Boating Industry

March 2017

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March 2017 | Boating Industry | 17 [ Boot Düsseldorf ] www.BoatingIndustry.com show. It hosted surfing demos and competitions, as well as giving attendees a chance to try it out. "With the WAVE, we took the plunge with something that is unique in the world," Micheli- dakis said. "The first standing 'Deep Water Wave' at a water sports trade fair developed into a major attraction for visitors right from the start." More than 93,000 fans cheered on the star surfers not only during the contests on both boot weekends but also when they were training dur- ing the week. Almost 1,500 people – from begin- ners to the world champion – surfed the up to 4.9 feet high "WAVE" during the nine days of boot. Water sports boats were also well repre- sented at the show. MasterCraft's new XT21 made its European debut at the show. The mid-sized crossover adds a 21-footer to the existing XT23 and XT25. The new series is a step up from the NXT series and MasterCraft expects it to drive plenty of sales to new boaters, said Jay Povlin, vice president of sales and marketing for MasterCraft. Now that the NXT has been in the field for a while, MasterCraft has found 40 percent of NXT buyers are first-time buyers and an additional 30 percent are coming from the sterndrive segment. The company is aiming for similar numbers for the XT series. After the United States and Canada, Europe is MasterCraft's largest market. There is great potential for growth, Povlin said, as wakesurfing hasn't caught on in Europe to the extent it has in the United States, but there are lots of skiers and recreational users. Environmental actions There was also an emphasis at boot Düsseldorf on protecting the environment in general and the oceans and waterways in particular. Boatbuilders exhibiting at the show said there is a much higher demand for electric propulsion in Europe, with many lakes banning the use of gas-powered motors. Dr. Christoph Ballin, CEO of Torqeedo, said the company is experiencing growing demand for its products across the world, but that Europe is ground zero. He said that the growth of electric vehicles from companies like BMW and Tesla is a great sign of the potential for electric boats. The "Love Your Ocean" campaign was also an important theme of the show, with a number of displays and educational sessions around that theme. A cooperative project between the Ger- man Ocean Foundation and boot Düsseldorf with support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, it raised awareness of and interest in protecting oceans and water environment. In the presence of the Prince of Monaco, the three part- ners signed a cooperation agreement launching the "Ocean Tribute" at the boot VIP "Blue Motion Night" event. This award will be presented for the first time at boot 2018 in the categories society, science and industry to honor innovative ideas and products that protect the water environment. An indoor cable park gave attendees a chance to enjoy water sports. More than 240,000 attendees visited the nine-day show, which included an emphasis on the environment (top) and many U.S. companies, such as Sea Ray (bottom).

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