As a dealer, customers look to you as a leader within the recreational boating community, and for that reason it is important you champion safe boating practices and compliance with all state and local laws and regulations. Ultimately, we want you to feel confident as a business owner and your customers to feel the same […]
MRAA Blog
Victory for Boat Dealers: Florida Amends Livery Insurance Requirements
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on June 12, 2023, signed SB 418 repealing insurance requirements for boat liveries and absolves them from purchasing insurance to cover rental customers. This is a victory for Florida boat dealers. During the 2022 legislative session, the 2022 Florida Boating Safety Act (HB 493) passed, requiring boat rental facilities to insure […]
Oversight Hearing on NOAA’s Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule
A significant Oversight Hearing was held today by the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources regarding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) proposed Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule. The hearing addressed the potential impact of the proposed rule on both marine wildlife and the recreational marine industry. The […]
Minnesota Passes Mandatory Boater Education Legislation
Minnesota has passed landmark legislation requiring mandatory boater education, starting in 2025. Find out what boaters, dealers, and renters need to know.
Leverage Credit-First Soft Pulls to Improve Your Dealership’s Results
Shopping for a vessel comes with all kinds of stressors for a consumer – some of which can affect their relationship with the dealer and lender. The decision to require a shopper to undergo a credit verification can be stressful for many consumers – for different reasons! Consumers worry for various reasons, including: As a […]
Boaters Beware: E15 At Pumps This Boating Season
This boating season it is going to be imperative to pay attention at the pump, as an emergency waiver issued by the EPA will allow E15, a harmful fuel for boat engines, to be sold throughout the summer. E15, or gasoline that uses a 15 percent ethanol blend, is a widespread, common fuel type that […]
A New Restriction May be on the Horizon for Gulf Coast Boating: Petition to Establish Rice’s Whale Vessel Speed Zone
Impediments to boating access, in the forms of mandatory speed zones or restrictions on boat type or activity, stand to have a major impact on your business by either keeping boaters off the water or disincentivizing folks from buying boats. As the proposed Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule, which would mandate a 10-knot speed restriction […]
22 Tips to Tackle High Rates & Finance More Deals
Higher interest rates are putting a damper on customers’ interest in financing their boat purchases. In a recent MRAA Pulse Report Survey, about 8 out of 10 dealers cited high interest rates as the biggest obstacle to customer financing. Low lender approval rates came in second, followed by “perceived values of trade-ins” and “other.” There’s […]
Best Friend at Work
By Bob McCann, MRAA Lead MICD Program Consultant Think about your workplace for a few minutes, and imagine a stressful day – we all have them now and again. Think for a second about when that stress bubbles up, who at work do you run to? Who do you vent to? From whom do you […]
Marine Market Insights: Boat Shows, Outboards & the Inventory Race
• Lenny Sims, VP Business Development/Strategy – Specialty Vehicles for J.D. Power and the MRAA Discuss Insights on the 2023 Q1 Marine Market By Drew Mick, MRAA Data Specialist Mick: Last time we spoke, you emphasized how 2022 was showing signs of “a return to the norm.” With what we are seeing in Q1 2023, […]
