Boatbuilding News 05.08.22 Feat. Southampton International Boat Show, Boateka and SolarDuck

📰 This week’s boatbuilding news! 📰 

🇬🇧 Organisers of Southampton International Boat Show 2022 have revealed that 98% of the available exhibitor space at the show has already been filled, despite having a larger footprint than ever before.

“Bookings for the 2022 show have been phenomenal. We’re nearly at capacity, even with an enlarged footprint both on land and on the water,”

says Lesley Robinson, CEO of organiser British Marine.

Southampton Boat Show takes place at Europe’s largest purpose-built show marina and covers over 70,000 square meters. So far, there are 550 exhibiting brands and 650 craft on display.

From 16-25 September 2022, major international brands will be showing their latest sailing yachts and powerboats on the water. Exhibitors this year include show regulars Sunseeker International, Princess Motor Yachts, Fairline, Dufour and Prestige Yachts, Oyster, Fjord, Jeanneau Sail & Power range, Beneteau Sail & Power range, Spirit Yachts, Hanse, Dehler and Moody sailing yachts.

There are also many newcomers at the show this year, including bluewater cruising Solaris Yachts from Italy, slick race-ready Corby Yachts from Cowes, dinghies from Hartley Boats, and the latest in high-technology powerboats from Twisted Marine.

The show will see a number of world debuts, including the ultra-modern Archipelago 47 catamaran, the sea-angler’s Pilothouse 25 from Orkney Boats and for adventurers and explorers, the Arksen 45 expedition yacht.

There are sector-specific zones including watersports, dinghy, classic and dayboats, with many leading brands on show, including RS Sailing, Topper, Fusion, Cornish Crabbers and Drascombe.

🇺🇸 Boateka, Brunswick Corporation’s certified pre-owned boat business, has opened a refurbishment and sales centre in Merritt Island, Florida.

The company says the new 22,000-square-foot location is designed to enhance the boat-buying experience and provide continued collaborations between Freedom Boat Club, Brunswick Boat Group, Mercury Marine and Brunswick’s global parts and accessories businesses.

Since its launch in 2021, Boateka has operated from the Brunswick Integrated Manufacturing Center in Central Florida, however it says continued demand from boat buyers necessitated a dedicated space.

The new Merritt Island location enables the company to complete every aspect of its business on-site, from fully reconditioning each boat to inviting customers to view and purchase the refurbished boats on a showroom floor. All boats undergo a 100-point inspection to become Boateka certified with all operations done in-house, including engine service and repair, electrical and components, fiberglass, upholstery, detailing, and trailer fit.

“This is an important milestone in the continued growth of Boateka. We are uniquely positioned to deliver a scaled and differentiated business model based on the fleet supply from our more than 360 Freedom Boat Club locations as well as our connection to Brunswick and its industry leading brands and financial service offerings. The need to expand into a fully integrated facility is a function of our early success and is an affirmation from new boat buyers and long-time boaters that Boateka delivers a better pre-owned boat buying experience. We see opportunity to scale Boateka as a stand-alone business and partner throughout the industry. We are only just getting started.”

says Brenna Preisser’s business acceleration president.

“We have quickly become a trusted source for customers, including our Freedom Boat Club franchisees, who have been working directly with us as they update their fleet. Our goal is to expand industry participation by making the pre-owned boat buying experience frictionless and provide boat owners peace-of-mind when they buy from Boateka.”

says Phil Greene, Boateka general manager.

In April, Brunswick introduced the next phase of its shared-access and pre-owned boat strategy, with multiple acquisitions across the Southeast. One of those acquisitions, Sinclair Marina, recently announced it has already begun to develop a partnership with Boateka.

💨 Wind farms in the North Sea could soon have floating solar panels installed in the spaces between wind turbines to help boost renewable energy in Europe.

Dutch/Norwegian start-up SolarDuck has partnered with German energy firm RWE for the project, which will see a pilot installation placed in the North Sea off the coast of Ostend in Belgium.

The proposed ‘solar park’ has been deemed relatively simple to set up as the technology utilises the existing cabling in situ for the wind turbines.

The solar panels are said to ride waves like a carpet with triangular-shaped platform designed to float several metres above the ocean.

“The need for secure, sustainable and affordable energy demands new and immediate answers from the industry in Europe and also globally. SolarDuck is part of this answer, allowing for solar deployments at sea opening up an exciting new market.

says SolarDuck’s CEO, Koen Burgers

RWE and SolarDuck plan to develop other offshore floating solar parks in identified key markets in Europe.

SolarDuck says the collaboration agreement accelerates the transition of its offshore floating solar technology towards bankable, commercial technology and speeds up the roll-out of the exciting new technology globally.