International Boat Industry – August-September 2019

ibinews.com International Boat Industry | AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2019 27

now throwing caution to the wind.
John Tyligadas, a board member at
Greek marine manufacturers’ association
SECAPLAS, told IBI that boat rentals

• sailing boats and yachts, mid-length
  fibreglass boats and RIBs – fuelled the
  industry’s growth of the past few years.
  “But there has also been a significant
  increase in new, privately-owned boats
  from 5m-6m and larger boats of over 9m in
  length,” he says.
  Mid-range boats from 6m-9m, however,
  remain stagnant – mostly due to taxation
  and uncertainties. “A large number of
  boats sold in the past have also remained
  out of operation, negatively impacting
  the accessories and services aftermarkets
  as well as government revenue,”
  Tyligadas explains. “This specific segment
  traditionally targeted the middle classes,
  who were first to cut down on yearly family
  costs. Thankfully, it seems the situation
  has reversed and people are now looking to
  invest in their favourite pastime.”
  According to Tyligadas, customers
  are looking for high-quality service,
  simplification of operations, and custom
  touches to their boats. “The strong point
  of our local boatbuilding and aftermarket
  industry has always been the ability to
  provide personalised services, in contrast
  to larger global boatbuilders that are more
  focused on serial volume production.”
  Greek exports have also risen, both for
  boats as well as accessories. Demand is
  mostly from EU countries, eastern Europe,
  the Middle East and Australia.
  Back at home, marine infrastructure
  is said to be a “daily problem” but
  some recent marina leases and other
  developments seem to indicate positive
  changes are in sight. A number of Greek
  marinas and harbours are currently in the
  process of being privatised – including
  Alimos Marina in Athens, one of the largest
  marinas in the Mediterranean – as part of
  the Greek government’s growth strategy for
  marina tourism.
  “There is also hope that the current
  administration will consolidate and
  simplify regulations that would make it
  easier and worry-free for private boaters
  to pursue their hobby,” Tyligadas says.
  “Our customers need a simplified legal
  framework, since the pleasure boat
  market is a leisure activity. Anything too
  complicated will turn people off and force
  them to pursue other activities.”
  The industry mood in Greece has been

positive for the past three to four years,

Tyligadas says. One such indication is the

SECAPLAS-owned Athens Boat Show,

which has outgrown the organiser’s

available space. This year’s show, which

runs from November 27 to December 1 at

the Olympic Fencing Center, is scheduled

to be the largest since the onset of the

Greek crisis. “Growth related to tourism

as well as private boaters returning to the

market has reversed sentiment to positive,”

Tyligadas adds. „

ͻϭρϬϬͬϭΘϬϬĮdžĞĚƌƉŵ

ͻϭϬͲρϬŬs͕ƐŝŶŐůĞŽƌƚŚƌĞĞ

ƉŚĂƐĞ

ͻ,ŝŐŚĐůĂƐƐƐŽƵŶĚƐŚŝĞůĚ

ͻ/ŶĚŝƌĞĐƚĞŶŐŝŶĞǁĂƚĞƌĐŽŽůŝŶŐ

ͻŝƌͲĐŽŽůĞĚďĂĐŬͲĞŶĚ

;sZƌĞŐƵůĂƚĞĚͿ

ͻdžƚĞŶĚĞĚĐŚŽŝĐĞŽĨ

ŝŶƐƚĂůůĂƟŽŶŬŝƚƐΘƉĂƌƚƐ

ͻ&ƵůůďƌŝĚŐĞĐŽŶƚƌŽůŝŶƚĞŐƌĂƟŽŶ

ͻZĞŵŽƚĞŵŽŶŝƚŽƌŝŶŐĂŶĚ

ĐŽŶƚƌŽůĂƐƐƚĂŶĚĂƌĚ

ͻWdŝĞƌκ͕^ƚĂŐĞsĐŽŵƉůŝĂŶƚ

ͻtŽƌůĚǁŝĚĞ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞ

whisperpower.com

WhisperPower

Classic Generators

Best choice

ϬͬϭΘϬϬĮdžĞĚƌƉŵ ͻdžƚĞŶĚĞĚĐŚŽŝĐĞŽ

There has been

a significant

increase in new,

privately-owned boats

from 5m-6m and larger

boats of over 9m

in length