet.

Takeaway: Drones are known as UAV:Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and require a license to fly for commercial purposes, such as a BOATING cover shoot. We wonder when boat drones will come on the scene? Will we call them UMV (Unmanned Marine Vehicle)?

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.