Here are a few of my observations heading into the new season

By Commodore Doug Jackson

Boat shows

     It’s boat show season. I attended the Cleveland Boat show to support our booth. The club purchased a new backdrop for the show which looks fantastic. But, frankly, we didn’t do too well at the boat show in terms of signing up new members. As a cruising club, we’re finding that most of the boat shows are trending away from bringing cruising boats in favor of center console and fishing boats. 

     These areas of the show seemed to do well. But the boat shows are not drawing as many cruising boats, limiting our field of potential new members. As time moves on, our club will need to continue to evolve as we look for new ways to find cruising boaters

     It seems clear to me: The boat shows are becoming less effective.

Marine industry workforce shortages

    The marine industry is facing a technician workforce shortage. New folks are not entering the marine technician field. This is a real issue. Not only does it impact marinas, yards, and boat dealers, but also us as boating consumers who need to be able to get our boats serviced and repaired.

     I spoke with two different marine service organizations at the Cleveland show who told me this is critical for them to find employees. Both told me that as technicians age out and retire, they are not getting a similar number of young people entering the industry. One group told me they are happy to pay for the 2-year technical training for an employee to help get trained. And frankly, the compensation for trained technicians is quite good, so why aren’t more people entering this industry? 

     Most firms think potential employees believe the work is seasonal (especially in the Great Lakes area), that there are not enough jobs in the industry, and that the jobs don’t pay well.

     I suppose the good news is that all of these are false. Yet finding, attracting, training and retaining potential technicians continues to be a significant problem.

     It’s not just me. Recently, I received my February issue of Lakeland Boating magazine. It is now doing a three-issue series on this topic. It’s a big issue for our industry.

Cruising this summer

     In this issue of the Lifeline newsletter, you’ll find links to a cruising article written by John Siwicki about cruising on Lake Huron, specifically Lexington and Port Sanilac (H-54 and H-54). Not only are these good stops for cruisers headed north from Lake Erie and the Detroit area, but also fun stops with their own personality

     We plan on more cruising articles in many of the upcoming Lifeline issues this year. Please check them out and find a new place to explore.

GLCCSchool

   The last item I want to mention is a reminder that all GLCC School classes are now FREE to GLCC members. Take advantage of this great resource and sign up for an evening seminar. With classes on cruising destinations as well as boating education, I expect you can find something that will be of interest to you, and you’ll get to learn from an expert in their respective area. Have fun.