CARB lowers the boom:
rbbi.com
What I don't know since CARB hasn't actually posted their final ruling is whether existing boats will be "grandfathered". Normally I would expect such, but CA isn't a "normal" place. We also have to watch closely to see if other state governments and communities attempt to piggyback CARB's move. I know some recreational areas will use the "labeling", but it remains to be seen if an entire state will follow. I'm sure my relationship with Ms. Oilman, which is the polar opposite of..... will (would?) allow me to stay on top of this. Note that Betsy's position is NMMA's representative to governmental bodies. So she is the number one person who can address this activity in the U.S.
Mercury is THE name in boating, and they make some adjustments:
rbbi.com
Mercury has some serious work to do. Ficht improvements, which may address it's reliability problems, may allow OMC to salvage part of their reputation. The lower HP OptiMax's are too large and too heavy compared to Ficht and the Yamaha 4S motors. There is tremendous focus on lightening 4S street motorcycles right now (that power/weight ratio again), and Yamaha is leading the pack (remember the links I posted to their revolutionary "R1" and R6", which lead the charge to affordable superlights). Remember, Yamaha intends to build a 4S V6. If they bring it in beneath the weight of OptiMax, it's going to be a real test of the value of the Mercury name:
yamahausa.com
And don't forget Yamaha also intends to challenge Ficht and OptiMax with their own (HP) DFI 2S. I worry that they will steal much of OptiMax's market share just like the Japanese car manufacturers stole share from the U.S. auto makers. Finally, Suzuki seems interested on initiating a warranty war in the outboard market. U.S. companies usually don't do well in that environment.
MTBE makes a surprise recovery:
rbbi.com
This is (more) bad news for OE. It appeared that MTBE was on it's way out, and that there would be a scramble to find a replacement solution. Now that's making a U-turn. This is a total surprise.
Siemens+Mercury+Bombardier+Tohatsu+Lotus+Sundiro+Aprilia+Texmaco-BHP-RGC-RS=$3 |
