Bob at BoatBits makes a point. To be fair, Bob ALWAYS makes a point. Whether it’s a good one or not is a separate issue.

I tease Bob, but I read his blog every day.

Oh, and by the way, Bob: The answer to your question is “pretty stupid!” On the other hand, I see this in most specialized markets. I play in a Scottish bagpipe band, for instance, and the prices you see at these specialized Highland Games outfitters for, say, repackaged plastic zip ties, would make your jaw dislocate spontaneously. —Tim

I was just checking a certain sailing outfitter who shall remain nameless but I noticed that their Dyneema slings seemed a little high…

As a climber I am no stranger to nylon and Dyneema sewn slings as they are used by everybody and can be found on any climbers rack or any climbing store. So what happens when you take a standard climbing item and transplant it to a sailing shop?

Does the quality magically increase or improve?

Nope…

Do you get super special sailing colors that glow in the dark?

Nope…

Does the price go way the [expletive deleted] up?

Apparently!

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FLIR bought Raymarine, and now Raymarine has bought Tacktick. It’s an interesting trend, and perhaps understandable in the current economy. FLIR dominates the thermal imaging market, so the post-9/11 Homeland Security era has been very, very good to FLIR. Meanwhile, much of the maritime industry (particularly the recreational branch) is struggling just to hang on.

So from where I sit, it looks like FLIR is leveraging its relatively strong financial position to become a major presence in the marine navigation market. This is good news, as far as I’m concerned: FLIR’s a local firm (I grew up in Portland, Oregon), and they seem to have a reasonably healthy, customer-focused corporate culture.

On with the press release! —Tim

A powerful combination of unique technology and worldwide distribution

Merrimack, NH – June 29, 2011 – Raymarine, a global leader in marine electronics, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Tacktick from Suunto, a leading manufacturer of sports precision instruments. Tacktick, formed in 1996 and based in Havant, Hampshire UK, develops and manufactures wireless, solar powered instruments for the marine market.

This development presents an exciting opportunity for Raymarine and Tacktick in the global sailboat market.  Currently available through the usual channels, Tacktick equipment complements the Raymarine product range and will eventually be distributed as a product line through Raymarine subsidiaries, distributors and service dealers worldwide.  Tacktick customers will also reap the benefit of Raymarine’s superior marine service network. 

Tom Surran, General Manager of Raymarine UK Ltd, said, ‘We think this acquisition makes tremendous sense for us.  Tacktick’s unique Micronet technology allied with the development rigor and manufacturing efficiencies of Raymarine will make for a powerful combination.’

About Raymarine
Raymarine, a world leader in marine electronics, develops and manufactures the most comprehensive range of electronic equipment for the recreational boating and light commercial marine markets. Designed for high performance and ease of use, the award-winning products are available through a global network of dealers and distributors. The Raymarine product lines include radar, autopilots, GPS, instruments, fishfinders, communications, and integrated systems. Raymarine is a division of FLIR Systems, a world leader in thermal imaging.

Hmm. My hydraulic trim tabs are running fine, but I get the feeling they’re going to fail me one day. If I were to replace the actuators, I would select another hydraulic unit…wouldn’t I? I never really gave it any thought. Any mechanical component that spends its life partly submerged in saltwater is going to fail sooner or later, but aren’t hydraulics a bit more reliable than electrical motors in that environment? I guess that’s my assumption, and so I’m intrigued by the press release. Let’s see what it says…

RICHMOND, Va. – April 19, 2011 – Lectrotab announces that it is offering electromechanical trim tab packages designed to replace hydraulic-based trim tab actuators.

“The Lectrotab retrofit kits are a direct form, fit and function replacement for most popular brands of hydraulic trim tabs,” said Dan Roberts, president of Linear Devices Corporation. “We are introducing these replacement packages in response to a large number of complaints from boatowners about failures and oil leaks with their installed hydraulic-based systems.”

The Lectrotab electromechanical tab actuator cylinder design incorporates patented features to ensure maximum performance and reliability. The unit is corrosion free, requires no maintenance, provides very accurate tab positioning and maximum lift force, and is totally self-contained for easy installation. The actuator assembly is packaged in a non-metallic permanently sealed housing. No components need to be installed inside the boat. Most importantly, there are no hydraulic lines and no oil to leak out.

The replacement kits include two 12V DC actuator cylinders, cables and choice of a flat rocker control, oval LED control or a wireless control. They are designed for easy drop-in replacement for the boat’s hydraulic trim tab actuators. Lectrotab provides easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions for removing the hydraulic actuators and mounting the Lectrotab cylinders. The installation can be completed in less than three hours with standard tools.

“Our electromechanical systems are designed for years of trouble-free performance in the tough marine environment,” said Roberts. “We’re so confident in the quality of our products that we offer an unprecedented lifetime warranty for our trim tab actuators.”

Marty McOmber has the second part of his ambitious do-it-yourself heater installation story over at Three Sheets Northwest. Be sure to read Part 1 first, if you missed it.

Last week, I wrote about the long process – and small boat fire – that led us to choose aWebasto 5500 Airtop heater to install on our Island Packet 38. This week, I’ll discuss the agony and ecstasy of installation.

If you are anything like me, there is a moment in every major boat project where you question your sanity — as in, why in the hell didn’t I take up hiking or ping pong as a hobby?

When it came to installing our new forced-air diesel heater, that moment came as I sat inside my starboard lazaret, armed with a 4-inch hole saw that I had pointed at a heretofore innocent bulkhead.

“Don’t make me pull this trigger,” I mumbled.

Then I held my breath and did just that. As the heavy-duty drill growled to life and the hole saw began digging into the white-painted plywood, I knew there was no turning back.

It would be victory or failure. I would either step up several rungs on the DIY ladder of success or be exposed for a big-talking fraud who should be banned from touching a power tool again.

Either way, I was not only crazy, I was committed.

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[“Wishful thinking” much? Hey, I want to believe this as much as anybody, but didn’t we hear the same talk LAST year…? —Tim]

Beth Rosenberg has this story in Trade Only Today:

MIAMI BEACH – The 70th annual Miami International Boat Show opened this morning on a high note, with expectations that the industry will see improvements in 2011 and that the dark days are behind it.

"We have been here before and we have come out of it," Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, reminded the group gathered for the State of the Industry breakfast prior to the start of the show. Although the industry might not see huge growth this year, we should see a "fairly strong resurgence," he added.

Sales of new boats dropped during the recession, but participation in boating has remained high. More than 66 million people were involved in boating last year.

"We have a huge installed base that really is one of the great strengths of our industry," Dammrich said. Boating, he added, is a more-than-$30 billion industry.

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Katherine Long has this story in the Seattle Times:

[Dave Friant paddles his cardboard boat, which he says he made for $100, in a pool at the Seattle Boat Show. "This boat gives more smiles per dollar than any other boat in the show," he said. Courtney Blethen Riffkin / Seattle Times photo]

From a $200 plastic kayak to a $7.2 million yacht, the range of options at the 64th annual Seattle Boat Show spanned the broad spectrum of vessels and the people who love them.

But it would be hard to find a more economical way to get out in the water than Dave Friant’s cardboard boat, a do-it-yourself, kayak-like craft that costs about $100 in materials to construct. Detailed plans are in Friant’s book, "The Cardboard Boat Book" ($15 at the boat show or on Amazon.com).

Friant’s boat is one of about 1,000 featured at the show, which is the largest on the West Coast and third-largest in the United States. The show runs through Jan. 30.

After two years of sluggish boat sales nationwide and low attendance at the 10-day Seattle shows in 2009 and 2010, organizers and boat dealers alike said they’re seeing an uptick in the number of people expressing interest in buying a boat.

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Huntington Beach, Calif. – Quickline, a world-class importer of quality marine gear and accessory products, announced today a total recall of Boyut Marine-manufactured UFS8 Ultra Flip Swivels designed for use with 1/4-inch and 5/16-inch anchor chains.

Produced between June 2009 and October 2010, the UFS8 is easy to identify. All recalled units have a molded eagle on the side of the swivel. Non-recalled units, produced prior to June 2009 and after October 2010 have a smooth body and finish. All other Ultra Flip Swivels, the UFS6, UFS10, UFS13 and larger sizes are not affected by the recall.

“Simply put, the UFS8 swivels do not meet Quickline’s high quality standards and strength requirements,” said Randy Boelsems, president, Quickline USA. “Thus, we are replacing every unit that we have sold to our customers, as their satisfaction and safety are paramount.”

Customers who own the UFS8 Ultra Flip Swivel should stop use immediately and contact Quickline to arrange a replacement unit. Once received, defective swivels should be returned to Quickline using the packaging and Federal Express label provided with the replacement unit.

For more information or to request a replacement swivel, please contact Quickline at 714-843-6964.

The Pacific Yachting blog has this item:

Mustang Survival will be moving to its new Canadian headquarters in Burnaby, BC, in late October 2010. The new location, approximately 20 minutes away by car from its current location in Richmond, BC, will continue to be the headquarters for Mustang’s key operational divisions and Canadian manufacturing facility.

The relocation is part of Mustang’s long term strategic initiative to continue building its business as a competitive industry-leading researcher, designer and manufacturer of marine and aviation lifesaving equipment for recreational, professional and military users. In June 2009, Mustang also acquired an additional manufacturing facility in Spencer, West Virginia, close to its main US manufacturing plant in Elizabeth, West Virginia.

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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