Ben Ellison has this important bit of industry news at Panbo. For my own part, I’m thrilled that a company from my hometown of Portland, OR, is taking such a big step forward.

"We are all very happy here," reads the email I just got from a contact at Raymarine, and that sure makes sense. The agonizing process of getting sold is over, and in the end they were bought by a strong company which is not a direct competitor but is "very serious about commercial and recreational marine." That phrase, already demonstrably true, comes fresh from Lou Rota, FLIR’s VP for Maritime Business Development.  Rota also told me that there are no plans to move or substantially change Raymarine operations, and that FLIR is very hopeful that it can continue to work closely with manufacturers like Furuno, Simrad, and Garmin in terms of integrating its thermal cameras into their navigation electronics. I suppose that Garmin, which recently made a very public bid for Ray, may be unhappy about this turn of events, but…

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As usual, Ben Ellison over at Panbo has the scoop:

Amazing!  Garmin just announced a very public and serious offer for Raymarine.  The Wall Street Journal has the 30 page (!) announcement here, but this London Stock Exchange link is easier to read. Garmin is offering 15 pence per share, which is way up from what we’ve heard recently (see comments here), and it’s waived any further due diligence.  There are only two factors that could stop this deal from happening, I think:  the displeasure of either Raymarine’s board or the European anti-trust regulators.  And by being so public with the offer, Garmin is expressing a lot of confidence that both those parties will find the offer acceptable.  Maybe it’s time to think about a marine electronics world where two of the biggest brands are one.

Read the comments at Panbo

I’m reasonably certain Ben won’t mind me republishing his post today. Navagear readers ought to complete the survey too!

Almost 400 marine electronics users have already taken the survey announced here earlier this month, and Marine Technology Analysts (MTA) has done a little preliminary data crunching.  Users were asked to name up to three of their favorite sources and, while 152 outlets were named, the top 11 seen above appeared in 60% of the surveys.  MTA also tells me that some strong patterns are developing in terms of what users most desire from those sources, not to mention what they want in terms of products.  But more data would be great.  Please take a 10-15 minute break to fill out the survey today; chances are good that the effort will help the marine electronics industry, Panbo, and ultimately you.

Time for another Navagear feature at MadMariner. This time, I talk about the Seattle Boat Show and what it might mean for the recreational boating business.

Take a look, if only to spot my daughter’s first nationally published photograph!

Never mind the planned decommissioning of Loran-C , who’s going to keep my compass working?!? Bill Haimes has this item at Three Sheets Northwest:

The magnetic compass has been with us on the water for a thousand years or so. Recently, though, it has often been overshadowed by the near magic of GPS. For the serious sailor, however, it is the most basic and the most essential navigation instrument. When all else fails—the engine, the electrical system or the GPS itself—the compass still works, showing us the way to safety.

The availability of spare parts and service facilities for compass maintenance is becoming a problem. On Dec. 18 of last year, one of the major U.S. manufacturers notified dealers that it would cease production and support as of Jan. 1. Danforth, a mainstay of yacht navigation for more than half a century, has exited the compass business. Employees were laid off at the start of the normal two-week Christmas shut-down of the company’s plant in Gloucester, Mass.

Most compass repair facilities received leaked information about the pending closure several months ago and stocked up on parts. Negotiations are now underway to establish a source of aftermarket parts through a highly regarded shop in southern New England.

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Since Garmin says that there is “no certainty an offer would be made” to purchase Raymarine, but has nevertheless stated that any purchase offer would be in cash, I’m going to go out on a limb and make this newsworthy pronouncement:

If Navagear makes an offer to buy Raymarine, it will definitely be on credit. We just don’t have enough cash on hand to buy Raymarine outright. But we could hit up some relatives, take out a second mortgage, and try to get some money together, I guess.

So there it is: Navagear is considering buying Raymarine! Tell Reuters. Tell Panbo.

Of course, just like Garmin, there is “no certainty an offer will be made.” I’m just saying…

Panbo has the scuttlebutt, which I’ll quote below.

I’m not sure how to feel about this. As a consumer, I’ve got a boat equipped with lots of Raymarine gear, and I have mixed feelings about some of it.

And on the other hand, I’ve got my eye on some Garmin products, but I don’t have much experience as a Garmin customer. Is Garmin’s customer service is “better” than Raymarine’s? Would such a deal be a “win” for consumers?

This is starting to get serious!  While this Reuters article also notes Garmin’s disclaimer that “there was no certainty an offer would be made”, yesterday Garmin had no comment at all.  Personally I have no knowledge of this deal whatsoever, and can tell you that the product people I know at both these companies seem to be full speed ahead.  But I’m starting to monitor the financial news closely.  Somewhat strangely, the most complete and original reporting seems to be coming from a Reuter’s guy in Bangalore, India; his piece yesterday helped me understand why this acquisition might make sense for Garmin:  Foreign distribution and an “OEM footprint” (in case the boatbuilding business ever comes back to life).  But how would the product lines be “rationalized” and what would a big Garmin/Raymarine combination mean to the relatively little recreational marine electronics industry?  Let’s discuss.

Here’s another one of those Puget Sound Maritime items that, previously, you would have spotted here at Navagear.

While driving through Ballard the other day, I was somewhat shocked to see that Seaview Boatyard East was full of boats!

I thought we had a big recession on. What gives?

Click over to read the post at PugetSoundMaritime.com.

I’m sad, because I wrote several articles for Pacific Yachting PNW, and was sort of hoping to write a few more! In fact, the current (spring 2009) issue has an article I wrote starting on page 48.

Marty McOmber at Three Sheets Northwest has the story:

Seattle’s Pacific Yachting PNW—the American arm of a popular Canadian boating magazine—is publishing its final local issue this month, another sign of the economic troubles gripping the region’s maritime community.

Canada’s Pacific Yachting has been a staple of the B.C. boating community for four decades. Two years ago, the magazine’s publisher launched Pacific Yachting PNW to build on its already strong reputation and attempt to capture a bigger share of readers and advertisers south of the Canadian border.

But the publication isn’t disappearing entirely from Washington. Instead, OP Publishing, which owns both magazines, will send American subscribers the Canadian version of Pacific Yachting, but with a dedicated local news section covering Puget Sound and surrounding waters.

Click over to read the whole story.

I’m sad. The Offshore Store has been a great resource. I hope our buddies over there keep in touch as they move forward. Let Navagear know what you’re up to, guys!

Closing Our Doors
Friday, February 13th
All Inventory Must Go!
Due to a number of circumstances — not the least of which has been a remarkable drop in sales over the past couple of quarters — after nearly seven years of operation, we have decided to close The Offshore Store.

Friday, February 13, will be the last day that The Offshore Store will be open for retail business.

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