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MMTA ENews Brief: August 12, 2005
  • Tickets Still Available!
  • SEP 8 Nominating Meeting
  • SEP 29 Annual Meeting
  • NOV 15 Conference Planning: Volunteers Needed!
  • NOV 8-10 MRAA Convention
  • Abandoned Vessel Legislation Update
  • Massachusetts Marina Week Celebrations
  • '06 Dealer-MFG Agreements
  • National Dealer Certification Update
  • Developing Your Current Employees through Education
  • Look No Further: Marine Trades Program Graduates
  • Fuel Prices Going Up Got You Down?
  • C02 and Smart, Safe Boating
  • Staples Business Advantage Program
  • Boat Show News
  • Ben Franklin Enrolling Now
  • AMI Dues Reminder
  • Have an Item for ENews?
  • E-Mail Changes?
  • Advertise on BoatMA.com
  • Share The Wealth!
  • Refer a Member for 15 Month Membership
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National Marina Day & Massachusetts Marina
Week Starts Saturday August 13

Governor Romney Proclaims Marina Week in Massachusetts.

On July 27, 2005 Mitt Romney, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, bestowed the Governor's Award in recognition of Massachusetts Marina Week August 13-20, 2005.

The Award states: Massachusetts is home to over three hundred recreational boating facilities that provide enjoyable and safe activities for its communities and guests. During the week of August 13th to 20th, 2005 the Marine Environmental Education Fund and Massachusetts Marine Trade Association seek to raise awareness about marina's and boatyards stewardship of our precious waterways, and continue to provide environmentally friendly gateways to boating for the citizens and visitors to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

All members of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association may download a copy of the Governor's award at the member's only section of BoatMA.com. Please print a copy and display prominently and proudly at your place of business.


SAVE THESE DATES!

AUGUST 19-21 - Antique & Classic Boat Festival, Salem

MMTA Member Hawthorne Cove Marina in Salem will host the 23rd Antique and Classic Boat Festival on August 19-21. The festival will include exhibits, artists, crafts, and entertainment. MMTA's North Shore regional committee made a donation to this event.


SEPTEMBER 8 - MMTA Nominating Meeting, Cohasset Light Keeper's House 6 - 9 PM

The pleasure of your company is requested for the Annual Nomination of Officers & Directors of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association to be held Thursday, September 8th at the Cohasset Light Keeper's House on Government Island overlooking Cohasset Harbor.

Please join us at this very special location to meet new and old colleagues, take in the sunset, socialize waterside, sway to the steel drum music and wind down after a busy summer season. $35 per person donation includes Evening Reception, Beverage Tickets, Complimentary parking and a magnificent view.

Each year this is a well attended event: space is limited, so be sure to return your reservation form TODAY by mail, fax or email. Guests and prospective members are always welcome. Catering Count is Due August 31.

Keep an eye out for your invitation in the mail and be sure to send in your reservation right away.


SEPTEMBER 29 - MMTA Annual Meeting

During the Boston International in Water Boat Show Exhibitor Reception at Anthony's Pier Four, the 2005 MMTA Officer & Director election results will be announced. Be sure to join us for the MMTA Annual Meeting reception at Anthony's. If you have not already done so, reception tickets are available through www.bostoninwaterboatshow.com

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15 - Massachusetts Marine Trades Conference

This day long event will feature educational seminars, guest speakers, social and networking opportunities. Location and agenda will be announced soon. Interested in recommending a conference topic, a speaker or becoming a sponsor of this event? Would you like to participate in the planning of this conference? We welcome your expertise and help. If you would like to get involved, drop an email to Leona.Roach@boatMA.com


NOVEMBER 8-10, 2005 - MARINE RETAILERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, Annual Convention, Stardust Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

Did you know that retailer members of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association are automatically members of the Marine Retailer's Association of America (MRAA)?

Make this the year YOU attend YOUR MRAA Annual Convention November 8-10, 2005 in Las Vegas. This is THE place to discover trends, learn about the state of the national marine economy and what you can do to build a better mousetrap in the coming year. Airfare and lodging is very affordable and this year's line up of celebrity speakers includes MMTA's own Larry Russo of Russo Marine. To access your convention registration form, visit, www.mraa.com. A complete agenda and list of speakers may be found at: http://www.mraa.com/2005convention/schedule.html

MMTA strongly encourages your attendance at this major industry conference.


MARINE INDUSTRY AWARD: CALL FOR ENTRIES

Boating Industry Top 100 - Have you applied for the Boating Industry Top 100 program? If not, an application form can be downloaded off the Boating Industry website - www.boating-industry.com


Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year Award

Nominations for the Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year Award are now open. Nominations include women involved in all facets of the marine industry - dealerships, representatives, manufacturing. The award will be presented during the upcoming MRAA annual convention in Las Vegas, November 8th-10th. All nominations must be received by September 1, 2005.


From the Desk of...Jamy Buchanan Madeja, Esq.,
MMTA Government Relations and Legal Counsel

The legislature is in informal session until September, which means (in theory) only non-controversial laws may be passed and staff takes the time to work on pending bills. Your courts and executive branch remain in session. One closely watched Appeals Court decision has required a local conservation commission to pass formal regulations or bylaws, with formal town meeting approval, if the commission wanted to impose local requirements on proposed projects. Consistency of requirements for all applicants was one of the court's concerns, along with townwide support rather than a few officials' policies.

The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) Secretary has changed to the former CFO of EOEA, Stephen Pritchard. For more information about Secretary Pritchard and EOEA, go to http://www.mass.gov/envir/. Former EOEA Secretary Herzfelder is now a consultant to the Governor on Ocean Management legislation, which remains a high priority for Governor Romney. MMTA participated in the advisory committee which evaluated these issues and strongly supports exemptions for recreational boating from any new state ocean management plans.

Cape Wind filed a Notice of Project Change relocating some of the proposed wind towers to be outside state jurisdiction and to avoid underwater archaeological impacts. Secretary Pritchard allowed the change to proceed without requiring any additional study.

MMTA members with questions on these or other matters are always welcome to contact Jamy Buchanan Madeja, Esq., MMTA's Government Relations and Legal Counsel, at (617)227-8410 or via e-mail at jmadeja@buchananassociates.com


Highlights from Coastal Zone Management's Newsletter

Ocean Management Legislation Hearing Held

A well-attended hearing on the proposed Ocean Management legislation (H2602 and S-529) was held on July 18 before the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture. EOEA, Senator Robert O'Leary (Cape and Islands), and interested parties pledged to work together toward development of a bill that provides maximum protection to the Commonwealth's valuable ocean resources. For more information go to http://www.mass.gov/czm/oceanmanagement/orca/index.htm. To view the MMTA comment on Ocean Management legislation visit the MMTA Members Only section.

CZM has recently developed two documents to inform the public about the Governor's proposed ocean management legislation, a Fact Sheet on the proposed Act Relative to Ocean Resources and Conservation, provides a section-by-section overview of the bill and outlines specific ocean use exemptions and prohibitions, and Ten Key Questions about Ocean Management Legislation.

Hurricane Season Is Here!

Check out CZM's Hurricane Preparedness Kit at http://www.mass.gov/czm/hurricanes.htm for detailed information about hurricanes, past and present, and how to prepare for an approaching storm. Also the 2002 issue of Coastlines, CZM's annual magazine, focuses on hurricanes and the potential impacts to Massachusetts. Go to http://www.mass.gov/coastlines/2002/index02.htm.

Coast Guide Online! - Just in time for the really hot weather, CZM has developed an easy-to-use online guide to beaches and coastal spots on the North Shore and in and around Boston. Go to http://www.mass.gov/czm/coastguide/index.htm for the online version of Coast Guide and the order form.

COASTSWEEP 2005 - COASTSWEEP, the state-wide beach cleanup sponsored by CZM and the Urban Harbors Institute of UMass Boston, will kickoff its 18th year on Saturday, September 17. For more information, or to get involved, go to the COASTSWEEP website at http://www.coastsweep.umb.edu/.


A Message from MMTA's Washington Insider, Larry Innis

AUGUST 9: As you may know, the president signed the Energy Bill yesterday. The new 1,724-page bill took four years to write and pass and provides $14.5 billion in tax breaks for oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear-power companies. Hopefully, boating will see some relief in pump prices of gas and diesel fuel.

The final bill dropped many of the controversial amendments that had blocked passage of earlier versions, including authority to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and giving the petroleum industry protection against product-defect lawsuits for the gasoline additive known as MTBE, an additive well-known to the boating industry. The government forecasts that ANWR-oil would diminish our dependence on foreign oil by 2025. Look for the ANWR-issue on the separate budget legislation, which is to be considered later this year.

Another issue that was not included in the Energy Bill is further constraints on corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. Congress rejected all attempts to increase CAFE standards for cars, pick up trucks and SUVs, because doing so would result in the loss of U.S. auto jobs and the production of vehicles, which are unsafe.

Ethanol is the big winner under the new law, in part, because it comes from corn, a popular and plentiful product of the Mid-west where many states are up for grabs in next year's election. Our boat motors and engines will be operating in the near future on a fuel with significant amounts of ethanol, a decision not based on good science but on pre-election year politics.

I hope you are having a great summer.

Cheers,
Larry


MA MARINE TRADE EDUCATORS NEED YOUR HELP!

Education Committee Chairman, Ed Lofgren has received several urgent pleas for equipment necessary to teach the students enrolled in marine trades programs in Quincy and at Massasoit Community College. Please review the wish lists below and, if you have something you can spare or loan or would like to make a cash contribution, please contact Ed Lofgren at 781.749.3250 or via e-mail at erl@3AMarine.com

Feel free to pass along and share these urgent requests with your OEM's and distributors encouraging them to scour their inventory for contributions. You'll be surprised what they have "laying around" that they might be willing to donate to a good cause-all you have to do is ask!

Quincy's New Marine Technology Course Needs:
  • Large test tank for bigger outboards
  • Stern Drive repair stands
  • Propeller puller
  • Stern Drive test tank
  • Jack Stands
Massasoit's Marine Technology Program Needs:
  • Stern drive engines (year 2000 & up in running condition)
  • Engine test stands for stern drive engines
  • Fuel gauge panels with control box and harness
  • Boats (1995 or newer): outboard, stern drive, inboard to troubleshoot, diagnose and demonstrate repairs.
  • Transmissions: (Hurth & Borg Warner and any vee drive)
  • Stern Drives (1995 & up), Complete to troubleshoot and reseal
  • Stern drive repair stands (bench mount and floor mount)
  • Assorted Special tools to teardown & reseal outdrives.

"Quick Tips" for MMTA Members from Boatwise Marine Training

MMTA Members Rick and Sue Kilborn owners of Boatwise Marine Training offer this tip to clear up the confusion about Converting between Lat / Long forms when changing chart scales. Look for the next Boatwise tip coming soon. For more information visit: www.boatwise.com

When navigating around and about New England using paper charts, it often becomes necessary to convert the Lat/Long position on the chart to a form agreeable to how we have our GPS chart plotter configured.

As we (should) know, charts come in different "scales" of detail. A chart of Cape Cod Bay may be in a scale of 1:80,000 - meaning 1" on the chart is equivalent to 80,000 " out on the water. Harbor charts are likely to be in a 1:10,000 or 1:20,000 scales. Latitude and Longitude on the 1:80,000 chart is commonly displayed in degrees, minutes and tenths of a minute while Harbor charts, due to the scale of the chart, are typically displayed in degrees minutes and seconds.

Since there are 60 minutes in one degree and 60 seconds in one minute, we can easily see that a tenth (.1) of a minute is 6 seconds (60/10=6).

Therefore, to convert from one form of Lat/Long to the other you either divide or multiply by 6, depending on which way you are converting.

Example: Latitude of 41 deg. 21 minutes 30 seconds is converted to 41 deg. 21.5 minutes (each minute having 60 seconds). These two readings are the same location - by dividing the seconds (30) by 6 the result is .5 minutes. To convert back the other way, just multiply the decimal minute (.5) by 6 therefore; .5 minutes X's 6 = 30 seconds.

Most boaters have their GPS Chart plotters configured in degrees, minutes & tenths (decimal) minutes. The confusion is exacerbated by the fact that many GPS's also read out in 3 decimal places (to increase location accuracy). Third decimal place accuracy is equivalent to 6 ft. Boaters not understanding the above conversion process, often just drop the last one or two decimal digit(s) and in fact, would call 41 degrees 21 minutes 30 seconds (on the harbor chart) equivalent to 41 deg. 21.3 minutes instead of .5 minutes.

What's the difference in location? If we use the principle that a tenth (.1) minute of Latitude is equal to 600 ft., the difference between (.5) min and (.3) minutes is 1200 ft (or 4 football fields). When converting a reading from the GPS (to 3rd decimal place) the same error is made by most boaters not understanding the above. Example: 41 deg. 21.324 min of latitude is commonly called 41 deg. 21 min 32 sec (or sometimes 3 seconds). The error is equal but reversed - another 4+ football fields. The following exercises help us understand the conversion so we can avoid the errors described.

Convert minutes to decimals: (note, when converting "to decimals, divide (the seconds) by 6)
  • 41 25' 36" = _____________
  • 43 27' 42" = _____________
  • 42 36' 18" = _____________
Convert decimals to minutes: (note, when converting "to minutes, multiply (the decimal) by 6)
  • 41 22.6' = ___________________
  • 42 36.1' = ___________________
  • 43 50.9' = ___________________

Trailer Tips: Wheel Fastening Pointers, By Robert Newsome, NMMA

Proper torquing of the lug nuts on trailers and assembly of the trailer wheel onto the hub is a safety issue that should be of note to manufacturers, dealers, and end-users alike. Paying attention to proper techniques and following manufacturers specifications will help to minimize the chance of wheel-separation and lug nut torque-loss. Here are a few pointers to pass along to your customers when discussing attachment of the wheels:
  • Initially lightly secure the wheel using a criss-cross or star pattern (according to manufacturers specifications)
  • Use a torque wrench to apply the correct amount of manufacturer recommended torque to the lug nuts, applying the same criss-cross or star pattern
  • Always check the torque at the beginning of long-trips and whenever a wheel has been removed
  • Do not deviate from manufacturers recommendations for attachment and appropriate fastener torque
  • Note any lug nut that has lost torque. Investigate the reason(s) if the lug nut torque is not maintained after more than one re-torque application, because this indicates there is something wrong with the lug nuts, nut studs, wheels and/or hubs and should be corrected.*
  • Contact your vehicle manufacturer immediately if you experience any persistent lug nut loosening or any other lug, wheel or axle problems.*
  • In the event of a wheel separation incident, notify the vehicle manufacturer and seek prompt professional assistance in assessing the trailer and its gear, and retain, but don't re-use involved lugs, wheels and studs. Don't repair or service the trailer yourself. Call a trained technician.*
For more information on wheel fastening or torquing, contact NMMA Engineering Standards Department at 312.946.6200 or the Trailer Manufacturers Association (TMA) at 312.946.6280.

*Courtesy of the Trailer Safety Industry Coalition (TSIC), a group of trailer and component manufacturers formed to identify and address issues that can improve the safety of towable equipment. You can learn more about TSIC's efforts, and recommended practices at www.natm.com, www.rvia.com, www.nmma.org and www.ntea.com.


NEW MEMBER BENEFIT: MMTA-STAPLES BUSINESS ADVANTAGE PROGRAM

Deep discounts and dedicated customer service typically reserved for much larger corporations are now available to MMTA members.

How Do I Enroll?
It's easy. Visit the MMTA Members Only Section at www.BoatMA.com and click on the STAPLES LOGO. Forgot YOUR MMTA Members Only Password? Remember they are case sensitive:

Username: MMTA
Password: hightide
After you complete the online enrollment, an MMTA-Staples Account Manager will contact you to complete the registration process and assist with any questions you have about getting started. It's That Easy!
2005 Boston International In Water Boat Show


The Boston International In Water Boat Show is Boston's only Boat Show with over 200 In-Water Boat Displays and 300 Indoor Boat Displays. This show attract boaters from all over New England, and one of New England's largest, most attractive boat shows. Children under 12 are admitted free with an adult companion and complimentary youth life jackets are available dockside.

  • Boston's Only In Water Boat Show
  • Over 200 In-Water Boat Displays: Over 300 Indoor Displays
  • Children Under 12 Admitted Free with Adult Companion
  • Complimentary Youth Life Jackets Available Dockside
  • Endorsed by the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association
  • Power boats, sailboats, engines, accessories & seminars
  • Boat Buyer's Bonanza: Bottom Line Reason to Buy at the Show
  • Opening Night Exhibitor Reception: The Place to Connect with the National Marine Industry
  • Special Pre Show Advertising Opportunities: Call 978-777-4439 for details

Ongoing Events


E-Mail Changes?

Unlike the US Post Office, the cyberspace postmaster does not forward your e-mail. Has your e-mail address changed? If so, be sure to let us know so you won't miss an issue of MMTA ENews: Send a notice of any email address changes or requests to opt out of future mailings to: webmaster@boatMA.com


Advertise on BoatMA.com
THE BEST PROMOTIONAL VALUE FOR YOUR MARINE BUSINESS!

If you do ANY advertising, this is THE place to be! Only for MMTA members, the BOATMA.com web site draws thousands of boaters every single day. There is no better place to get exposure for your marine trades business!
  • Banner Ads are only available to MMTA members at the incredible low cost of $100 per month.

  • Over 250,000 pages visited during the first four months of 2005!

  • BoatMA.com is THE boating site for Massachusetts and New England.

NEW!  MMTA also invites you to sponsor an ENews Brief. We will feature an image and some text about your company right at the top of a ENews Brief like this one, which is sent to all MMTA members. What a great business-to-business opportunity!

Email webmaster@boatma.com or call David, the BoatMA.com webmaster, at 508-240-2533 to sign up today!


SHARE THE WEALTH!

Like what you have read? PLEASE share these ENews briefs with colleagues and staff of MMTA member firms. While emails are sent to one contact at a Member Firm, all employees of member firms can benefit from this information.

HAVE AN ITEM FOR ENEWS? Drop us a line at: Leona.Roach@BoatMA.co


MEMBERSHIPS SUPPORT MMTA

Do you know a firm that should be a Full or Associate member of MMTA? We want your referrals for membership: just drop a note to Membership Committee Chairman Niven Damon at Niven@nivendamon.com or complete a Membership Application On-line.

New Member applications submitted and approved at the October Board meeting will be eligible for a 15 month membership!
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