Second Quarter 2010 Reports Show Boat Sales Continue Slow Improvement

When looking at the Sold Boats Report from Yacht World (the country's most shopped internet
site) sales continue a slow improvement. In looking at the past five years the best years
were definitely 2005-2007. Sales went down considerably in 2008 but started a slow rebound in
2009. The first quarter of 2010 reflected double digit growth but that has slowed in the
second quarter with the economy seeming to stall again.

Currently the average time it took to sell a boat according to the Sold Boats report on Yacht
World was 300 days. This probably reflects the fact that there are a lot of unsold new boats
still on the market. It is not uncommon to see boats 2 to 3 years old that are still listed
as new units. The best deals on the market continue to be "pre-owned" boats that are 10 years
or less old. One other interesting note while sailboats seem to take as long as power boats
to sell their valuation seems to be creeping back up while power boat values continue to show
downward movement.

Marinas and other boating related businesses in Florida's Panhandle area are reporting greatly depressed sales. This is very frustrating for many business owners in that area as the effect of the oil spill has thus far been minimal.
What is even more frustrating is the fact that it has depressed the boating industry in many other areas of Florida where there has been absolutely no sign of oil. Not a single tar ball related to the oil spill has washed ashore outside of the Panhandle area. The vast majority of Coastal Florida remains oil free. However many businesses throughout Florida have reported cancellations or changes in plans related to boating activities. This is really a shame and can only be blamed on the uncertainty and lack of clarity about the quality of the water brought on by an overactive news media.
On the bright side for many years the planet has some how found a way to withstand and even bounce back from much worst oil spills. For example in 1991 Iraqi forces purposely spilled over 500 million gallons of oil in order to slow the American invasion. The slick was four inches thick and covered 4000 square miles of ocean. Today with virtually no help from man the area is recovering with sand beaches being the area that have best recovered. Imagine how much quicker the area could have recovered if helped by man. Similar stories like an oil well explosion in Mexico in 1980 in which over 100 million gallons of oil was spilled and went on for a full year. In 1994 over 80 million gallons were spilled in Russia in a leak that lasted for eight months before it was finally noticed and repaired. In 1979 90 million gallons spilled after an oil tanker collision during a tropical storm in Trinidad and Tobago. The list goes on and on. Somehow Mother Earth has managed to find a way to deal with these disasters. Instead of pointing fingers of blame it is time for us to all band together and give Mother Earth a helping hand to clean up this latest spill.
In the meanwhile come on in…the water’s fine in Florida. Have you noticed on many of the maps predicting where the spill will go that the West Coast of Florida and Tampa Bay remain completely untouched? While no one knows for sure what will happen in the days to come we at Whiteaker Yacht Sales remain very hopeful that not just the area where we are located here in Tampa Bay will be preserved but the vast majority of Florida waters will retain their beauty. Beginning early this year we have noticed an increase in boat sales and they have somehow remained steady throughout the oil spill media frenzy. If your dream is to own a boat, you'll find some outstanding deals right now in Florida so don’t postpone that dream. The "Coast is Clear" - Jump In!
Debbie Whiteaker

Whiteaker Yacht Sales is very proud to welcome Jeanelle Phillips as our new Operations Manager. Jeanelle has many years of office management experience, most recently having managed a 225 slip marina in Bradenton, Florida. We are very happy to be able to add Jeanelle's years of experience to our already knowledgeable staff.

 

There's some good news to report for a change for both boat shoppers and people wishing to sell their boats in Florida. Legislation has just been signed into law that will cap Florida sales and use tax on boat sales at $18,000. The law will go in effect on July 1, 2010.

 

Governor Charlie Crist just signed the Jobs for Florida Bill (CS/SB-1752) which included the tax cap. Many people in the business have high hopes that this will make the state more competitive and bring it more in line with other states and countries. Florida's usual sales tax on a boat purchase is 6 percent plus a small surtax in some counties. This law will make the maximum sales tax $18,000.00. The use tax component could allow owners of foreign yachts to reflag in Florida if the owner pays the $18,000 fee provided they meet the other state and federal requirements.

 

Many in the industry including Whiteaker Yacht Sales and members of the Florida Yacht Brokers Association lobbied lawmakers heavily to support this bill in hopes that it will help the state save marine industry jobs, increase sales, and ultimately increase Florida's tax revenue making it a win – win situation.

 

Many have felt that Florida's high taxes have been one of the reasons for waning sales in the state with many buyers opting to purchase in neighboring coastal states with more attractive options.

 

Everyone in the marine industry in Florida can look at this new law as an opportunity to welcome prospective buyers with open arms and to encourage them to stay and enjoy Florida. Not only will boat dealers and brokerages benefit, it will also be good for the many Florida repair facilities, marinas, and other boat servicing and provisioning businesses. Buyers may opt to stay here to get work done on their boats or to keep their boats on a permanent basis as their home away from home.

Join us again this year at “Water and Wheels” at Cape Harbour Marina in Cape Coral, Florida – Friday Feb. 26 through Sunday Feb. 28. Whiteaker Yacht Sales will be on hand to tell you about all our many quality listings. See a wide display of rare and custom boats, classic and sports cars, and motorcycles. In addition you can enjoy all the other events including some fine food and entertainment. This extensive water and land display of boats and cars sets the stage for a family fun weekend…don’t miss it. And be sure to stop by and say hello to your friends from Whiteaker Yacht Sales.

January 6-10, Nashville Boat and Sport Show, Nashville Convention Center

January 7-10, Kansas City Boat and Sport Show, H. Roe Bartle Hall

January 9-17, Toronto International Boat Show, Direct Energy Centre Exhibition Place

January 9-17, Chicago Boat, RV and Outdoors Show, McCormick Place

January 13-17, Atlanta Boat Show, Georgia World Congress Center

January 20-24, Louisville Boat, RV and Sport Show, Kentucky Exposition Center

January 20-24, New York Boat Show, Jacob Javits Convention Center

January 20-24, Minneapolis Boat Show, Minneapolis Convention Center

January 21-24, Baltimore Boat Show, Baltimore Convention Center

January 28-31, Strictly Sail Chicago, Navy Pier

February 3-7, Atlantic City International Power Boat Show, Atlantic City Convention Center

February 10-14, St. Louis Boat and Sport Show, America’s Center & Edward Jones Dome

February 11-15, Strictly Sail Miami & Miami International Boat Show, Sea Isle Marina

February 26-28, Cape Coral Boat and Car Show, Cape Harbour Marina

February 20-28, New England Boat Show, Boston Convention Center

The fall boat show season is heating up. Shows of interest to shoppers on the east coast include:

Sept. 10-13 Atlantic City In-Water Power Boat Show, Farley State Marina, Atlantic City, NJ

Sept. 11-13 Tampa Boat Show, Tampa Covention Center

Sept. 11-13 Central New York Boat Show, New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, NY

Sept. 17-20 Newport Intl. Boat Show, Newport Yachting Center, Newport, RI

Sept. 18-20 Jersey Shore Boat Sale & Expo, Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ

Sept. 24-27 Norwalk Int. In-Water Boat Show, Norwalk Cove Marina, Norwalk, Conn.

Oct. 1-4 Boston Fall Boat Show, Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA

Oct. 2-4 Trawler Fest, Calvert Marina, Solomons MD

Oct. 8-12 U.S. Sailboat Show, Annapolis, MD

Oct. 15-18 U.S. Powerboat Show, Annapolis, MD

Oct. 29-Nov. 2 - Ft. Lauderdale Intl. Boat Show, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Dec. 4-7 - St. Petersburg Boat Show - Bayfront Center/Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL

 

 

 

Whiteaker Yacht Sales is proud to welcome Bob Underwood to their staff of brokers. Bob will concentrate on serving boaters in the area between Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina.

Anchoring Your Boat in Florida Waters

 

We can all applaud the passage of HB 1423 by the Florida House. Before this bill, boaters sometimes had as little as 24 hours before being told by law enforcement that they had to move or risk a written citation. In the past several local cities or counties could restrict the length of time that a boat could anchor in a particular spot.

 

With the passage of this important bill local restrictions on where and how long a boat can anchor do not apply. Now boat owners will no longer have to worry about being forced to move because they have overstayed their visit. This new legislation makes it clear that local municipalities cannot override state authority on regulating recreational boat anchoring. They can however regulate anchoring within the marked boundaries of certain mooring fields if they are properly permitted. The details of the new law can be confusing. Some changes went into effect on July 1 while others will become effective on October 1, 2009.

 

For clarification BoatUS has created a new, easily downloadable 2-page reference document titled "Anchoring Information for Florida Cruisers".  It can be found on their website. As often happens many local personnel may be confused or unaware of the new laws. As a result boaters are continuing to be restricted in certain areas unfairly. It would be advisable for all boaters to keep a copy of the new law onboard in case law enforcement is not up to date on the newly passed law.

 

Debbie Whiteaker

Whiteaker Yacht Sales

www.whiteakeryachtsales.com

After many years of new laws that were not very friendly to boaters, the new governor and Florida Legislator are being a bit kinder. Gov. Charlie Crist recently signed a bill preventing local communities from forcing boaters to leave an anchorage unless the boat is a liveaboard vessel. The law defines a liveaboard vessel as one that is used solely as a residence and not for navigation, one used as a place of business, or one that has been declared a domicile. In addition, the new law prohibits local governments from regulating anchoring outside of established mooring fields unless it is a liveaboard vessel.

The NMMA director issued the following statement "This law will not only have a positive impact on boaters in the area, but generate revenue for local businesses by allowing boaters more freedom to anchor. We are encouraged by this law's effort to make Florida more boater friendly than ever."

Hopefully this will help reverse the laws in many Southern Florida communities who had very restrictive laws in which there was an anchorage limit of seven days within any 30-day period. Or the most extreme law in Ft. Lauderdale which only allowed a 24-hour window for boaters anchoring there.

Whiteaker Yacht Sales applauds these and any other laws Florida lawmakers see fit to help us make Florida waters more boater friendly.

 Finally some good news for the Florida Boat Industry and for boat shoppers hoping to buy a boat here.  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist recently signed into law House Bill 7031, which offers incentives to boaters visiting Florida to stay in Florida. AND spend their dollars there.

A condensed explanation of the Bill is that it allows boaters that purchase a boat in Florida, or those who bring a boat into the state for refit or repair 180 days before being subject to the state's sales and use tax. The old law allowed just 90 days.

"Allows non-residents who purchase a boat in Florida, or bring a boat into Florida for repair or alteration, to remain in the state 180 days before becoming liable for the sales and use tax. Currently, the tax applies after 90 days. Allowing boat owners and their guests to remain in Florida waters will stimulate Florida's marine industry, as well as stimulate businesses that support the marine industry."

Some think Florida has a reputation for being an adversarial state to cruising boaters. Hopefully this new law combined with anchoring and tax laws that are beginning to show a change toward more hospitable standards will help change their minds.

 

This is a bulletin from Eric Dybing, President of Florida Open Water Society. Food for thought.

"The 2006 state law restricting municipalities from limiting anchoring on state waters is under attack in the 2009 legislative session. Since the 2006 law was passed cities have continued to enforce local restrictions in direct violation of State Law.  As result legal action was taken with a few of the municipalities and they lost these cases.

The same Municipalities are behind House Bill 1423. This bill has language that will return control over State Waters back to the same Municipalities that have refused to comply with State Law. The bill would allow Municipalities to create no boating zones by city ordinance. In addition it puts into place a series of test cities that if approved, would have the authority to enact Anchoring ordinances if they had a "test" mooring field in place. The bill leaves all the details and rules to be worked out later.

As an example, South Florida has lost two thousand boat slips to development over the past 24 months. On-water storage needs to be the future of Florida. "Test" mooring fields that are designed to enable the municipalities to restrict anchoring are not the answer. A statewide system of not-for-profit mooring fields is the answer.

Florida is quickly gaining the reputation as the most boater-unfriendly state on the eastern seaboard. Florida's $18.4 billion marine industry is at risk. In these economic times, the last thing the state needs is to damage an industry of this magnitude.

All boaters need to band together and deliver the Florida legislature a message "remove these economically devastating anchoring restrictions from H.B. 1423" To learn more or join the fight visit Floridaopenwatersociety.org “

You're invited to stop by and visit with us at the Water & Wheels Show, February 27 through March 1, 2009 at Cape Harbour Marina located at 5828 Cape Harbour Drive, Cape Coral, FL.

We'll have some of our quality listings on display and there's many other activities to enjoy while you're there. The marina will be filled with lots of exciting boats and magnificent yachts. Meet the preeminent wooden boat builder, Hugh Saint. On Saturday enjoy the Cape Coral Rowing Club Rowing Challenge. You also be able to view Classic Cars and Motorcycles, shop at waterfront shops, dine at the area restaurants, and enjoy live music.

Stop by and meet the Whiteaker Yacht Sales team and let's talk boats at this premier event.

This beautiful 2001 Perry 43 will be on display at the show!