In the August 2024 MRAA Pulse Report, a monthly marine retailer survey we partner with Baird and Soundings Trade Only to produce, we found that 2024 continues to be challenging due to soft retail demand, high inventory levels, inflation, consumer hesitancy to purchase and more. This has led to a continuation of negative industry sentiment […]
Author: Jerrod Kelley
Confessions About Fishing and Your Newly Improved Dealership Assistant
I have confession to share with you. Back in the early 1990s, a buddy and I went fishing quite a bit on an Iowa farm pond. Our boat of choice was a flat-bottom, two-person vessel, similar to the PELICAN Boat Bass Raider 10E. We powered it with a trolling motor. Even though it was not […]
MRAA Adds Three Partner Members in Boatmate Trailers, Rightboat, teamMarine
MINNEAPOLIS, July 31, 2024 — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) announces the addition of Boatmate Trailers LLC, Rightboat LDT, and teamMarine as its newest Partner Members. Marine manufacturers, suppliers and service providers, through Partner Membership, commit to aligning their brands with the programs and opportunities that MRAA offers in its efforts to […]
21 Dealership Insights into What’s Working Today
• Your fellow dealers share effective strategies for conserving cash, managing inventory, connecting with customers and more As a dealership owner or manager, it would be easy to view the glass of marine retailing today as half empty, particularly when compared to the spike in demand during the pandemic. Case in point, one dealer recently […]
Lights, Boating, Action!
We own a 14-foot 1936 Lonestar fishing boat with a low-horsepower outboard named “Crappie Style.” My son, Sam, just celebrated his golden birthday, turning 15 in June. One of his summer goals is to pass the online course from BOATERexam.com, approved by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, so he and a friend can create […]
Where Are They Now? Ashley Read
• Checking in with 2016 MRAA Educational Foundation Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship Recipient Ashley Read, Colorado Boat Center Co-Owner A lot has happened in Ashley Read’s (Smith) career since she received the MRAA Educational Foundation’s Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship eight years ago. She married, bought a lake house and succeeded her parents as […]
Where Are They Now? Chad Taylor
Catching up with 2018 Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship recipient, Chad Taylor, President and General Manager, Taylor’s South Shore Marina and MRAA Board Member
Master Boat Trailering Video
• Discover Boating, in collaboration with Progressive Insurance®, launches new video in Top Safe Boating Tips series to help your customers become a pro at trailering “Trailering trailering might seem like a chore but when it’s done right it’s all smooth sailing from the driveway to the docks,” says Monica Fuentes, Discover Boating Ambassador, in […]
8 Steps for Improving at Boat Buying
There’s no doubt you want your customers to buy more boats. First, it will improve your dealership’s inventory levels and, in turn, help you gain more space in your showroom. Secondly, it will help you hone your boat-buying plan for 2025 vessels. But it can feel downright nerve wracking to focus on your dealership’s strategic […]
Where Are They Now? Patrick Green
Checking in with Patrick Green, GM at Tobler Marina, the 2018 MRAA Educational Foundation Kevin Lodder Scholarship recipient.
