Safe, easy, green and fun: sector explores ways to attract new customer

Sales drops following the covid boom of boat sales have kicked in over the last two years. The splendid isolation of your own family on a boat is no longer the escape to holiday making. The buyers of the covid years are selling their boats, traditional yachties who pride themselves in nautical capabilities are ageing and younger generations do not want to own a boat, but want an easy fun time on the water on a rental. Still, getting out on the water in a boat remains a great way to spend leisure time for a very large group of customers. Boat builders, their suppliers and manufacturers of aftermarket boat necessities need to re-imagine their business to live up to the shift in sales channels and customer approach.

Expert insights

Facing these challenges in the global market, a record number of exhibitors and visitors came to Metstrade to explore the strategies towards a newly defined leisure boating industry. In addition to all of the booths over the exhibiton centre halls, where marine company representatives from around the globe exchanged ideas, the tradeshow had stages that hosted presentations and forum discussions. Four special stages were set op along the thirteen exhibition halls. Industry delegates and experts presented and discussed the developments in their field of expertise. The stages were set up by market segment or geographic origin.

Metstrade Stage

In the central hall 123 ‘Elicium’, the Metstrade Stage hosted theme sessions of Industry Associations and about diversity, regulations and market outlook.

Foiling Technology Stage

At the Foiling Stage in hall 7 the rapid developments with sailing- and motorised (electric) craft on hydrofoils were discussed. This segment in the boating sector is growing and evolving from the initial experimental phase towards a permanent and established part of the marine industry. This poses challenges for infrastructure, regulations and quality standards that need to be developed. Manufacturers, users and the Foiling Organisation take the lead in this, being the best equipped parties to set the targets for quality, rules and needs.

Superyacht Stage

The Superyacht Stage was central to the three-halls spanning Superyacht Zone in halls 8, 9 and 10. Owner targeting initiatives were presented there, like ‘Mapping the ocean floor Blue Boat Horizon project’ to support oceanographic science. In the Mediterrenean, seagrass areas can be mapped to indicate that anchoring there is harmful and unsafe. Overviews of technology to enhance the luxury experience on board were presented by companies that deliver this kind of equipment and entertainment.

North American Stage

In the section of hall 12 where the United States and Canada country zones grouped exhibition booths from their home countries, the North American Stage hosted presentations in a slightly more ‘from the workshop’ matter, people from individual companies talked about the new technologies they are adapting to advance their business in a sustainable, customer centered and innovative way.

Marine Impact Lab

Recycling and sustainable technologies are subjects that were discussed on all of the stages. This kicked off even before the Metstrade opening with the first day of The Marine Impact Lab. Marine Futures. The organisation that developed the MarineShift 360 life cycle assessment tool, explained participants of the conference how to apply LCA’s in their company practise. From sourcing raw materials – fossil or bio based resins, metals, fibers and more – to energy saving production procedures and recycling plans for end of life of the boats and components used, all parts of production can be evaluated as a whole, or as individual parts. The ECO invent database that forms the database to assess materials and their supply chain, is updted just now to provide more accurate insight in the ecological footprint of materials and processes in manufaturing. A study into the specific material sourcing and supply chain of any company provides more accurate data, but this is a lot of work investigating, so for general insight, the database can be used. Th challenge for companies that build composites is: how can we keep this material in the loop? And if recycled materials are used: how can we assure that the end product is just as good as when it was built with raw materials, or even better?

Upcycling

‘Advances in Renewable Composite Technologies’ were shared at the North American Stage by three representatives from companies in the USA, Switzerland and Italy. Nick Bigeau from Resolve Composites (CAN) explained how they got a scrap wind turbine blade and disassembled it with the process of Solvalysis. This means solving the composite in an acidic solvent. The resin and fibres came apart and they built a 17 foot long boat out of the captured materials. Guillaume Perben of Composite Recycling (SUI) showed how they use Thermolysis to melt resin from end-of-life composites. The resin vaporises, leaving oil that can be used to make new resin. The fibers are left clean for re-use. Fabio Bignolini of NLComp (ITA) uses recycled materials to build racing yachts. He revealed how they are already able to create top quality composites through recycling. “Both fibers and resin from heated composites and from solven composites can be used. It is regretfully not possible yet to re-use bio-based composites built from lineseed oil resin and flax or balsa core.”

Embedding the foiling segment

“Foiling is really attractive to people who are new to boating,” Will Howden of Amufacture (GBR) speaks out on the Foiling Technology Stage. “The ride is gentle, with very little bouncing on the waves, at speed and in comfort. We need to scale up. I see great potential for foiling to attract new crowds to boating.” Same stage, different presentation, Mike Peasgood from Envgo, building electric hydrofoil boats in Canada, calls to build an infrastructure for foiling boats. “We need to encourage the early adapters, make it easy for them to take their boat, dock it and charge the batteries anywhere.” WattAlps from Switzerland has a solution, Christophe Oudin says. “We have a DC charging station for fast charging. Due to the rules in many countries, we can not put it on land and connect it to the electricity grid, however. Therefor, we put it on a pontoon. To uphold the battery of the charging sation, it can be connected to solar panels, wind turbines or the grid from there.”

International rules

At the Metstrade stage, Luca Rizotti of the Foiling Organisation discussed the need for regulations. As foiling boats fly above the water at much higher speed than archimedean boats, and have sharp profiles sticking out, consideration is in place about navigational rules and industry standards to allow for safe sailing on these boats. A Joint Industry Project (JIP) started to write a blueprint for regulation and safety standards. Over thirty companies in the foiling segment and all of the Notified Bodies, the organisations maintaining the rules, are joining in this JIP. The Harmonised Certification Blueprint that this co-operation is aiming to deliver in 2027, should become part of ISO standards. The Foiling Organisation opts to be the office for assessing companies and their products and granting the certificates.

Updating Marina Guidelines

A contradictory note to the trend of declining boat sales is presented by John White of the ICOMIA Marinas Group at the Metstrade Stage: “Since 2017, there has been a 30 % increase in boats on the water. The number of berths available in marinas worldwide has only grown by 5 % since then. This explains the growing interest from private equity firms in marinas. There is growth potential, but we need to adopt to the changing fleet.” A new TYHA (The Yacht Harbour Association) Code of Practise will be written, to be be published early 2026. Standards will be provided for electric boat charging equipment, as well as recommendations to have a positive impact on the local environment, by upcycling waste at the marinas and redeveloping outdate industrial waterside areas where marinas bring new activity and plant trees and flowers.

Energy independance

At the HISWA Jachthaven Symposium (Dutch industry association marinas conference) alongside the Metstrade program, new adaptive ways to configure the energy in marinas were explored. Joop de Boer from a Dutch energy company said: “Marinas can build a multi-facetted electricty infrastructure. There is always a connection to the grid. But by also installing solar panels and maybe wind turbines or other installations that generte heat or electricity, an independent grid within the marina can also be established. Batteries are needed to store the energy when most is produced. In The Netherlands, delivering electricity back to the national grid is no longer paid for, nor deducted from the price of energy that is consumed. If the marina electricity system is such that excess electricity from the sanitary compartiment roof solar panels is not used, this can be transferred to the charging facilities at the piers, the marina infrastructure can be it’s own distributor of self produced energy.

Crew Wellbeing

One disturbing campaign must not be ignored: crew aboard superyachts is often suffering. The ISWAN (International Seafarer’s Welfare & Assistance Network) had a presentation at the Superyacht Stage. Their survey revealed alarming numbers of telephone calls for help from superyacht crew. 23 % of incoming calls at ISWAN are about mental health issues and 13,5 % are about bullying, discrimination and violence. This

can be caused by loneliness, long working hours, permanent availability demands, unpleasant behaviour from guests and owners or fellow crew. “This is very disturbing,” Laura Beard from ISWAN said. “Crew welfare is the most important feature for operational safety aboard a yacht.” Christophe Bourillon from PYA (Professional Yachting Association) added: “In all industries, teams do teambuilding days. This is mostly not included in the work of yacht crews.” The owners of large yachts are often CEO’s of big companies, who have corporate responsibility programmes and health, safety and environment education in their businesses. They seem to not want these responsibilities when they go to their yachts to relax. Meanwhile, life on board a superyacht is disrupting mental and physical health of crew.

Lloyds Register and ISWAN join in a study into crew welfare. A report will be published in 2026. Recommendations will follow for UN labour organisation ILO and crewing – en yacht management agencies. Will owners and crewing agencies be held responsible for harm to crew caused by unsafe and overly demanding work environments? “We like to co-operate with them before accusations,” Beard replies.