June/July  2002 NC Marine TradeWinds Newsletter

Editors 

 

 

East Bay Boat Works Destroyed in Five-Alarm Fire

Third generation custom boat builder, Ricky Gillikin lost his company’s main construction building and two 50+ foot boats in a fire on Monday, July 1. Known for quality sportfisherman and custom yachts, the Harkers Island North Carolina builder has been building boats his entire life. His grandfather built charter boats, his father built commercial fishing and paddlewheel boats, and Ricky builds boats known and successful in major fishing tournaments all along the east coast. One of the boats lost was 80% finished and the other was a just completed hull. The company plans to rebuild the facility and increase production to honor boat obligations of those owners who lost boats and those next in line. See the company’s website at www.eastbayboatworks.com.

 

Coast Guard Wants Small / Medium Boats – ABYC Electrical Standards Involved

The US Coast Guard has indicated that it will be buying considerable small and medium sized boats under the Homeland Security authorization (see http://www.dot.gov/affairs/uscg0502.htm). They have referenced many ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) electrical standards as requirements for these boats. If a boat builder wants to bid on government projects, it is necessary to at least be familiar with, if not certified in, ABYC Standards.

We are going to be offering two seminars combining the needed background of Selling To The Government and applicable ABYC Standards. ABYC has agreed to share their information and allow us to incorporate their standards presentation into a government procurement seminar. The classes will be held in both New Bern and Manteo. For more information on ABYC Standards contact Sharon Busker at 410/956-1050. Follow www.NCwaterways.com at the Business Assistance Tab for further information and notification of dates and times. To be put on a notification list for seminars, call or email Wendy Larimer [Wlarimer@SBTDC.org / (910) 962-3351)].

 

Boat Sales Tax Cap Repeal – Not Likely …But Stay Vigilant

A NC bill proposing to remove the cap on boat sales tax was again introduced in the House, but we understand that the bill had little support and is not moving forward for now. This bill could be detrimental to the many custom Sportfishing boat builders and their 1,500+ NC employees. These builders design, build and sell high-ticket boats to individuals who have total discretion as to where their boat is built. As shown by the old luxury tax, any change in the cost of buying a North Carolina boat can have far reaching effects on the overall industry.

 

Marinas Asked to Address Non-point Source Pollution

Non-Point Source Pollution Prevention is becoming this year’s hot issue for the state DENR. Following EPA protocol, the state is required to address this pollution along the US waterways, and develop a long-term plan. The NC Division of Water Quality is taking the lead on addressing marina and recreational boater contributions to pollution and developing a solution of how to combat the problem. Marine Trades has been invited to the planning meeting on how to develop Best Management Practices and rules to ease non-point source pollution. We want to make sure marinas are treated fairly in this process and will keep you informed of what is being discussed.

 

 

 

Lake Norman Visits

Wendy Larimer will be in the Lake Norman area the third week of July. She will visit as many marine businesses as possible to refresh them on what services we offer, as well as promote www.NCwaterways.com as a marketing tool. If you have business concerns or issues you’d like to discuss with Wendy, please call (or email) her at 910/962-3351 to set up an appointment.

 

White Marlin Heading For Endangered Species List? – a Risk for NC’s Sportfishing Industry

According to an email notice from Pirates Cove Marina and the charter fleets of Oregon Inlet, the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Pirate’s Cove Marina and the Pirate’s Cove Big Game Tournaments, a petition was filed on August 31, 2001 with NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) to list White Marlin as an endangered species. On December 19, 2001, NMFS determined that available statistics and data related to White Marlin Stock were sufficient to warrant investigation. In March 2002, A Status Review Team was created to review White Marlin population data and biological information. In June 2002, public hearings are being held specifically to collect additional data from the public, in order to further evaluate White Marlin and provide a more comprehensive and complete picture of their status. On September 4, 2002, NMFS will render its decision whether or not to list White Marlin as endangered species.

 

In September 2003, regulations must be implemented to restrict activities in order to protect White Marlin if, in fact, they are listed, in accordance with the Endangered Species Act. If you have any data that sheds light on White Marlin numbers, catches, sightings, etc., fax to 252-473-1172 or email to lee@fishpiratescove.com for compilation and future use.

 

Hurricane Check List Available

Our Marine Trades Hurricane Preparedness Plan is now available on www.NCWaterways.com under the Business Assistance Tab. This plan includes a checklist of suggested actions for marina operators and customers to take to protect their property before, during and after a hurricane.  Action items are listed according to number of hours until the storm arrives. Suggestions for securing moored, trailered, anchored, and docked boats are also a part of this plan. If your facility does not have a hurricane plan, download ours so you don’t get caught off guard this hurricane season. 

 

Boating Infrastructure Grants – Wait Now On for 21 Applicants

According to Maury Wolff, the North Carolina coordinator for the Boating Infrastructure Grant Program (BIG), 97 North Carolina groups and individuals requested information on the Boating Infrastructure Grant Program. Of those original 97, twenty-one applications have been received and met criteria for review. The program’s purpose is to bring better transient services and facilities to national waterways.  Nine million dollars has been set aside for the current BIG program. There are two Tiers. Tier I is a $100,000 to the state open to smaller projects. Tier II is for major projects and can be used for smaller projects not accommodated in the Tier I funding, if funds are available.

The review committee will soon begin ranking the 21 applications to determine which ones will be submitted to the federal government for further review. As with all government grant programs, this will take awhile. The state must complete their review by the end of September. It will likely be several months later until the final winners of the grant money are announced. Maury Wolff stated that he received many good project proposals and choosing the ones to move forward will be difficult. He also said he was surprised that very few municipalities chose to apply for this money since a major point of the grant program is to give boaters better access to historic and waterways tourism destinations.

This is the second round of funding for the grant, which began over a year ago. Coinjock Marina and the City of Wilmington were the only applicants for the first round and shared the award to build and repair transient docks and pilings.

The Marine Trades Services is a program of the Small Business Technology Development Center (SBTDC). The SBTDC is a business development service of The University of North Carolina operated in partnership with the US Small Business Administration.