That Outboard Center Consoles World

The last ten years has all been about the growth of the centre console boat in North America.  The market has grown so much, that I would say that out of ten boats under fifty feet sold in USA, six of them are outboard centre consoles.  That is a huge share, and in 2010 this was unthinkable.  Seeing walk around videos of the 2020 Miami boat show on YouTube one can see the dominating factor centre consoles are having on the North American market, and the endless brands who all offer something different to the other, and for me the interesting part is that most of them are medium sized shops.  

In recent times with news being more quiet then usual due to Covid-19 I looked at centre consoles, and the market is one of its own today, with many brands in this segment who have grown and expanded in the last ten years.  Some of them are huge successes as for example Seahunter founded in 2002, while an other recent success is Freeman a centre console catamaran which has revolutionized the market with its 42 model being sold out up until 2021.  Other successful brands are Hydra Sports, Midnight Express which is the more modern version of a CC, and Scout the more cabin comfortable.  Then you have brands which in the last ten years have reinvented part or nearly all of the range to enter the segment as Albemarle, Cigarette, Fountain, Sea Ray, Tiara, Viking who entered in the segment in 2019 with Valhalia, and Bertram who made an announcement about producing a centre console earlier this year. 

Europe is also entering into the outboard centre console world, Azimut entered into it some five years ago with the 40 Verve and in the fall of 2019 presented the 47 model, while Ferretti Group has also entered it with the new Wally Tender being available in an outboard version, and Pardo who has had tremendous success made sure that it's 38 is also available in an outboard version.  Beneteau Group has always offered small sub ten meters centre consoles but now its outboard option is also available in the sub twelve meter cabin cruising boats, and a new twelve meter cc coming from Jeanneau will launch this fall.  Then in Europe most coming from Italy we have the various centre console ribs sub thirteen meters, although the share of the market upward of ten meters has been limited.  Two Italian brands as Tuccoli and 3B Craft are also offering very American inspired outboard cc boats.
Will Europe enter the centre console or outboard mania.  Sub ten meters the growth is coming upward from there it might never happen.  Part of this is the way in Europe boats are used, and the other is also slips with launch and park are near in-existent, and dry stacking are also a rare sight.  These two are rare in the old continent, that is why the popularity of centre console and the outboard will have a limited growth number in Europe.

Fire 2020, Here we Go Again

We are still in the midst of a half lock-down but boat fires are the news, especially in the USA.  Five separate boat and yacht fires have been reported in the Florida's in a space of a week, two of which involved multiple boats in different marinas, one was under way, and two super yachts.  You can see the reports in the Out-News section of PowerYachtBlog.

As is usual the social media comments for the fires immediately paint a picture of an owner who could not repay his boat purchase loan, and maintenance fee.  So the easiest solution is always to burn the boat down.  Those with some boating experience give the blame to the no maintenance and checking being made on boats in these lock-down times.   

It is true the economic hit with Covid-19 for some will be very hard, but playing the keyboard warrior and immediately speculating does only harm and little good.  I read a report a year ago which stated that 99% of super yacht fires in the last ten years was accidental and 95% of the owners who suffered a total loss incident and got paid back, bought a yacht again.  Interesting factual report which paint a complete different picture to that of what people think when they see a boat burning down.

Living With Covid-19

Now that we are in May many countries seem to have overcame the height of the curve of the CoronaVirus pandemic, and are starting to open some of the commercial activities to what is called the phase two.  Some countries have started phase two while others are still preparing for it.

Covid-19 phase two is all about being cautious, and allowing a restricted liberty.  The truth is that we have not won Covid-19, but have a way to control the spread of this deadly virus, and are learning how to live with it.  So it will be not be back to normality like January 2020 yet.

For some boaters from Britain, Northern European, and America with the boat away in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean they will still have a way to go, as I do think that air traffic between countries but even in the same region might be one of the last things which takes off. 

For 2020 I think we have to learn how to live with Covid-19, so even boating will be a very restricted hobby.  How restricted will be different from one state to another, with borders in between countries so far looking to be closed at least till mid Summer.  If the curve will be diminished even further we might see some of these restrictions reduced in boating, considering that it is not a mass tourism activity.

Corona Virus Meltdown

Last month I wrote a blogger about Corona Virus and its implications, and just a month later I have to return to talk about this unprecedented disease, which is putting the World and the global economy down to its knees and into a depression.  A storm which we have never seen before.  A storm which involves an invisible enemy, attacking mostly those in a weaker health situation and slows down the economic wheel to unseen previous levels.

The implications of Corona Virus since last month have not doubled but quadrupled, and we are seeing not only boat shows cancelled, as I am writing this Australia's largest boat show of Sydney held in end July beginning August, and the first round of the Americas Cup series held in Caliari. Sardinia are both cancelled, but also other popular important sporting events as the Olympics and European football soccer championship are postponed for 2021. 

Fortunately as we people of the sea know the storm will be over at some point.  When?  No one knows, as yet, at the moment we have to navigate it and minimize damage with social distancing.  

After the storm is over I hope the respective countries economy do take care of the boating community, and that not as happened in the past we leave it to adjust itself.  The boating community from the users to those working in the industry will deserve a helping hand just as other industries get, and this message is not only for countries where pleasure boating is an industry, but where it is used as a pleasure too.  The nautical business community of boaters and service providers create an interesting economy, and many people make a living directly from the boating World.  Lets hope that the governments do not forget this.

Corona Virus Impact

Early 2020 Corona Virus is taking the World into an unexpected storm, with negative implications.  This outbreak which started in Wuhan, Hubei province in China late December 2019, has quickly spread World wide, and as I am writing this we have two curfew towns in Italy in the Lombardy and Veneto region.  

The economic implications of Corona Virus are also being directly felt in the yachting World, and so far we had the Singapore boat show schedule in early March postponed for October.  The Miami and Dusseldorf  boat shows, two of the most important shows in a calendar year went out as planned.  The Venice boat show, which started in 2019 and received a lot of positive feedback seems to be going as planned.

The above are the direct implications, as at today yacht production in China is fairly small, although  the parts catalogue might do a lot of bits and pieces the far East.  Yacht production is fairly cottage production, and a successful boat usually sells over one hundred units, and is also a fairly labour intensive and custom process, even if some boats do look the same. 

Off course beside all the above then there is the third party economic implication, how much will the Corona Virus economic crunch cost. 2020 was already forecast to be a slow year in World economic growth terms, some also calling it the beginning of a recession especially for the European economy.  Corona Virus might prove the bears right after all.

Regulation Storm Ahead

There is a huge storm ahead for super yachts with load line length above 24 meters, with the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III NOx regulation, which is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2021, requiring the installation of heavy, bulky and potentially dangerous Selective Catalytic Reduction systems in the engine rooms of yachts.

What is interesting that so far Viking seems to be the only yacht builder concerned about this, as they have been opposing and trying ways to solve this new regulation.  Viking 92 Convertible and 93 Motor Yacht models will be the models affected with this regulation in the New Jersey yacht builder portfolio.  The first has sold twenty units in a production run of about five years and a price tag of plus ten million US$.  

What remains strange is that other production super yacht builders as Azimut-Benetti, Ferretti Group, Sanlorenzo, Sunseeker, and Princess who have models in this size, do not seem concerned or anything at all.  

This new systems will increase the price of any new yacht in these sizes, add weight, operating costs, and hinder serviceability in the engine room, and also reduce space in the accommodation area.  2021 is less then a year ahead so action really needs to be taken, and in this case I suggest boat builders unite to solve this very delicate issue.

Stock Market Float or Not

During the Cannes boat show 2019 pleasure motor yacht and super yacht builder Ferretti Group, which is today made of eight brands; Ferretti, Ferretti Custom Line, CRN, Itama, Mochi, Pershing, Riva, and Wally announced that by the end of the year it was gonna float in the Milan stock exchange.  Ferretti Group is possibly the largest Group as in versatility existing in the yachting market offering a diverse product range from flybridge motor cruisers and yachts, super yachts, sport cruisers and yachts, super sport yachts, traditional cruisers and yachts, and now even performance sailing craft with the purchase of Wally in 2018.

This decision to float was reverted and cancelled less to a month after announcement, with Ferretti Group saying that deteriorating market conditions in the stock market as the prime reason of cancellation.  The Ferretti Group has been very healthy in recent years and onward from 2014.  The Ferretti Group received a 250 million Euros cash injection in 2019 by its major share holders; Chinese Weichai Group, and F Investments of Piero Ferrari.

This decision might have also surprised other boating brands as Princess, Sanlorenzo, and Sunseeker all being rumoured to be interested in floating in the stock market in the near future.  It will be interesting to see if any of these will follow on the plan, or will cancel it completely.  To be fair I think boating and the stock market are a very difficult proposition, due to the volatility of the boating industry, from performing beyond expectations in good times, and going really negative in bad times.  

It is also true though that some have done it with success for many years as Beneteau Group, and Brunswick, and also giant USA boat dealership MarineMax.  But lets be fair, the portfolio of the three above is mostly geared toward the entry level sector of the market where a boat has the price of a medium sized sedan car.  Ferretti Group, Princess, Sanlorenzo, and Sunseeker are into the luxurious part of the market, where some of the entry level models cost you the price of a new luxurious sedan car just for general maintenance in a year.

Sophisticated Marketing

The new Azimut S10 product video, created some negative comments on social media.  The video of one minute 33 seconds long, sees a girl doing naked art dancing and in between we see short shots of the super sport yacht, and then ending with it launching in speed nicely.  This is not the first time that video criticism has arrived, and with Youtube it is very easy to do it.  In the past I do remember a video for a new Princess yacht which looked like a short novel, having a similar negative critique. 

The Youtube platform has expanded the possibilities of boat builders to promote product endlessly for free.  Now in recent years we have entered a stage of sophistication marketing from the popular famous brands who are doing videos which match in quality and style those of high end cars. 

But do boaters really want this?  

The comments following the Azimut S10 and other similar videos is always that the viewers want to see more of the boat and learn about it, then an actual marketing ploy.  Sometimes it seems that marketers do not realize that social media is different to TV, as these launch model videos, do actually look like to be created for the old medium.  

It is to understand, that YouTube and the new modern social media medium is different.  Look at channels as Aquaholic, SuperYachtCaptain, BoatTube, MBY, NonSoloMare on the less sophisticated front, TheBoatShow and BoatTest on the sophistication side of things and others that I have forgot.  What one notices especially in the first group above is that they have basic filming done with a GoPro or two and similar set up.  But they do bring the viewers what they want to see and have a huge success. Viewers of Youtube and similar social media videos want content not a one minute impact video suited for a premium time television advert!  The numbers actually support a basic filming and a natural approach, and some of the above do have views in the thousand just after a day or two. 

To be fair I think Azimut knows about this, and did make walk through videos of its models.  Result the walk through video of the Azimut 60 has 150000 views, while the product only 11000.  Interesting numbers!  But can really a popular famous brand do without a sophisticated new model launch video.  Probably not, but toning it down a little, and showing more of the boat in navigation, something an owner rarely sees, and its features want do any harm.

Open Sterns a Devolution in Evolution

Looking at new boats at the boat-shows in the sport cruiser segment and those who want to cater for chase boats to a super yacht and a villa, or as a fast day boat, the open stern layout especially from European boat builders is the vigor nowadays.  This feature not only interested one boat but many boats in this category.  

So my question is rather a simple one, who is certifying these boats nowadays, as the open stern used so much today while looking plush cool and nice in a boat show and when moored in a marina, many time is a very dangerous affair when a boat is moving.  

Some time ago, eighties and nineties up until the CE rule was introduced in 1997 Rina rules regulation stated a bathing platform to be thirty centimetres or more above the water for following sea safety, and cockpit water draining needed a time frame to get certified.  Nowadays it seems we are looking the opposite way in these open stern sport cruiser / chase boats with little thought on safety and what happens in the water.  So how did we go from stricter standards to a CE ruling which seems to have questionable regards to navigational safety with the exception of the helm station.

So lets say many of these boats are catered for the Med.  Now in reality this 970,000 squared miles sea does know how to kick a punch as any of the big oceans.  I asked a question many times which was the worst sea you ever encountered to a ship captain and many times the reply might be that the most challenging sea they ever found was actually somewhere in the Mediterranean sea.

Out-News is Back with a Change

So in July, PowerYacht refreshed the Out-News section.  The original idea of Out-News was to put more basis to marina talking.  Problems from manufacturers which happen during construction and show during the first uses of the boat, an engine, and or propulsion.  Unfortunately this was hard to come by, while manufacturers mishap do still happen, possibly even more nowadays then yesterday, finding the proof and evidence is another matter.  Especially when a guarantee fix needs to come from those same manufacturers.  Meaning that posting photos on the internet usually does not help your cause.    

Now from July 2019 this has changed and Out-News has become the bringer of news.  And what a bringer it turned out to be with the month of July and August being particular hot in the happenings around the Mediterranean sea.  Couple of accidents happening every week I guess some even being more surprising to others.  

The top news was boats on fire most of which have been old units, but we had a couple sad surprises of news concerning very new craft.  One was the second hull of Dreamline DL30 sinking in its first cruise from Malta to Sardinia.  The accident according to reports was very unfortunate and has nothing to do with the construction of the vessel.  

Interesting to note that this was the second news in a year that a new construction goes total loss, after the Tecnomar Evo 120 caught fire in May at the builders shipyard in Massa Carrara during final fit out.  In past years we had similar accidents, I remember recently that of a  Lurrsen in September 2018, and a Benetti in July of 2018 both being super yachts in phase of construction.

So that is some more Out-News for you!

To Charter or Not

July and August always mark the most busy time of the season, with everyone trying to find the time to enjoy a boat as much he can.  The owners who are paying bills all year round are trying to cash on the experience and cover some expenses, while those who got the boat bug in the Winter will try to charter it out, to feel the experience.  If the experience is right many times and after a few charters this ends up in a purchase.  

The charter offer has truly expanded in recent years what was up until a few years ago a market reserved for mostly twenty meter plus size and a charter time of about a week, now is a market offering all size and ranges and type of boats and daily charters in the hot cruising grounds has increased not by little.  While charter can be good to make return to some of the expenses a boat has, it is a catch to it.  

A charter boat will always has a stamp to it making it lose value in the used brokerage boat market, and the worst catch of it all is that many owners turn it fully into a business.  Meaning that the boat private use is finished and it becomes a full business venture.  Nothing wrong with this if it was one's plan all along, but if it was not think about it carefully before venturing into charter. 

New Record for PowerYachtBlog

It was a surprising month June 2019 at PowerYachtBlog slashing all previous views record not by twice or three times but by doing it over five times.  It seems the mighty Google have found we exist finally!  Our previous long standing record was 41855 in August 2010.  For June 2019 we reached 240,000  plus of views.  Impressive numbers, and from here we thank all PowerYachtBlog fans and viewers.

What's next?  At this stage it would be nice if people participated and commented more in the posts. I know we have this sometimes, but so far in over twelve years of PowerYachtBlog it has been to little to really mean something.  So if you have some comments to say do not be shy, just do it.

Thank you all PowerYacht.

Horsepower Game

Today's new boats are sold with horsepower being the important number which gives you speed and reliability.  But real World scenarios are that after a month in the water most peaked to the liter engines slow down much worse.  This is even worse as new boats are indeed heavier not because they are build stronger but because same length they have become higher and bulkier. The engines they have today are smaller, even more since the advent of pod drives.  Today an eight liter engine is 600hp ten years ago that was ten liter. 

Figures on brochures and most reviews of new boats are made on new clean hulls and running gear, checked to the millimeter, and this is not how real boating World works.  

A real boating scenario is this, a boat is usually launched in around May, owner or captain does a sea-trial, prepare it for the season, then left idle for a month or two before it starts to get used.  Running gear gets full with growth and so after a few months boat is slower to about five to ten knots with engines peaked to give maximum horse-power per cc. 
Previously to this new generation of engines boats still went well even if slower, weight distribution in most shaft boats was calculated, and in the same scenario as above you still did slow down, but the difference from the new boat figures where just a knot or two.  Today, that is about five knots.  
May be its time to start thinking about torque in marine engines again, then the maximum horsepower per cc of recent years. 

Big a Tender

In recent years forty foot tenders for super yacht are starting to be considered the norm, now we have arrived to a size that some of these tender are actually also above eighty feet in size.  Sounding ridiculous to a certain extent.

Can a 24 meter plus or more super sport yacht be considered a tender?  May be we should ask Perini Navi that question as they did recently launch a 25 meter Eco Tender super sport yacht for a client who have one of its big super sailing yachts.

This big tender has created a new market in itself in the last four to five years, and some unusual builders even those that do not usually cater for this market are starting to dedicate themselves for it.  An unusual motor boat build is the recently launched Claasen 23 meter Chase boat. 

Coming from a couple decades back when eighty feet or more used to be considered very big, and now we have actually builders building chase boats or tenders to order it does sound a bit all strange.  Nonetheless this still another interesting part of the market if you really want to call them tenders.  Here we don't.

Twelve Years and Counting

It's been over twelve years since I founded PowerYachtBlog, year 2007.  The inspiration come from what at the time was Valencia Sailing.  A sailing rag and stick blog mostly focused on the Americas Cup, which I was very much following at the time and since 1999.  I think that period was the best time for sailing and boating in general.  The Americas Cup was a healthy dose of publicity and free marketing to the general public, due to the huge media following for the 2000, 2003, and 2007 events.  I think and including the one of the 1992 these where the best events the sport ever had.

PowerYachtBlog has since started with a structure which was very much unchanged, what we are doing less since some years now are the boat reviews, and I know some would like to see more of these but they have time frames in doing them, that currently I cannot afford.  Still the blog has expanded in some areas, as the blogger article every month which I think gives a perspective I have about and regarding the industry in general.  

What ever is happening here I hope you viewers and followers are enjoying it.  

Would be interesting to see if you feel the blog needs something new or fresh and what it is.

Journey Into The Past

With the success of the new 2018 launched Maritimo X series aft cabin sport yacht, it is time to go down memory lane and tell the story about what I like to call the Italian aft cabin sport cruiser and yachts, which had so much success in Italy onward from the eighties.

It is fair to start that the Italians where not the first to put an aft cabin in a sport cruiser.  A British firm Fairey Huntsman had so much success in the advent period of power boat racing in the sixties, presented what might have been the inspiration to the Italians with the 31 Aft Cabin in 1968.  The Fairey Hunstman 31 Aft Cabin cruiser was also available in the Aft Cockpit version, of which six where sold, in a total of 32 builds.  

With Magnum Marine dominating the large open Italian sport cruiser and yacht market with its 45 and 53 models in the seventies and early eighties, Mochi Craft tries to reinvent the wheel and present the new 42 Tuxedo, which creates a revolution of space in the Italian sport cruiser market, which at the time had a production standing still sub fifty feet.  Just like the Fairey Hunstman 31, the Mochi Tuxedo was offered without an aft cabin choice, though these versions are very rare and few where made of what it is a production run of around seventy units.  The Mochi Tuxedo sets a revolution of space and comfort and by mid late eighties over half of new Italian sport cruiser and yacht models at upwards of thirteen to sixteen meters in size are with an aft cabin.  The aft cabin gives a second large en-suite cabin aft something which the Magnum 45 and or Baia B40 did not have, as both of these where single cabin sports cruisers. 

Worth to mention in this period is also the Pershing 45 launched in 1985 the first model of what at the time was known as Cantieri Navali dell Adriatico Pershing, and will eventually become a status symbol sport yacht builder for its unique combination of performance and space.  The 45 was also one of Fulvio de Simoni first designs and in a size of just under fifteen meters offered three cabins three bathrooms, and the largest exterior area in its class.   The first Pershing 45 was a success selling 47 units in a production which lasted seven years till 1992.  The 45 will be the brands best seller till the 1995 presented 54, which will sell above fifty in a similar eight year production run, and continues the aft cabin theme, but with the surface drive high performance option which in later models becomes standard.  The 54 was Pershing and Fulvio de Simomi most important design to date, and still considered a head turning classic nowadays.  If you can call the Pershing 54 a classic, cause looking at one it does still look modern.

The Pershing 54 came in the golden era of the aft cabin sport yacht with tough competition all of which came from Italy, with its closest rivals being the Sarnico 55 which was later revamped as 58, and the Rizzardi 50 and 53 Topline, this last also being a top seller with some seventy units sold for the smaller unit.  Other interesting aft cabin sport yachts where the classic timeless looking Itama 54 and 56, Alfamarine 50 and 60 models, and the Italcraft X54 Ipanema.
And the British who started the style with the Fairey Huntsman what happened to them?  Sunseeker did have a shot at the aft cabin sport cruiser in 1987 with the Travado 40, and in 1990 with the 46 Camargue, the later one more successful then the first.  But it did really stop there!

The X and the S

In recent years just as a famous auto maker boat builders have started using letters to symbolize the style of there models.  Before this it was mostly about two systems to differentiate boat models, and that was to say what type of boat it was, Flybridge or Sport, or to name for a famous locality usually from the Caribbean or Mediterranean; as Camargue, Martinica, Portofino, San Remo, and or St.Tropez.  Another popular model name, just as in sport cars is that for predator animals, like the Arno Leopard, Overmarine Mangusta, or the once Sunseeker flagship the 60 Renegade.

In my mind the first builder to use letters was Italcraft who in mid eighties split its range into two distinctive model series the C for Classic which meant traditional line shaft propulsion, and M for its fast surface drives aggressive deep Vee hull line.
Princess entered the letter trend when it renewed its Mediterranean sport cruiser and yacht range to more modern style in 1995, and after the Riviera created the new V series line first with the 39 and 52 models.  This was a game changer for Princess and since its introduction the V series has become an important popular range, competing not little with the Fairline Targa, and the Sunseeker open series.  Today Princess has renamed all its line with letters.      

Come 2003 and Azimut enters the letter trend, who wanted to differentiate its new innovative sport coupe models from its flybridge, and here enters the S.  In 2017 Azimut went a step further and removed the length of the yacht in question and started using a single digit meaning an approximate length, in which case for example the S7 is a model to compete in the around 70 feet segment.

Aussie boat builder Maritimo also entered the letter name designation in 2016, first with M for its motor yacht series, then an S, and recently the X for the new innovative aft cabin sport yacht.
In 2016 Pershing also started using letters, with the new 5X.  Pershing had so far in all its story used only the length in its models and in two exceptions added Limited to models renewed in some features.
Come 2019 and Sunseeker also enter the letter naming list by present the new 8X project at the Dusseldorf boat show.   

So here comes the age of letters.  It is mostly about the X, S, and the M and the rest.

Competitively Expensive

At Cannes boat show 2018 Fairline launched its Targa 43 Open, a new entry level Sport Cruiser, replacing the 38 as the starting point of the British boat maker.  The quality of the Fairline Targa 43 Open was very much praised by visitors and the press, and with this new model the British boat builder made a statement of quality all over the board, from the two layout choices to a rich feeling of visible quality and fittings. The British builder though forgot one important aspect with its new entry model, and that was to be competitive in the price segment.  

First the Farline Targa 43 is a to close competitor in price and substance, same pod propulsion and engine type to the just two feet more in real length Targa 48 Open larger sister.  Second Fairline also out priced itself to compete with the best sellers in this size, as the Azimut Atlantis 43, and the Cranchi M44 HT.  

Fairline entry level, has two errors; it is a direct inside competitor to one of its recent best sellers and most interesting boats, and that it out priced itself from the competition.  In all this though Fairline has declared good sales after the Cannes and Southampton boat show for the Targa 43 Open, though whether the sales are real or dealer based is yet to be seen.

Cannes of Italy

For five days in September it looks like Cannes for its Festival boat show becomes an Italian province.  Today in 2018, but since five to six years the Italian boat builders have made Cannes there own international boat show, replacing it for the most part even with there own Genoa, helping no little to put the French boat show at the top spot of boat showing.  Novelties and future projects are presented in Cannes in more then any other boat show today.  

A decade ago Cannes was considered by Italians and other European boat builders and buyers the warm up to Genoa, today this script has changed.  Cannes is the boat show everyone waits for, and apart the boats and World presentations it has become a sort of meeting and party place for various industry entities.  The Cannes by night has become for example a huge success, with the simple idea that yachts do look cool in the night.  It has added a new dimension to boat showing previously unknown to outdoor boat shows.

It will be interesting what the other boat shows do invent, Cannes is no record breaker, for example Genoa still has by triple more visitors in its six days run.  But the quality of crowd in the French boat show is unique as is the end of Summer atmosphere.  Cannes has become the last Summer meet up for boaters, and with it we see the novelties to watch in a marina near you the following year.

5% of Share

Sometimes due to wise past business decisions and a reputation build over the years and decades a company ends up with the market share nearly all in its hands.  Yet when you are up top sometimes it is easy to forget that the customer is first, and a so hard build reputation can easily be tarnished.

This is what is happening to Volvo in the last seven to eight years; in sizes sub ten meters in Europe, and sub twelve meters in North America, with the Swedish engine and stern drive maker dominating the stern drive market since the end of the nineties and the start of the new century.  The competitor to Volvo here though is not another stern drive maker like Mercury or Yanmar, or some other name eating the market.  It's biggest competitor in reality has been the customer who having seen the cost of servicing and parts increase, and reliability of its modern stern drive line introduced in 2004 diminish.  Result customers turned to other type of propulsion, the outboard motors who are dominating the smaller size market like never before.  The outboard engine has seen an unimaginable increase in the last decade thanks to the reliable, clean and modern four stroke engine, and little maintenance propulsion system.  You just leave the outboard out of the water and the wear and tear in the engine is practically nearly non existing.

The result of all this is that the stern drive share sub ten meters in the most important pleasure boating North American continent is in its lowest level estimated at 5% in the USA for 2017, all given to the outboard which has seen an unstoppable increase in recent years.  The bad news for the stern drive is not finished with the outboard market share in Europe also increasing not by little in recent years.

The future is also showing the Diesel outboard trying to enter the market with so far an average success from the likes of new names OXE, and Cox, and known makers as Mercury and Yanmar also putting a foothold in this.  Meanwhile Volvo has also purchased a major share in the big engine maker Seven specialized in engines over 500hp.  All very interesting news even for those like me who have always seen the transit from outboard to inboard, as the step which leads from a small to a big boat even if sometimes the difference could have been only just one meter.