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What is happening in the boating industry

An underwriter sits at a junction. Yards, dealers, marinas, surveyors and courts all pass through, and most of what they produce ends up in trade magazines nobody outside the trade reads, or in circulars that only members receive. This page carries the part that actually reaches boat owners.

Two things set it apart from a press release. Every item names where the facts came from, with a link. And our own reading of it, as an underwriting agency, sits in a separate box, marked as what it is: our view, not the news.

Ein Arbeitshafen am Morgen mit Travellift über dem Kranbecken und aufgebockten Booten daneben

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Updated 12.10.2026 · 58 items

Stern of a white motorboat at a wooden jetty with a bare engine mounting plate, loose cables and a chain with a padlock

Market12 October 2026

Outboard thieves strike again at Marina Wieltsee in Germany

Thieves took motorboats from Marina Wieltsee in Germany, stripped the outboards and set the boats adrift. What owners should do now.

An orange canopied life raft drifting alone on a long swell under a full moon

Rescue11 October 2026

Whale strike sinks yacht north of Norfolk Island

A sperm whale holed a 16 metre yacht on passage from Fiji to New Zealand. Four sailors spent 18 hours waiting for a container ship.

An all-weather lifeboat seen from astern punching through a steep grey sea

Rescue11 October 2026

Solo sailor abandons flooding yacht east of Shetland

In a south-easterly force 7 to 8, a 9 metre yacht took on water off Whalsay. Lerwick lifeboat took the skipper off; the boat drifted away.

A white motorboat stranded on a rocky, weed-covered shore with a frayed line at the bow

Rescue11 October 2026

Nor'easter in Marblehead: 16 boats lost to chafed pennants

A late September nor'easter broke at least 16 boats free in Marblehead. Not one mooring dragged; the pennants chafed through at the bow.

A salvage crane barge in a calm Adriatic strait, its cable running straight down

Rescue11 October 2026

Šolta yacht wreck raised from 60 metres

Three months after colliding with a fast catamaran, the yacht sunk off Šolta has been lifted. How a 60 metre salvage works, and who now investigates.

A row of new motor boats wrapped in white shrink film on wooden trestles and boat stands in a gravel yard by the sea, with a breakwater and palm trees under a grey sky.

Market10 October 2026

Spanish boat registrations up 7 per cent to September

Spain registered 4,642 recreational boats from January to September 2026, up 7 per cent. Motor boats and larger boats grew fastest.

Underwater view of a seagrass meadow with a screw anchor, from which a single rope rises straight up to a white mooring buoy at the bright surface.

Associations10 October 2026

European boating associations meet in Hamburg

The European Boating Association met in Hamburg on 2 and 3 October: electronic distress signals, kill cords, GPS jamming and seagrass moorings.

A white sailing yacht with furled sails motors out of a harbour past a rock breakwater, with a concrete quay alongside and pontoons and hazy hills behind.

Events7 October 2026

Genoa Boat Show closes with 138,273 visitors

The 66th Genoa Boat Show drew 138,273 visitors, up 11.3 per cent on 2025, and logged more than 4,600 sea trials in six days.

Two orange liferafts with closed canopies drift on a grey, choppy sea, with a cargo ship in the haze on the distant horizon.

Technology5 October 2026

Cruising yacht sank in the South Pacific after whale strike

A 15.5 metre yacht sank after a whale strike north of Norfolk Island. Its four crew were picked up from their liferaft after about 17 hours.

A wooden jetty reaching into a calm mountain lake, an orange lifebuoy hanging from a post and a small white open motorboat with an outboard moored alongside, two orange lifejackets on its bench, forested slopes in the haze behind.

Law4 October 2026

Italian coast guard assisted fewer leisure boats this summer

Italy's coast guard assisted 343 leisure boats in summer 2026, 21 percent fewer than in 2025, and skipper violations fell by 16 percent.

A boatyard quay on the Ligurian coast: on the left a new white motor yacht on a rusty steel transport cradle, on the right a row of small wooden boats on blocks under grey covers, with calm harbour water and terraced hills under an overcast sky.

Market3 October 2026

Italy's boating industry posts modest growth for 2025

Italy's boating industry turned over EUR 8.72 billion in 2025, up 1.4 percent. Large yachts carry the gain while small boats fall for a second year.

View from the cockpit of a sailing yacht across the grey Baltic: a stainless steering wheel and a winch with a coiled line on teak in the foreground, an offshore platform on a steel jacket and a large crane vessel on the horizon.

Law2 October 2026

Gennaker wind farm substations go in off the Darß peninsula

About 15 km north of Germany's Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, two substations for the Gennaker wind farm go in. What sailors should check.

View from the stern of a cruising yacht across open sea: a stainless windvane self-steering gear on the pushpit, a blue hull with teak capping in front, and a long dark band of frontal cloud building on the horizon.

Technology30 September 2026

NOAA restores its 72 and 96 hour offshore surface forecast charts

From 30 September 2026 the US National Weather Service again issues its 72 and 96 hour surface forecast charts, suspended since 1 June.

An empty exhibition hall lit by skylights: a white wooden rowing boat with teak thwarts and coiled lines on a timber cradle in front, a small dinghy with its sails up on a launching trolley behind, plain grey partition walls around

Events28 September 2026

Interboot shrinks again: 36,100 visitors, a quarter down on 2022

The organiser of Interboot 2026 reports 36,100 visitors, fewer than last year. Attendance has fallen every year since 2022, when 49,800 came.

A row of white racing dinghies on galvanised launching trolleys on a wet concrete slipway, masts stepped and sails removed, with a rubble-stone breakwater and a calm grey Baltic bay with a low wooded shore in the haze behind

Associations27 September 2026

Germany picks Munich for Olympic bid, with sailing at Kiel

On 26 September 2026 the German Olympic Sports Confederation chose Munich as its Olympic bid by 91 votes to 50, with sailing planned at Kiel.

Corroded steel remains of a sunken ship rising from shallow grey estuary water, with a low shoreline fading into haze behind.

Law25 September 2026

Thames estuary: masts come down, the closed area stays

Three masts of a munitions wreck off Sheerness are being cut away. The statutory exclusion zone around the site remains in force.

A well kept white sailing yacht lying at a wet timber pontoon under an overcast sky, her bow line taut on the cleat.

Technology25 September 2026

German agency: extreme water levels set to multiply

New German measurements show warmer seas and rising levels. Today's extreme water levels could occur three to five times as often by 2100.

Two small open motorboats lying side by side at a timber pontoon, their bow lines crossed and made fast on two cleats.

Law25 September 2026

France tightens the paperwork for hire boats

A French order has amended the safety rules for recreational craft. Boats and personal watercraft offered for hire must carry a prior declaration.

View from the cockpit of a well kept sailing yacht across wet teak, white coaming and a coiled sheet. Close on the port side, out of focus, the black steel bow of a workboat tug with tyre fenders pushes past with a low bow wave. A large tanker stands faint on the grey horizon.

Law24 September 2026

A guard vessel that became the hazard itself

German investigators publish the lessons from a collision between a traffic safety vessel and a sailing yacht on a Baltic tanker anchorage.

A concrete slipway on a river bank sits well above the waterline at low water, with mud and gravel in front of it. A low wooden jetty reaches into the grey water, a small white cabin boat with an outboard lying alongside, bare willows behind.

Technology23 September 2026

German river gauges now answer the phone

Since 15 September 2026 German federal waterways have read out water levels, discharges and reservoir values over the telephone.

The stern of a cruising yacht lying at anchor in a wide lagoon, with a windvane self steering gear on the transom and a solar panel on a stainless arch. A low island of coconut palms sits under a heavy overcast sky.

Law23 September 2026

French Polynesia halves the duty free stay

Since 1 September 2026 foreign pleasure vessels under 24 metres may stay only twelve months in French Polynesia free of duties and taxes.

A white centre console boat, freshly hauled and still dripping, stands on a galvanised road trailer on wet concrete. The hull is well kept, with only a narrow green band along the waterline. A hose lies in front, a lake and wooded slopes behind.

Law23 September 2026

Lake Garda will want a cleaned hull from 2027

From 1 January 2027 boats brought to Lake Garda from other waters must have hull and drive cleaned before launching, with proof to show.

View into the open engine bay of an older sailing yacht at a pontoon: a compact grey electric motor, orange cables and two black battery boxes on fresh timber.

Events21 September 2026

Grand Pavois puts refits and electric conversions on show

Grand Pavois La Rochelle runs from 22 to 27 September 2026. Forty exhibitors show refits and conversions from diesel to electric or hybrid drive.

The raised steel leaf of a city bascule bridge over dark harbour water, with the wooden mast of a small sailing boat blurred in the foreground.

Market20 September 2026

Copenhagen weighs the end of Langebro lifts

Copenhagen has opened a six week consultation on whether the Langebro bascule bridge should still open for ships after its refit.

Empty floating pontoons of a boat show basin early in the morning, coiled lines and grey fenders lying on the wet timber decking.

Events20 September 2026

Genoa boat show moves to an October slot

The 66th Salone Nautico in Genoa runs from 1 to 6 October 2026 with more than 1,000 boats, 215 new models and exhibitors from 45 countries.

Unfinished white fibreglass sailboat hull on a timber cradle in a boatbuilding shed, with rolls of glass fibre cloth, grey drums, timber battens and a wheelbarrow of sanding waste in the foreground.

Associations19 September 2026

Boat life cycle assessment: industry bodies survey builders

ICOMIA, European Boating Industry and NMMA are asking boatbuilders and suppliers worldwide about life cycle assessment. The survey closes 23 October 2026.

An empty wooden pontoon in an old town harbour in morning light, white sailing catamarans and a motor boat moored on either side, stacked fenders and coiled mooring lines in the foreground.

Events18 September 2026

Cannes Yachting Festival 2026 closes with 56,600 visitors

The Cannes Yachting Festival 2026 reports 56,600 visitors, more than 680 exhibitors and over 710 boats. The 50th edition runs 7 to 12 September 2027.

The white bow of a sailing yacht with a furled headsail, a thick towing line running taut from the pulpit out over calm blue water, with a rocky limestone shore and pine trees behind.

Law17 September 2026

Spain's sea rescue service now bills for technical assistance

New Salvamento Marítimo tariffs apply from 1 September 2026. Saving lives stays free, a tow after engine failure does not.

A weathered bluewater cruising yacht with windvane self-steering and a solar arch on the stern lies in a still green bay below steep forested hills, with low grey cloud on the ridges.

Law17 September 2026

New Zealand cuts the duty-free stay for visiting yachts to 21 months

Since 1 September 2026 foreign yachts may stay in New Zealand duty free for 21 months instead of 24 under a Temporary Import Entry.

A small white motor cruiser lies against the mossy concrete wall of a lock chamber under grey light, with heavy iron bollards on the coping and the lock gate behind.

Law16 September 2026

Kiel Canal drops its transit fee for leisure craft

From 1 January 2027 leisure boats pay no transit fee on the Kiel Canal, the waterway linking the North Sea and the Baltic.

An empty wooden pontoon with cleats, coiled mooring lines and a plain white fender, backed by a hillside of burnt pine trunks in the haze.

Market16 September 2026

Wildfire on Brač turned the water into the escape route

More than 4,000 hectares burned on the Croatian island of Brač, and around 700 people left the bays by boat.

Open electric launch with a white hull and varnished wooden deck moored at a floating pontoon, a black charging cable running from a grey power pedestal to a deck socket, a small white sailing dinghy with its sail up behind on a lake with misty wooded hills

Events14 September 2026

Interboot 2026 puts beginners and electric boats centre stage

Interboot runs in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance from 23 to 27 September 2026, with a new area for electric boats and a showcase for newcomers.

A sailing yacht moored stern-to in a rocky Adriatic cove, two shore lines tied to a pine tree and the rocks, a chain stretched over clear water in the foreground

Law13 September 2026

Croatia: new distance for anchoring with shore lines

Since April 2026 Croatia allows 70 metres between the shore and the point where the anchor chain enters the water, and it requires gear to be worn.

The stern of a sailing yacht in a marina, a folding stainless steel boarding ladder with wooden steps lowered into the water, the stern pulpit and lifelines above, masts and hulls blurred behind

Technology13 September 2026

EU lists new standards for electric power and reboarding

Two ISO standards for small craft are now harmonised under the EU Recreational Craft Directive. The old overboard standard is withdrawn in August 2027.

Three small white open motorboats with wooden thwarts and grey outboard engines moored side by side at a weathered wooden pontoon in a rocky Mediterranean cove, pale limestone cliffs and pines behind under an overcast sky

Law13 September 2026

Spain ends licence-free boat rental on 1 October 2026

From 1 October 2026 anyone renting a motorboat up to 5 metres and 15 metric hp in Spain needs a boating licence. Private use stays exempt.

The steering position of a small passenger boat in front of a lock chamber wall

Law12 September 2026

Germany narrows its commercial inland skipper certificate

On German inland waterways, carrying paying guests needs the Kleinschifferzeugnis. Until 17 January 2027 a recreational licence is enough to obtain it.

Two ropes running together into a single line through a splice

Associations11 September 2026

Two German trade bodies become one

Germany now has a single trade body for the water sports industry. Around 700 companies, one president, one member database.

A half empty marina in spring with unoccupied berths

Market11 September 2026

The trade holds its course, no more

More than 60 percent of German firms rate business worse than last year. Small motorboats under pressure, boats over twelve metres steady, service stable.

A surveyor inspecting the underwater hull of a boat on cradles with a torch

Law11 September 2026

A survey reaches further than many assume

A German appeal court held a surveyor liable to an insurer that never commissioned his report. Why the reasoning matters for the boating trade.

A power pedestal on a pontoon with a shore cable plugged in beside a motorboat

Technology11 September 2026

Electric drives grow, dock power does not

The market for electric propulsion is growing fast, charging power at the berth is not. Figures from Lake Constance and what they mean for the sum insured.

Technology11 September 2026

When a battery burns, it burns fast

Two fires on Bavarian lakes show why a battery fire behaves differently from an engine fire. And what matters when retrofitting.

A boatyard seen from above, with a production hall, hulls on cradles and a fitting out quay

Market11 September 2026

Brussels now counts boatbuilding in

The European Commission names recreational boats and yachts for the first time as a strategic part of the maritime industry. What can follow from that.

A fuel nozzle at a boat fuel dock above calm water

Market11 September 2026

The industry roadmap is not only electric

European Boating Industry backs several technologies rather than one. HVO cuts CO2 output by up to 90 percent with no engine conversion.

A neglected boat with a torn cover at a Danish pontoon

Law11 September 2026

Denmark clears out its dead boats

Danish harbours may scrap derelict leisure boats faster from this season. Fourteen days to respond, after that the boat can be broken up.

A view across the finger pontoons of a large marina at dawn

Technology11 September 2026

A robot walks the pontoons

A patrol robot covers 1,400 berths and checks lines, fenders and thermal images. Why the inspection report counts in a claim.

A boat show hall with yachts on cradles under overhead lighting

Events11 September 2026

boot 2027 is set: 23 to 31 January

boot runs from 23 to 31 January 2027 in sixteen halls. The trade body plans its own Superyacht Day on the Thursday of the show.

A part built boat hull standing in an empty yard shed

Boatyards11 September 2026

Yard in insolvency: what happens to the deposit

A French catamaran yard has entered insolvency proceedings. Three points decide whether a deposit is secured or not.

A yard shed in which a hull is being laminated by hand

Boatyards11 September 2026

Ten, sixty and a hundred years

Ten years of YYachts, sixty years of Gade Boote, a hundred years of Secumar. What the three say about German boatbuilding.

A helm position with an open chart showing a section with a national border

Law11 September 2026

One boating licence for all of Europe, perhaps

The European Parliament wants an EU rule on mutual recognition of national recreational boating licences. Around 48 million boaters are affected.

Used motorboats lying close together along a brokerage pontoon

Market11 September 2026

More boats sold, and it still takes longer

More boats were sold worldwide in the second quarter of 2026 than a year earlier, at slightly lower prices. In Europe a sale now takes 263 days.

A container terminal at the waterside with cranes and a freighter at the quay

Market11 September 2026

South America moves a little closer

The EU Mercosur trade agreement has applied provisionally since 1 May 2026. For boatbuilding it opens a market with a long maritime tradition.

A VHF marine radio at a chart table below deck with a lit display

Technology11 September 2026

Marine radio goes digital, channel 16 stays

The IMO has set out the path to digital marine VHF with three assurances: the safety channels stay analogue, and costs should stay small.

A technician working on a switch panel in the engine room of a yacht

Technology11 September 2026

What the IMO is preparing for batteries

The IMO safety committee agreed a package for 2028 in May 2026. Three points in it bear directly on boatbuilding.

An underwater view of the propeller and hull of a boat under way

Technology11 September 2026

Noise under water is becoming a subject

At the end of June 2026 the IMO published a toolkit on underwater noise. Standards work for large yachts has taken up the topic too.

A modern houseboat with large windows lying at a pontoon in a quiet bay

Law11 September 2026

On a houseboat, often only the builder checks

A design category D houseboat may be certified by the builder alone. Which questions a buyer should therefore ask before signing.

A newly laid teak deck on a yacht with visible seams and a deck fitting

Law11 September 2026

A teak deck will soon need proof of origin

The EU Deforestation Regulation applies from 30 December 2026. Teak decking and marine plywood fall under it, the finished boat does not.

A boat helm with an open paper chart and dividers in morning light

Law11 September 2026

Germany may drop its official boating licence

A German draft regulation would replace the official recreational boating licence with certificates issued by the associations themselves.

A document wallet with a boat's papers on a yacht's toe rail, a quay wall behind

Law11 September 2026

Brussels clarifies the customs status of pleasure craft

The European Commission has issued its first guidance note on customs and VAT for pleasure craft. What owners should take from it.

How often something new appears

We publish when something is happening that concerns boat owners. That is not every day, and it is not meant to be.

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