Neil and Mandy drove to Southern Italy to investigate marina and potential Boatshed opportunities along the Bay of Naples as well as a host of other areas in Italy. Happy to report that large quantities of boats exist in marinas and yards, very often in poor condition looking to be sold. Brokerage facilities in Italy still require more transparency and many small brokers would fit the Boatshed network profile, ongoing discussions continue with a number of players in this area.

Following the Italy visit Neil was invited to speak at the METS boat show in Holland, the one day conference concerned the future of "end of use" boats, focused on implications regarding the disposal of older vessels. The conference itself was a great success and Neil’s take on a combination of improving ways to sell vessels as well as other opportunities for different uses of vessels was received very well.

CLICK http://www.boatshed.com/the-future-of-yacht-recycling-conference--2015
We look forward to developing more of these recycle concepts at Boatshed going forwards.

Following the visit to Holland Neil flew on directly to Seattle and spent a number of days with Scott and Lisa as well as the Boatshed Seattle team.

Neil, Scott and Lisa attended the Pacific Northwest Marine Trade Show and it was very interesting to talk to a number of used boat sales organisations as well as new boat manufacturers at the show.
Neil spent some time with Scott and Lisa photographing and videoing their new Helmsman Trawler 31 Camano.

This vessel is manufactured by Scott and Lisa’s company, Helmsman Trawlers in a factory in China, it is then shipped to Seattle.
The HT 31 Camano will be one of the first new boats featured on the Boatshed new boat system and at this stage they are gathering all of the appropriate information.

For a 31 foot boat it incorporates all the things that you need either for an extended range cruiser or potential small live aboard. The quality of workmanship and standard of finish is really quite remarkable. This boat would be particularly suited to the European market as, like most trawlers, the enclosed wheelhouse and internal area is suited to either very warm or cooler wet environments.

Coming Soon to Boatshed: The HT 31 Camano will be featured as a new boat for sale across all of the Boatshed offices quite soon; a commission sharing system for introduction of new customers for this exciting new trawler has been developed. If you’d like more information please contact the Boatshed support team.

Neil travelled with Gary Buck to visit two other new boat manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest, these included Devlin Boat Builders and also Legendary Yachts. You can see a number of photos of Legendary Yachts’ superb custom built boats which are currently laid up for winter below. Legendary yachtsbuild a range of custom craft, the quality and personalisation of each vessel is something we hope to be able to feature soon in the Boatshed new boat system, hopefully generating potential purchase for these vessels across the Boatshed network.

Whilst Neil was in Seattle a new Helmsman Trawler arrived on a ship from China; Neil went with members of the Boatshed Seattle team to assist with the unloading of this vessel and tow of the vessel back to Boatshed Seattle/Helmsman Trawlers marina facility in the centre of Seattle. The unloading of the trawler was quite dramatic, the boat was towed and then subsequently fuelled for transit to Boatshed Seattle’s marina.

Boatshed Seattle has its office in the main yacht broker row in Seattle and it’s interesting to note that most yacht sales facilities still incorporate many of the traditional office based techniques and restrictions that Boatshed has worked hard to overcome. You’ll notice some pictures here of some of the offices of existing brokers in Seattle.

To Further investigate the changing face of sales models and processes in the US, Neil visited a new Cadillac dealership as well as a Tesla dealership. It was very interesting to note the changing face of modern car dealerships in the US. These encourage customers to do research online and when they are satisfied with all of the information relevant to the particular car or model that they wish to purchase to visit a central facility whereby they can experience the car first hand. It’s interesting to note that it is a very soft sell approach, is based on the customer already prequalifying themselves before visiting the central facility to essentially gain the touch and feel of the car. Neil thought this was very encouraging as it has great similarities to the Boatshed new boat sales model that we’re currently developing.

After a visit to see Boatshed Curt's family in Portland for Thanksgiving, (they are so cool!) Neil then jumped on a plane and travelled 36 hours from Seattle to Malaysia, arriving in Penang the day before the first Boatshed Asia organised MIS.M event in Penang.

This event brought together a range of different boat companies and manufacturers in Malaysia and has a display of boats, aeroplanes and vehicles at Straits Quay Marina in Penang

Lots of cars (which Neil had to try!) Plus the new Boatshed Asia Stylo II Airboat which has been manufactured new by a boat construction company based in Malaysia

On day two of the MIS.M event a " grow leisure forum" was held which included a range of speakers from aeronautical and marine companies from the US, Thailand and Malaysia Neil was asked to act as the facilitator for this conference and it included a visit from the chief minister of Penang.

PRESS REPORT: The organization of the Maritime International Showcase Malaysia (MISM) in Penang on 3-6 December 2015 was timely. This unique B2B / B2C maritime event consisted of an exhibition showcasing various products and services related to boating and the marine lifestyle, and display of boats and yachts for public viewing at Straits Quay Marina. MISM also featured a forum on boating in the Asia Pacific covering a range of topics such as marina development, trends in the boat/yacht markets in the region, and on boat/yacht financing and insurance. On hand to officiate the event was Penang’s Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who reiterated the state government’s support and commitment to make Penang a boating and marine leisure centre of international class and prominence.

AMIM Reports;
Being a nation surrounded by the sea and located along a popular boating lane in the tropics, Malaysia has plenty of attractions to offer those in pursuit of marine leisure activities and enjoyment.
The country enjoys sunny weather all year round, boasts beautiful beaches and islands, offers calm waters to boaters and sailors, and international class infrastructures such as marinas and hotels. These addicing to the cake to its vibrant culture, savoury food and many natural and man-made tourist attractions.
Given these, Malaysia has tremendous potential to become a haven for marine leisure activities especially as a playground for boaters who are always seeking new ‘marine playgrounds’ to sail to and good infrastructures and services for their ‘toys’. They are also constantly looking to savour the various attractions of the countries where they set at anchor, which Malaysia has plenty to offer.
The island of Penang, which features the UNESCO World Heritage historic city of George Town, is especially poised to become a boating centre like Phuket and Singapore. It is strategically located along the Straits of Malacca which is a key sailing lane among boaters in the Asia Pacific region, and has a dazzling array of good infrastructures and tourist attractions on offer.
In this regard, the organization of the Maritime International Showcase Malaysia (MISM) in Penang on 3-6 December 2015 was timely. This unique B2B / B2C maritime event consisted of an exhibition showcasing various products and services related to boating and the marine lifestyle, and display of boats and yachts for public viewing at Straits Quay Marina. MISM also featured a forum on boating in the Asia Pacific covering a range of topics such as marina development, trends in the boat/yacht markets in the region, and on boat/yacht financing and insurance. On hand to officiate the event was Penang’s Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who reiterated the state government’s support and commitment to make Penang a boating and marine leisure centre of international class and prominence.

Neil in his role as Facilitator explains timings to Rolview from Reisinger Marine and Udo from ICOMIA

Following the forum event a gala dinner at Suffolk House was held for members and attendees of the forum and boat show. Anyone familiar with the Channel 4 series ‘Indian Summers’ will recognise this building. The colonial style venue was the perfect backdrop to the black tie gala dinner attended by a hundred of marine industry veterans as well as celebrities and businesses and government officials from all over Asia.

Following the forum event and back at the boat show in Penang a number of companies and products were on display including Airbus Helicopters, Mercedes, Princess and Dassault Falcon. A nautical lifestyle party was held in the evening.

Neil Chapman, Dato Nancy Yeoh and Rolv Reissiger were invited by Airbus Helicopters to experience theEC120 B

Following the events in Malaysia a number of ongoing discussions are being held with regards to Boatshed development in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and a new location in Thailand.
Special thanks to Dato Nancy Yeoh and Rolv Reissiger our partners in Boatshed Asia, for their hospitality and assistance on my visit.

Neil Chapman
December 2015