Michigan

Navico Invests to Boost Manufacturing Capabilities

Navico Group, a division of Brunswick Corporation, announced a multimillion-dollar investment in its Lowell, Mich. facility to create two Centers of Excellence in metal fabrication and electrification. The investment is intended to increase quality, capacity and efficiency, as well as improve product manufacturing capabilities, the company said.“Navico Group is committed to being a leader in metal fabrication and electrification for the industries we serve, and this investment is a testament to that” said Brett Dibkey, Navico Group President.

Mercury Marine Names Millender Bailey VP & GM, eSolutions

Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), has named Perissa Millender Bailey Vice President and General Manager, eSolutions. This new position on Mercury’s leadership team will be responsible for leading the company’s electrification business and product development strategy.Millender Bailey joins Mercury following an 18-year career with Ford Motor Company, most recently serving as the company’s global technology strategy and planning director. At Ford, she spearheaded electric vehicle user experience…

Neff Named Boston Whaler President

Brunswick Corporation announced Kris Neff has been named President, Boston Whaler and Nick Stickler has been appointed Vice President of Category Management and Strategic Planning at Mercury Marine. Both announcements are effective immediately.Neff joined Brunswick in 2005 and over the past 16 years, has held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility across many divisions. Most recently, he was the Vice President of Category Management and Strategic Planning at Mercury Marine.

PROFILE: Boat-Building Icon Leon Slikkers Retires from Tiara Yachts

In a career that began with building wooden runabouts, Slikkers pioneered sport, sail and pleasure boats..Leon Slikkers, a marine industry pioneer, whose career building boats dates back to the 1940s, is retiring from Tiara Yachts, the company announced. An industry trendsetter who bucked conventional wisdom when it came to building boats out of fiberglass instead of wood, Slikkers, now 93, founded S2 Yachts in 1974. The company initially focused on trailerable sailboats, but…

Brunswick Appoints Arbuckle as Marine Autonomy Technology Lead

Brunswick Corporation, in a move to to build on its ACES (Autonomy, Connectivity, Electrification & Shared Access) strategy to develop solutions to further improve boater experiences, named Jason Arbuckle to a newly formed role of Marine Autonomy Technology Lead. Arbuckle joined Mercury Marine in 1997 and has since advanced through the company, working to lead some of the company’s many award-winning innovative technology solutions. Throughout his career, Arbuckle has been instrumental…

MasterCraft to Acquire Crest Marine

MCBC Holdings, the parent entity of MasterCraft Boat Company, and NauticStar announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Crest Marine, a vertically integrated manufacturer of high-quality pontoon boats in the United States, for approximately $80 million.MasterCraft also expects that approximately $10 million net present value of future net tax benefits will accrue to the combined company. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar 2018, subject to customary closing conditions…

Safe Harbor Marinas Acquires Grand Isle Marina

Safe Harbor Marinas has acquired Grand Isle Marina in Grand Haven, Mich., about a three-hour drive from both Chicago and Detroit. Located along 21 miles of inland waterway and just minutes from Lake Michigan, Grand Isle Marina features 400 permanent boat slips and about 150 dry racks. Safe Harbor Marinas said it is seeking to expand and diversify its inland and coastal marina portfolio. One of the key reasons the company acquired Grand Isle Marina is its proximity to another marina owned by Safe Harbor along the same waterway. The company projects that this common ownership will help develop transient boating opportunities in the region.

ABC Draws 35 Industry Organizations as Co-hosts

The 2016 American Boating Congress (ABC) will be co-hosted by 35 industry organizations, working together to create a dynamic and engaging program that meets the needs of the entire recreational boating industry. Now in its fourth year, the ABC co-host program brings together organizations across all industry segments to strengthen recreational boating’s collective advocacy impact. These organizations have committed their time and resources in order to develop an event that will create a louder voice for recreational boating on Capitol Hill. ABC will be held in Washington, DC on May 9-11, 2016.

Collaboration Helps Save 2 from Sinking Yacht

The U.S. Coast Guard, the Alpena Sheriff's Department and several good Samaritans are assisting two men aboard a 42-foot sailboat that began taking on water early Wednesday morning 18 miles east of Alpena, Michigan in Lake Huron. Shortly after 9 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, received a call from two men aboard a 42-foot sailboat stating their vessel was taking on water approximately 18 nautical miles east of Alpena in Lake Huron. The men stated they were currently using a hand pump to dewater the vessel.

USCG Medevac Man from Sailboat on Lake Huron

U.S. Coast Guard crews conducted a MEDEVAC of a 74-year-old man from a 35-foot sailboat involved in the Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race early Sunday morning on northern Lake Huron. The man's name is not being released by the Coast Guard and there is no video or imagery available for this case. Just before 6:30 a.m., the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Alder, homeported in Duluth, Minnesota, and deployed to assist with the race, was contacted by the sailboat stating that a crew member had lost consciousness for approximately three minutes and had a history of heart issues.

Kadey-Krogen Yachts Celebrates 600th Yacht

With new projects on the drawing board and the sales ticker counting higher, 2014 was bound to be a milestone year for Kadey-Krogen Yachts. Today the company is happy to announce their 600th new boat sale, a Krogen 44’ AE, to two new members of the Kadey-Krogen family of owners. Kadey-Krogen Yachts also thanks and congratulates Greg Kaufman, Kadey-Krogen Yachts sales executive, who produced this record sale. “Who would have thought that when the late naval architect and designer James S. Krogen doodled the first version of a Krogen 42’ on a napkin for Art Kadey it would result in Kadey-Krogen Yachts that would sell 600 yachts?

Dr. Shrink Holds Golf Outing for Charity

Well-recognized for its high-quality products and world-class service, international premium shrink wrap supplier Dr. Shrink also gives back to its community. For the fourth year, Dr. Shrink hosted its annual benefit golf scramble with the charity Love INC. A great day of golf, raffles, prizes, customers and friends, the event raised $5,000 for Love INC. The tournament took place at the Manistee National Golf & Resort in Manistee, Michigan. "Love INC of Manistee has been blessed to have Dr.

Accon Signs New Rep Group

To increase its sales force, Accon Marine brings on a new rep group, Cressy Marketing, which will cover Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois for the stainless steel hardware manufacturer. "We are pleased to join forces with such a well-established company committed to innovation and growth in the marine industry," said Jim Cressy, partner at Cressy Marketing. "Cressy Marketing is a great addition to our team," added Bernd Czipri. "Their industry knowledge and experience will help grow our business in this territory.

USCG Rescues 4 after Vessel Hits Breakwall

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rescued four men after the 30-foot vessel they were aboard struck the breakwall on the north side of the Milwaukee Harbor entrance late Thursday evening. Just after 9:30 p.m., local time, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan in Milwaukee received notification from the Milwaukee Police Dispatch of a 30-foot vessel that had hit the Milwaukee Harbor outer breakwall with three possible injuries reported. Sector Lake Michigan directed the launch of a crew from Coast Guard Station Milwaukee, aboard a 45-foot response boat.

ZF Marine’s Halavacs Dies at 59

AJ Halavacs, Pleasure Craft Product Line Manager, North and Central America at ZF Marine Propulsion Systems Miramar LLC, the North American arm of ZF Friedrichshafen AG Marine Propulsion Systems, has died after fighting illness for a number of years. He was 59. “It’s a devastating loss to our team and to the industry” said Wolfgang Schmid, Director, Industrial Technology, Head of Marine Propulsion Systems Region North and Central America. “The consummate salesman, AJ had a gregarious personality not soon forgotten. It seemed that there wasn’t a person in this business that didn’t know AJ.

Marlow-Hunter Rendezvous at Specialty Yachts

The 2014 summer rendezvous schedule starts with something special, "We congratulate our long time dealer consistently in the Top 10 in sales and customer service on being in business for 50 years," said John T. Peterson, President of Marlow-Hunter, LLC. With more than 120 boats expected for this event held at Thesis Island at Telegraph Harbour Marina, Lawrence Fronczek, owner and President of Specialty Yachts, said, “Our success started with my father some 50 years ago this summer by placing the customer on a pedestal and never taking your eye off of him.

Body of Missing Boater Found in Lake Michigan

The search for a missing man in Lake Michigan ended Tuesday afternoon as search crews from the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police located the body of the man on the shore of Lake Michigan in northern Muskegon County, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said in a press announcement this afternoon. The search commenced Monday night after a watchstander at Coast Guard Station Ludington, Michigan, received a phone call from the man’s friend reporting that the man had not reached his destination. The missing man left Whitehall Marina in Whitehall, Michigan, at 1 p.m.

Coast Guard Searching for Missing Man in Lake Michigan

U.S. Coast Guard crews are searching for a man who went missing from his boat in Lake Michigan, Monday night. The search commenced at 7 p.m. after a watchstander at Coast Guard Station Ludington, Michigan, received a phone call from the man’s friend reporting that the man had not reached his destination. The missing man left Whitehall Marina in Whitehall, Michigan, at 1 p.m. and told his friend that he was going to sail 39 miles north in Lake Michigan to Snug Harbor in Pentwater Lake. When the man had not reached Snug Harbor by 7 p.m., his friend called Coast Guard Station Ludington.

American Boating Congress Draws 36 Co-hosts

Partnerships showcase growing industry-wide commitment advocacy, unity on Capitol Hill. In 2013, the American Boating Congress (ABC) was co-hosted by 31 industry organizations who worked together to create a dynamic and engaging program, that met the needs of the entire recreational boating industry. This year, driven by 2013’s success, 36 industry partners have agreed to co-host ABC, answering the call to strengthen the industry’s collective advocacy impact. ABC will be held in Washington, DC on May 5-7, 2014.