20. Marina Industry
While new boat sales and marina usage are down, and the demand remains strong for superyachts and megayachts, the marina industry needs to return to its roots of service, service, and more service.

26. Marina Business
Properly maintained and managed marinas are good long-term investments, but they won’t be successful unless marinas charge enough for their services.

30. Finance & Insurance
The mortgage meltdown and credit crunch have negatively impacted consumer lending, which is also making it very difficult for boat buyers to obtain financing.

34. Grow Boating
Facing reduced funding for 2009, Grow Boating is changing focus, redirecting its assessments back to boatbuilders in hopes of increasing dealership sales.

42. Dealer Certification
Although most certified dealers believe that certification has helped grow their businesses, there is still room for improvement in terms of costs and recertification.

45. Clean Marinas Survey
Our third annual survey of Clean Marinas shows growth in both the quantity and quality of programs operating in 23 states across the country.

48. Mandatory Education
Requiring new boaters to complete mandatory boating education classes can decrease injuries and property damage. Michelle Zaloom argues that it could also increase boating participation.

51. Marina Electrical Safety
If marinas would only take two specific actions, this would be enough to prevent electrical accidents and reduce liability.

54. Economic Impacts
The current recession poses major challenges for dealerships. By practicing sound business principles, it may be possible for dealers to weather the current economic storm.

58. Fuel Costs
The volatile fuel market creates an uncertain future for marinas and boaters. How marinas adjust to this volatility will go a long way in determining their business success.

60. The World of E-business
Today’s best dealers do a great job of turning leads into profits. They do this by working with supplier partners to create positive first impressions and nurture long-term relationships.

63. Waterfront Access
Water dependent businesses are fighting to preserve waterfront access from commercial and residential developers. North Carolina shows other states how it’s done.

66. Marina Valuation
With many listings not selling, the value of marinas is expected to continue downward at least through the next 12 to 18 months.

18 Marinas and future ownership trends
Is the marina industry growing and developing or just standing still?
Dan Natchez answers this question, describing the current challenges and presenting various options for moving the industry forward.

26 Branding is good for marinas
Best Western Hotels, the Marriott Corp., and Coca-Cola are just some examples of successful branding. As marina ownership becomes more concentrated, Dennis Kissman advises marinas to consider branding.

42 Water access issues won’t go away
The loss of waterway access continues to vex the industry. Fortunately, the industry has created the Water Access Alliance as a way to ensure the boating lifestyle is available to everyone.

49 Marinas and mega-yachts
The trend? Bigger boats, particularly mega-yachts. The problem? There aren’t enough marinas to accommodate this growth in large vessels. Here are three examples of successful mega-yacht marinas.

53 Fuel prices have a negative impact
Soaring fuel prices and, to a lesser degree, changes to engines mandated by the EPA, are having a negative impact on the industry, but there’s no reason to think that boaters are throwing in the towel.

65 Clean Marinas are on the rise
MDA’s 2nd Annual Clean Marinas Survey denotes 701 Clean Marinas in the United States in 2007, an increase of 122 marinas over 2006, and the outlook appears very bright for 2008 in spite of major funding problems.

69 Get involved in legislative issues
NMMA’s new vice president of government affairs is impressed with the industry’s knowledge of legislative issues and seeks its active involvement in dealing with three important legislative issues.

77 Associations play a growing and critical role
Membership in trade associations is optional, but Van Snider explains the pivotal role these organization play in protecting and growing recreational boating.

6 On the Waterfront
High-quality customer service seems to be on the decline these days. Dan Natchez urges marinas to reclaim their focus on what matters most to boaters.

48 Water Access Trends
Tom Cox, a member of the Water Access Task Force, updates readers on the latest events. He adds that things have to be moving forward at a more rapid pace.

51 Marina of the Future
Jim Frye looks into the proverbial crystal ball and offers his perspective on what the future landscape will be for marinas.

55 Clean Marina Trends
Marina Dock Age provides an exclusive look at this slow, but steady movement. It’s a first-ever examination of success by the numbers.

66 Management Trends
Expecting others to say good things about one’s marina begins by making sure there is something good to say. Dennis Kissman explains the kind of management that generates good PR.

72 Insurance Trends
This past year was the hurricane season that wasn’t. That’s the good news for the marina insurance industry, but there’s also bad news.

76 Fuel Trends
It’s no surprise to repeatedly hear that high gas prices can hurt the boating business. Less is said, however, about the need to turn such a “negative” into a “positive.”

80 Boat Safety Trends
The U.S. Coast Guard has an ambitious, well-detailed plan to promote boating safety in the coming years—and we’ve got an advance copy of the proposed plan.