Nautical Sites

Tools I Use

2012-02-03T11:54:00.001-05:00

Some of this web stuff gets confusing sometimes. When people ask me what tools I use to do one thing or another with my websites or social media, I am always happy to help. But on the tools that I "set and forget", I am often living proof of why that phrase exists.

This post is about those tools so that the next time someone asks, I can refer to or share this link...

For this and many of my other blogs, I usually use Blogger, which is free and is owned by Google. In fact, many of the tools I use to run my business are both free and owned by Google. These include my ad-serving software, analytics tools, email and calendar. While I am comfortable and happy with Blogger, I am also testing out WordPress for a new site that is launching soon, and so far it is great... WP is also free, but not currently owned by Google.

For some of the trickier stuff that I sometimes forget about (when they are working smoothly)...

When I write a blog post on the Daily Boater, it instantly shows up (title, link and summary) on the Daily Boater Facebook page. This happens thanks to a free app called networkedblogs. (You can get it by viewing one of these posts on Facebook and clicking on the networkedblogs link below the post: http://www.facebook.com/DailyBoater/posts/308912592489987).

The 2nd thing that happens automatically. That same blog post I mentioned above is also sent to Daily Boater Twitter followers as soon as I post it on my blog. I don't have to log into Twitter as frequently as I used to. This is thanks to TwitterFeed.com. Free. Non-Google. I haven't looked into it, but this tool could probably replace what I use networkedblogs for, as it looks like it allows me to post to both Twitter and Facebook. I only use it for twitter. On the other hand, Facebook pages have a setting that now makes this service obsolete (on my FirstBoat Facebook page, every post I write directly on Facebook from that page gets automatically tweeted from @FirstBoat / to do this, go to your Facebook business page, edit your page, and click on resources.)

This one is big...
The 3rd automatic thing that happens when I write a blog post on the Daily Boater is it gets sent out via RSS. When initially setting this up, I found RSS, which I believe stands for Real Simple Syndication, not so simple. However, with yet another free tool from Google called Feedburner, my blog posts on Daily Boater are automatically syndicated. This allows the blog post to:

1. show up on the home page of FirstBoat.com
2. Get delivered to my RSS subscribers' emails
3. Show up in peoples RSS readers or iGoogle or myYahoo home pages if they "subscribe" to my feed.
4. a bunch of other stuff that I can't think of right now. Which brings me back to my original point in this blog post. I have relied on a lot of great automation tools as I ramp up this growing network of web properties, and when they work well, you don't have to even remember what they all are!

Okay, now it's back to work using these and other tools... contact me if you have any questions implementing these things or about other solutions I use to run my business.

Captain's Quarterly...

2012-01-31T12:18:00.001-05:00

Has this turned into a quarterly post? I've got to get here more often!

It's been busy, but I had to tell you about some numbers. They look good on all fronts, but there is one shining star that I want to highlight.

The Daily Boater.

Yes, traffic was up in 2011 over 2010 - I've been writing more, adding more guest bloggers, and getting the word out to more readers. But what really caught my attention is the growth the site has experienced, especially this month.

January 2012 traffic is up on the Daily Boater by 134% over January of 2011, and unique visitors have increased for the same period by a whopping 167%.

Admittedly, the gross traffic numbers are not huge, but they have been increasing each year since I started the Daily Boater with my first post on the 4th of July, 2006. In fact, 2011 as a whole saw a 119% increase in unique visitors over 2010, and unique visitors increased by 140% for the year. 2010 numbers were higher than 2009, and so on.

Keep in mind that these numbers do not include the thousands of people that read Daily Boater articles in newsletters that come to their email, or on FaceBook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. Or the people that read the Daily Boater articles that are syndicated on FirstBoat.com, TakeMeFishing.org or so many other sites that grab our RSS feed and republish with (and sometimes without) our permission.

Bottom line, if you have products or services to promote to the boating community, you need to be advertising on the Daily Boater. Contact me if you want to get involved.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011

2011-11-30T13:28:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again!

As the publisher of a network of boating sites, I feel it is my duty to suggest a list of gift ideas for boaters. Of course, it is also a chance to highlight products and services from some of the many contributors and partners I work with throughout the year (MegaYacht News, SkipperTips, Victoria Allman, etc.). And, in the interest of total transparency, it's an opportunity to promote some of the products I sell on my own sites, especially BoatNameGear.com.

You may think that the 2nd year of doing something is a little too soon to be calling that thing an "annual", but I am confident the Daily Boater Holiday Gift Guide will be an ongoing tradition. Stay tuned!

So, without any further b.s., here is the announcement about the SECOND ANNUAL Daily Boater Holiday Gift Guide hosted on Pitch Engine (Pitch Engine is a great service for hosting and sharing professional-looking press releases, BTW); and here is the link to the actual Gift Guide itself on DailyBoater.com: dailyboater.com/2011/11/holiday-gift-guide-for-boaters.html

If you don't hear from me here again before Christmas, I hope you enjoy the holidays!

AJC

Hello November

2011-11-04T12:21:00.000-04:00

I'm just coming out of 4 full days without power, and my back-up office (Panera Bread on the Berlin Tpke) was shoulder to shoulder with a mix of families and business people getting warm and charging their phones.

Power has now been restored to both home and office, so back to a higher rate of productivity... and on that front, there is news.

BoatNameGear
BoatU.S. has once again selected BoatNameGear products as their contest-giveaway for all their members for the month of November and (hopefully) beyond. You can see the BNG logo at the bottom of this page: http://my.boatus.com

Also in BoatNameGear news, the transition of e-commerce platforms away from Yahoo and over to Volusion is nearly complete. The new back-end will make an easier store for customers to shop in, and should make managing it easier for me. It will also be less expensive, allowing me to pass more savings on to customers.
* If you'd like to spend 5 minutes and help me test a couple of things on the new site, please send me an email (andrew@nauticalsites.com). No technical expertise is required.

Daily Boater
In other news, the Nautical Sites network continues to add advertisers. Daily Boater (my boating news site) is excited to welcome EdgeWater Power Boats on board. Check their site if you want to help support my business (Just looking at it will help!)

DailyBoater also is now the proud owner of its own facebook page. Please give it a 'like' when you get a chance - http://www.facebook.com/DailyBoater

Okay, enough with the requests and updates... there's a lot of work to be done! Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and support!

Industry Stuff

2011-10-12T16:31:00.001-04:00

Went to my first CT Marine Trades Expo yesterday and saw some great presentations. The folks from the Connecticut Marine Trades Association did a good job pulling the day together. Some folks from an Internet services company spent a couple of hours convincing the local marine businesses in the room that they should have a website, and that they should use it to increase their sales. I stuck around for a presentation after lunch which included a panel of boat salespeople from around the state sharing some ideas on how to sell boats in these tough economic times. All four of the panelists described ways in which they really went outside the box to get their boats in front of people, including showing their boats in local parades, at malls and airports, and even at non-nautical fairs such as an apple harvest festival!

The group also stated that they have significantly reduced or completely done away with print advertising; instead they are getting involved in community initiatives, and marketing on the web - placing ads on boating websites such as those in my nautical sites network. Would this be a good place for a shameless plug? You bet! Contact me directly if you'd like to advertise on my boating websites. You'll get a tremendous value for your money, and you'll reach the recreational boaters that are most likely to be interested in products and services like yours.

Readership of the Daily Boater has continued to grow, and I've been trying to give more back to our readers. As such I have engaged a new guest author to write a weekly column for the site. Whether you are a novice sailor or have years of experience, you'll enjoy the insights of John Jamieson. Captain John teaches sailing skippers the no-nonsense cruising skills they need for safer sailing worldwide, and now he shares that experience on DailyBoater.com. Of course, if you want all-Captain-John all the time, sign up for his FREE sailing tips newsletter at http://skippertips.com. You can also become a paying member for instant access to 425+ articles, video tutorials, newsletters, and free eBooks. The articles that Captain John has contributed to the Daily Boater are available for free at the following link: http://www.dailyboater.com/search/label/Captain%20John

On a national note, I have been continuing to try to collaborate with the NMMA, and just this week they placed a link to BoatNameGear.com on their Grow Boating resources site - the website for the organization charged with the task of increasing participation in boating. Here's the link - scroll down to the bottom to see the t-shirt picture and link to BoatNameGear: http://www.growboating.org/toolkit/promotionalmaterials.aspx

I also exhibited for the first time at the Newport Boat Show last month with a booth for BoatNameGear. The weather was beautiful, which helped the crowds come out in pre-recession numbers. I am pleased to report that we put a lot of personalized gear into the hands of folks from the northeast, and met a lot of nice people from not only Rhode Island, but also CT, NY, Mass, New Hampshire and New Jersey. People came from everywhere for this show. I was able to snap a few photos from the Newport show which you can check out here.

I opted not to do the local Norwalk Boat Show the following weekend, and that turned out to be a blessing as the show was practically rained out. Next up: probably Hartford and Boston in 2012.

Hopefully I'll have some updates before then!

One Crazy Summer

2011-08-30T12:18:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted anything in a while because it truly has been one crazy summer.

Just this morning the Daily Boater was featured in a British boating newsletter, with a nice write-up about our boating news site: Boats On TV Newsletter.

But what really kept me busy this summer was all the exposure that Boat Name Gear has received. The timing couldn't be better, as Boat Name Gear will be exhibiting at the Newport (RI) International Boat Show next month for the first time (if you are going to the show, please let me know via the Boat Name Gear facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=235880156440536).

What exposure? The best kind - inexpensive and widespread. One of our endeavors has even helped encourage people to boat! Over the past few months, Boat Name Gear has been one of a handful of top-brand sponsors of a contest being administered by the NMMA. We are in good company with likes of Sperry Top-Siders and BoatU.S. - all offering prizes to encourage people to invite their friends out boating (Welcome to the Water Contest). We gave away dozens of t-shirts with the "Welcome to the Water" logo across the back, and each of the winner's boat name embroidered on the front-left chest. Also, Boat Name Gear has been in the Sun Sentinal, the Baltimore Sun, and in an editorial article in the Miami Herald.

On top of this, we've been adding a bunch of new products - including environmentally-friendly premium polo shirts, fleece blankets, and sailcloth boat bags.

The other sites in the Nautical Sites network, including FirstBoat.com, Daily Boater, BoatlinX and the Boat Name Blog, have been adding advertisers such as Empire Covers.

All that, and we survived ~~Hurricane~~ Tropical Storm Irene - only one of our websites was down (FirstBoat.com for a few hours, and yes, we're finding a new web host company), and none of our Internet orders were lost or even delayed. For some pictures of some boats and marinas that were not so lucky, check out our collection on the Daily Boater.

There's more, but there are not many more boating days left this year in the northeast. We'll see you soon in Newport!

FirstBoat Adds Boating News Show

2011-06-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Weekly fast-action boating news report to air on FirstBoat.com.

Newington, CT – June 2, 2011 – The premier boating information site for new and experienced boaters, FirstBoat.com, today announced that it will make “World on Water” available to its visitors. “World on Water” is a weekly news program produced by Boats on TV covering international sailing and powerboat races and events in a fast-paced and visually stimulating format.

This is FirstBoat’s first venture into video programming in its ten-plus years of providing helpful information to boaters that has included articles on buying a boat, getting insurance, boat loans and the basics of boat names. FirstBoat founder Andrew Canepari stated, “World on Water complements First Boat perfectly, providing an engaging show that continues to expand our breadth of content beyond the basics of boating”.

Jeremy Baulf, the managing director of Boats on TV's "World on Water", added, “We are excited to partner with a quality site like FirstBoat to give our TV shows significant exposure to boaters in North America.”

A new episode of World on Water is available for viewing each Friday at: http://www.FirstBoat.com/TV

About FirstBoat.com
FirstBoat.com is the flagship site of Nautical Sites Media, which publishes a network of websites that provide information and resources to recreational boaters. To learn more about FirstBoat and other properties in the Nautical Sites network, visit www.NauticalSites.com.

About Boats on TV
Boats on TV, the Web's best Boating TV Channel, is the home of everything to do with water-related activity. It covers all aspects of sailing, racing, cruising, the Volvo Round World Race, TP 52’s, Farr 40’s, 18 Footer Racing, iShares Cup, World Match Racing Tour, Ice Sailing, UK, USA, Australia , Power-boating, Racing and Instruction, P1 Powerboats, Honda Formula 4-Stroke Racing and more. See all this plus historical and special interest videos at www.boatson.tv.

###
Media Contact: Andrew Canepari, (860) 249-1166, andrew@firstboat.com

Thirty Days Later

2011-06-01T16:09:00.000-04:00

Seems like an eternity to go without a blog post. We've gone longer, but a lot has happened over the past month.

A custom shirt from BoatNameGear

First, we've been flat out busy with our two online stores. Taken as a whole, it's the busiest time of year for the two sites. Custom Boat Names is active as people are ordering new boat names for the back of their boat to kick off the season. And Boat Name Gear is hopping for Father's Day... our personalized gear makes great gifts!

We've also done a boat show recently, again exhibiting as Boat Name Gear; this time, it was in Mystic, Connecticut, at a new show called SailQuest Mystic. The weather was rough, and the crowds were small, but this new event has potential if the organizers keep at it - and the timing (spring, right before Father's Day) and location (on the water at historic Mystic Seaport) are perfect for our business, so I hope it continues. While the sun was out, and without many attendees, I was able to snap a few pictures of both the newer boats on display for the boat show as well as the historic boats that are part of the Seaport. Thanks again to the folks at WindCheck Magazine for their effort with the show.

The weather was beautiful on the 1st day of the show...

On other fronts, we are:

- putting out a press release (in just a few minutes) announcing a partnership that allows us to put some intense video of sailing news on FirstBoat.

- sponsoring a huge contest with the NMMA to promote their new Welcome to the Water campaign (Look for details any day now on the NMMA's Discover Boating facebook page). BoatNameGear is the sponsor, and is in good company with the likes of Sperry and Bass Pro Shops.

- getting close to finally launching a new boating site or two, and continuing to expand our existing sites.

- seeing a lot of activity on advertising, and we've even closed a few deals, so be sure to visit our sponsors anywhere you see a new banner or text link. Contact me (via email or the contact link to the right) if you want to get in on the action, and by that I mean buy some advertising!

- now under contract to exhibit (in our BoatNameGear booth) at the Newport (RI) Boat Show in September, 2011.

I'm sure there's more, but gotta get back to the press release I promised you.

Tight lines,

Andrew

Thanks for the Mentions

2011-04-27T14:36:00.000-04:00

Last week, we announced the most popular boat names of the year via a press release from FirstBoat, and we were pleased to see the top ten list get so much press from other publications around the web. Here are a few of the first that we'd like to thank:

Messing About in Boats

Boater Life Online

Boating Industry Magazine

Boat Safe

North American Sailor

RIBCRAFT USA

If you're planning mentioning FirstBoat or the top ten boat names in an upcoming article, or if you did and I missed it, please email me.

It also did not go unnoticed that several of our FaceBook and Twitter friends shared our list. There were too many to mention all of them, but here are a few folks you should follow if you tweet:

@‎marineproducts

@Perri_Marine

@Take_Me_Fishing

@LouMintzer

@caughtinthewild

Top Notch Marine and RV

Our Most Popular Boat Names of 2011

2011-04-19T08:11:00.001-04:00

(The following press release went out this morning. It was a lot of fun to sift through the thousands and thousands of boat names in coming up with this list. Hope you have as much fun reading it as we did writing it... Enjoy!)

Most Popular Boat Names of 2011
The top ten most popular boat names of 2011 confirm that boaters are seeking serenity

Newington, CT - April 19, 2011 – FirstBoat.com, the premier boating information site for new and experienced boaters, today announced the most popular boat names of 2011. A trend seems to have emerged from this year’s list that demonstrates how boaters enjoy their time on the water. “Boat names like Serenity, Happy Ours, Family Time and Just Chillin dominated this year’s top ten,” stated FirstBoat publisher Andrew Canepari. “It is clear from these names, perhaps now more than ever, that boating really provides people with a way to relax and make the most of their time with family and friends,” Canepari added.

The list is compiled annually by FirstBoat in collaboration with www.CustomBoatNames.com - where boaters design their own boat name lettering online, and www.BoatNameGear.com - the leading retailer of personalized gear and gifts for boaters. FirstBoat is also the home of the original Boat Name Machine, featuring over 100,000 randomly generated boat names. The Boat Name Machine and other boat naming resources are available online at www.FirstBoat.com.

Following are the top ten most popular boat names for 2011:

Serenity (In addition to “Serenity” we saw variations such as “Serenity Now!” of Seinfeld fame, as well as clever misspellings including “Sea-Renity”)
Happy Ours (Time was a common theme in boat names this year. Variations on this boat name included “Happy Hours” and “Happy Hour”)
Feelin' Nauti (This one surprised us when it rose to the top five, as there are so many other popular boat names that include “Nauti” in the name)
Family Time (Another variation of the Time theme that we saw again and again. There were many other boat names that referenced Time that came close to the top ten.)
Liberty (Always a favorite, we also saw variations such as Miss Liberty, Lady Liberty, and Liberty Belle)
Black Pearl (Every boater feels like a pirate sometimes. Just plain “Pearl” was popular as well, but it didn’t crack our top ten)
Andiamo (Let’s Go! A quick internet search will show you that this is not only a popular name for boats, but also for Italian restaurants in America)
Knot On Call (Several boat names used the word “Knot” cleverly, but only this one made the top ten)
High Maintenance (Yes, this describes most boats very accurately)
Just Chillin (Looks like relaxing is on the mind of even the younger generation of boaters)

About FirstBoat.com
FirstBoat.com is the flagship site of Nautical Sites Media, which publishes a network of websites that provide information and resources to recreational boaters. To learn more about FirstBoat and other properties in the Nautical Sites network, visit www.NauticalSites.com or call 800-306-8708.

###

Media Contact: Andrew Canepari, (860) 249-1166, andrew@firstboat.com

TakeMeFishing Hotspots Map

2011-03-17T17:22:00.000-04:00

It is nice to be in good company with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation...

State & Industry Partners Clamor for TakeMeFishing.org Hotspots Map

If you're looking for our TakeMeFishing maps on our sites, check http://www.firstboat.com/states/ - A good example is on our Connecticut boating page.

Boat Name Gear at the Boat Shows

2011-02-07T13:50:00.002-05:00

Had a great time and, more importantly, some success, at the Hartford Boat Show last weekend. Fortunately, Connecticut's wintriest winter ever took a break from the snow for long enough to allow boating enthusiasts from across southern New England to attend the show.

Of all the Nautical Sites properties, I have been exhibiting as Boat Name Gear at the shows to offer personalized products to boaters. I did the 2011 Hartford show for the 2nd year in a row in order to get the web store's brand out to local boating families, and we were very well received. The show organizers claim 11,000 people came through the door and that Sunday saw bigger crowds than usual. Everybody I know was home shoveling snow off their roof in preparation of the next big storm. That may have kept the crowds at bay on Saturday... it's hard to know for sure.

I was pleased to have met several existing Boat Name Gear customers and I even saw a few folks that I remembered from the 2010 show. A few people also came by the booth after seeing my offer on the Daily Boater to "mention 'FirstBoat' and get a free hat or t-shirt".

Me in front of my booth. Photo by Randy Kessler of Barnum Financial Group

Obviously the boats were not as big in Hartford as they were at the New York Boat Show (review, pics) a couple of weeks ago, but there were some nice Sea Rays on display from Bassett Marine, as well as a large assortment of cruisers, cuddy cabins, bow riders and deck boats, fishing boats and the like from marinas and dealers who were mostly from CT, with a few from RI and Mass.

Here are a few more photos from the show, and there are dozens more on the FirstBoat page on Facebook.

The largest (and smallest) watercraft at the show.

There was sort of a boat show within the boat show.

Rock and Roll... Book a fishing trip at rockandrollcharters.com

Some fish boats and an affordable Larson bowrider from LouisMarine.com

One more of my booth - with some people around it this time.

I have a LOT more photos from the show - mostly taken Sunday morning before the doors opened - on the FirstBoat page on Facebook. You don't have to log-in or have a Facebook account to check them out, but if you do, please click "Like" on the page.

Next up for Boat Name Gear in February and March: The Northeast Fishing (and hunting) Expo in Hartford, and the big New England Boat Show in Boston. Hope to see you there!

We're Hiring

2011-01-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

If you follow this blog, you are probably aware that Nautical Sites Media is a growing network of boating websites.

In this network are a few content websites... FirstBoat.com, DailyBoater.com, BoatNameBlog and BoatlinX are the bigger ones. More are being launched in 2011. These content websites get a lot of traffic, all of the visitors are boaters, and the sites have advertising space that needs to be sold. That's where you come in.

By the way, I mentioned those are "content websites" as opposed to e-commerce websites. Our other sites BoatNameGear.com and CustomBoatNames.com are e-commerce websites which are designed to sell products, and do not normally display advertisements.

Anyway, I am building a team of sales reps around the United States to sell ads on the content sites in our network. This is a great opportunity, as there is no network of boating sites like ours. Advertisers have the chance to reach a broad spectrum of boating enthusiasts, many of whom just bought a boat (and need new stuff!) or are planning to buy a boat within the next 12 months.

Advertisers are starting to promote their products and services again, and they need to know that placing their ads on our network is a smart way to bring their businesses back to where they once were... and beyond. Speaking of beyond, organizations that advertise with Nautical Sites Media don't just get banner ads thrown around our sties... they also get a partner in us that can help them get their message out across Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets that they don't have the time or knowledge to do themselves.

As a Nautical Sites sales representative, you would be an independent agent - working for yourself, making your own hours, working from your home office (or your local Starbucks) and traveling to marine-focused businesses and boat shows. The gig is commission-only, but you will be paid a generous percentage of your sale plus bonuses. You will also have the chance to be in on the ground floor of a fast-growing company in the fun and exciting boating industry. If you already sell ads independently for another publication, consider adding Nautical Sites Media to the options you offer your clients.

If you are interested, please send your resume to jobs (at) nauticalsites.com.

On Take Me Fishing

2011-01-25T16:06:00.001-05:00

I was excited to open the email I got this morning from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) when I saw the subject line:

TakeMeFishing.org Adds Live News Feed, Expands Coverage of Boating and Fishing

Excited over an email? Very. I knew my conversations with the RBFF over the past few months were panning out and that my Daily Boater blog was among the first few news sources the RBFF had selected for a content partner in their new boating and fishing news section of their site. I knew the Daily Boater feed was already live and sending stories to the TakeMeFishing.org website. Now they were sending out a press release to promote their new news area, and probably mentioning their partners in said press release.

I was, of course, a little disappointed that they didn't mention the Daily Boater by name in the press release. I guess they couldn't list everybody, and mentioning partners like ESPN and Field and Stream were probably the safe choice. And actually, listing those household brands will bring more people to the article and more people to the news feed, and thus more people to DailyBoater.com. So it's still a big win.

And of course, I'm very excited to be part of the launch of this service on TakeMeFishing.org, and hoping that syndication deals like this continue to spread the word about my growing network of nautical sites.

By the way, the RBFF's press release failed to include the link to the actual news feed page they were announcing, and I had trouble finding it from the TakeMeFishing.org website, so here it is in one click: http://www.takemefishing.org/community/news/home

I wonder if ESPN and Field and Stream are mentioning this news on any of their sites.

Everybody Loves NY

2011-01-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

I stopped by the New York National Boat Show on Thursday to check out the boats, as well as to scout out story ideas, advertising leads and the competition. There are more pics on the FirstBoat Facebook page, but I included a few below, and also a write-up on the Daily Boater.

Love the classic look of Silverton Yachts

This seems like bad business. Shouldn't they have at least shown up and talked about their product?

Deadliest Catch in the house. These guys were a riot.

Chaparrals always look sharp.

Providence (and more) Boat Shows

2011-01-15T09:08:00.000-05:00

I attended the Providence Boat Show yesterday (see my Daily Boater article for a few boat pics) and met lots of great folks. Attendance was not great when I was there (and I heard it was even worse on Thursday), but I was there on Friday afternoon during business hours when people who can afford boats were working at their day jobs; I suspect traffic will pick up over the weekend.

Hopefully I'll be seeing many of the exhibitors I met again over the next few weeks when I exhibit (for BoatNameGear) at the Hartford Boat Show, the Northeast Fishing Expo, and the big New England Boat Show in Boston.

Not exhibiting, but I'll be doing a similar drop-in at the New York Boat Show next week and will try to bring back some stories and pictures... Stay tuned.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-03T23:57:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that BoatNameGear just celebrated its 4th Christmas in business (the site's first online order came at the end of November 2007), and the site has seen a pretty good increase in sales each Christmas over the previous year. Flat would have been good given the economy, so north of 150% was especially sweet. Thank you to everyone who helped give BoatNameGear a big boost this holiday season and into the New Year. It was great to see so many familiar names of customers (and their boats - love those boat names!) come through the site's order system this November and December... and of course it was nice to see so many new customers come on board as well.

If you shopped at BoatNameGear for the first time this year, how did you find us? Most customers I asked on the phone said something along the lines of "the internet" or "I did a search". Uh huh. We were featured in several online and print publications for the holiday season, and we can't thank those folks enough for mentioning us. Let me know if you saw BoatNameGear mentioned in any of these places or by any of these authors, or somewhere else:

Christy Johnson, in the Florida Keys Fishing Examiner

Ericka Watson, the About.com Powerboat Guide

Tom Richardson, the co-director and host of BoatingLocal

Marine Product Reviews

WindCheck Magazine

Boaterlifeonline

A special thanks to our first affiliate across the pond, New Freebooters.

And last but not least, although I'm probably forgetting some, the folks we mentioned in our first Daily Boater Gift Guide, who reciprocated with tweets, facebook posts and newsletter mentions, including SeaSquared Charters, MegaYachtNews, Autotether, and Caron's Beach House.

Please follow BoatNameGear on Facebook to get new product announcements, special offers, contests, and to find out which boat shows we'll be at in 2011!

Press Release: Holiday Gift Guide for Boaters

2010-11-24T14:35:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Daily Boater Releases its First Holiday Shopping Guide for Boaters

Unique nautical gift ideas specially selected for boating and fishing enthusiasts

Newington, CT - November 24, 2010 - In an effort to facilitate holiday shopping for people who have boaters and anglers on their list, the Daily Boater today announced their first annual Holiday Gift Guide for Boating Enthusiasts. The editors of the Daily Boater handpicked items that will be sure to please anybody with a passion for the boating lifestyle. The guide includes unique nautical drinkware, fishing trips, life-saving boating gadgets, products personalized with a boat name or a nautical chart, and more.

The products and services selected to participate in the guide were chosen from small businesses across the United States, including Autotether, BoatNameGear.com, Caron’s Beach House, SeaSquared Charters, MaraMAPS and MegaYacht News. Andrew Canepari, publisher of the Daily Boater, stated, “If you have someone on your shopping list who enjoys boating, this guide will certainly make your life a lot easier. We chose products we like from small businesses that we trust to provide excellent service, especially during the busy holiday season.”

Many of the featured products include personalization and should be purchased early to accommodate production and shipping time for the holidays. Shoppers should check with each individual store for their delivery policies. The Daily Boater Holiday Gift Guide is available online at:

http://www.firstboat.com/gift-guide

http://www.dailyboater.com/2010/11/gifts-for-boaters-our-holiday-gift.html

The Daily Boater, the official blog and newsletter of FirstBoat.com, delivers boating news and information daily. The publication’s goal is to help people have fun and boat safely. The site’s community of boaters interacts under the well-known FirstBoat brand on LinkedIn, FaceBook and Twitter, and directly on www.FirstBoat.com and www.DailyBoater.com as well as through several syndicated publications.

Contact

Andrew Canepari, Nautical Sites Media

andrew@nauticalsites.com

Direct: (860) 249-1166

###

IBEX Today

2010-09-28T13:28:00.000-04:00

Here's a great video, filmed today, from Soundings Trade Only, letting us know about what's going on at IBEX - the biggest B2B show in the marine industry - which starts today in Louisville.

At the opening ceremony, the NMMA president predicted a better year in 2011, saying that the worst is behind us. Let's hope Thom is right! Now here's the Bill and Beth show:

By Way of Norwalk

2010-09-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

Stopped by another boat show this past week, this time in Norwalk, Connecticut. The Norwalk show is the only big show in Connecticut with boats in the water this year, and as such draws a pretty good crowd of boating enthusiasts from across the state. It takes place on Connecticut's gold coast, one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, and is just a stone's throw from New York City. Add in the fact that the show is located both geographically and chronologically near big shows in Newport, Annapolis and Boston, it's no wonder the show is a great place to see a large selection of yachts, boats and boat products.

Similar to my trip to Newport the previous week, I rushed in and out of the Norwalk boat show in two to three hours - I again spent less time at the show than on the road. But it was still enough time to see all of the land vendors, and walk all of the docks and even board a couple of the bigger boats. I got to speak with some interesting folks I know including the president of the Conn. Marine Trades Association, the editor-in-chief of WindCheck Magazine, and the guy who sells Nantucket Baggs at every boat show I've been to in the past year. Also met a bunch of new exhibitors (new to me, but most of them seasoned exhibitors, actually), many of them based right here in Connecticut and New York - some of them offering services nationwide, and some of them just trying to reach northeast boaters.

Anyway, got some good photos and story leads and had a few good, albeit short, conversations, and was impressed with the crowd for lunchtime on a Thursday. The parking wasn't bad, but would have been rough for someone to just pop-in during a lunch break from the office, so I suspect the crowd got even bigger as the day and weekend wore on.

Next up for me is the Boston Fall Boat Show, and instead of just a few hours I'll be on-site all weekend, exhibiting as BoatNameGear. I'll also have our new northeast sales rep on-hand if anyone wants to discuss advertising on our nautical sites network .

Here are a few photos from the Norwalk show - you can see more on flickr.

Remind me to used this on DailyBoater.com next July 4th.

I call this a "Billy Joel" boat, because it reminds me of the style he cruises in around Long Island.

An electric boat

Geico: The bigger, faster, brighter the better.

A view from the docks

The Lagoon 400 - this catamaran looked as wide as it did long.

see more on flickr

Newport to Boston

2010-09-19T14:04:00.003-04:00

A view from the Goat Island causeway

There's nothing like going to a boat show on the water, and in this job I get to go to them all the time. The other day, for example, I went to Newport RI for what I believe is biggest in-water boat and yacht show in the northeast. As the publisher of a diverse network of boating websites, I attended the show with several goals, and accomplished all of them in just a few short hours.

First and foremost, I attended in an editorial capacity. I was looking for story ideas for our boating news site - the Daily Boater - and found some unique new products that are worth writing about (see pics below).

Next, as the storekeeper for BoatNameGear, I went to the show to meet a couple of my vendors, as well as scout out new merchandising opportunities. Anything that can be personalized and used on a boat caught my eye.

Third, I was seeking potential partners or sponsors for the content sites in the Nautical Sites network. With a couple million visitors and growing, our websites are a great advertising outlet for many of the folks who were exhibiting. While I restrained myself and did not solicit anyone directly at the show, I came home with more than a few ideas for companies that my sales team will be happy to contact.

Lastly, I was investigating the show as a potential place to exhibit next year. Seeing the show in person confirmed my belief that this event - less than two hours from home - is a must-do for next summer. The only question remaining is which 'brand' to exhibit at the show!

The Newport show definitely got me jazzed for the upcoming Boston Fall Boat Show (Oct 1 - 3 at the Seaport World Trade Center, official website). While the Boston show is not quite as big as Newport, it will be great to be there for the entire weekend, putting BoatNameGear on display and talking to customers. If you're looking to get away for the first weekend of October, Boston is beautiful this time of year. And in addition to the boat show, there is plenty going on around town; the Yankees are in town playing the Red Sox, Notre Dame is in town playing Boston College, and the fall foliage is in town early and will be near its peak (fall foliage website).

Hopefully we'll see you in Boston, but for now here are a few pics from Newport and some of the products you may see more of soon on our sites...

A little yacht I passed on the way to the boat show

These yachts looked a lot bigger in person

We'll be writing up the Baby Sea Rock soon

More child's play. Opa Cove founder Richard Barbis proudly displays his Sea Squirts swim and life vests.

Boarding bars from Ding-EZ make boating easier for the young at heart

###

Interview with About.com

2010-07-27T01:57:00.000-04:00

I was interviewed by Ericka Watson a couple of weeks ago. Ericka is the About.com Powerboating Guide - she asked me a bunch of questions about boat names. Some of them made me think; some of them made me wish I had answered them differently. After not hearing from her for a couple of weeks, she let me know today that this article was appearing on her site.

Needless to say the interview seems to have gone pretty well. Not only did she get my company names and website links correct, she pretty much quoted me accurately throughout the article. Most importantly, she actually pulled some good advice out of me for naming a boat - when I re-read her article, I realized that I shared many tips that I have never mentioned in my own How to Choose a Boat Name article or on the Boat Name Blog.

In addition to the interview, Ericka also created a forum for people to share stories about how they named their boat. You can share your own boat name story on About.com here. And here's the link to the interview: Naming a Boat - Suggestions From an Expert (Guess who the "boat name expert" is! :-D)

Flattered

2010-07-16T16:17:00.000-04:00

We've been churning out content on FirstBoat for about ten years now, and for at least a few through our DailyBoater blog. But for the past few months we've been really diligent about getting at least a brief message out virtually every business day.

And in many respects this is starting to pay off. Not only are we starting to see other blogs and boating sites reference our content, but we are starting to get recognized by traditional media as well.

A couple of websites that have mentioned FirstBoat or DailyBoater recently include:

MarineFuel.com wrote up an overview of our entire network of Nautical Sites.

The Daily Reviewer says about DailyBoater: "This blog is one of the best boating blogs out there."

Romare Yacht Blog says "Thank you very much to DailyBoater.com for this clear and simple explanation why boats are always too small"

BoatInsurance.org lists both our DailyBoater and BoatNameBlog in their top 50 boat blogs.

FindingDulcinea highlights FirstBoat among a select handful of top boating sites.

New Advertisers

2010-07-15T23:36:00.000-04:00

Just taking a second to welcome some of the recent advertisers who came on board our network of Nautical Sites. Please click through and check them out so they keep coming back :-D

Secure Fingerprint Start - this company offers a security product that uses a unique fingerprint technology

Atlantic Maritime Academy - boat safety and training from a District Captain in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Speaking of Yachting

2010-07-13T10:21:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to have Yachting.com onboard the network for a long-term advertising engagement. We were talking even before the press from Haute Living, so perhaps companies are starting to realize that a person's first boat is not necessarily a small boat.

If you'd like to join them and promote your business to hundreds of thousands of recreational boaters across our web and social media network, please let me know.

Now, I'm off to deliver a shipment of hats to Castle Marina in Chester, CT. Yes, I know it would be faster and cheaper to not do this myself, but that would take all the fun out of it!

Haute Yachts

2010-07-06T11:05:00.000-04:00

Very flattered, honored and excited that when Haute Living - a leading network of luxury lifestyle publications - wanted to do a story about boat names, they turned to me.

Thank you to Diane Byrne for thinking of me and mentioning a few of our Nautical Sites in this article: Haute Yachts: Patriotic Boat Names

Stay tuned for more news soon, hopefully.

A Few Props

2010-06-25T00:11:00.000-04:00

Yes, I realize the term "props" has a different meaning for a lot of powerboaters than it does for Gen-X'ers trying to thank or give respect to people, and this post falls into the latter category - this is a shout out.

Anyway, thank you to Boating.com for becoming the newest advertiser on our network. When I started FirstBoat.com in 1999, Boating.com was one of the big dogs. They had been off the radar for a while and I hadn't given the site much thought until they contacted me about advertising recently. And they look like they are back in full force with a comprehensive classifieds database already stocked with thousands of boats for sale. I think you'll be seeing a lot of Boating.com once again.

Thanks also to BoatInsurance.org for mentioning two of our blogs, the Daily Boater and the Boat Name Blog - on their list of "48 Beginners Boating Sites and Tips Pages". Not sure if there is any reasoning behind their ranking, but it's cool that the Daily Boater is #2 on the list. The only thing that surprises me is that they didn't include FirstBoat.com, which we sort of built as THE site for new boaters.

Surprised and honored to be mentioned by Bruce Dillahunty on his Craft a Craft site, which he has used for several years as an outlet to help his own and other's boat-building dreams along the path a little farther. Whether or not you ever plan on taking on the challenge of building your own boat, Craft a Craft is worth checking out for their more-than-daily nautical nuggets.

Last but not least (for now), we wouldn't have had such a big month at our personalized gear store, BoatNameGear, if it weren't for our fantastic customers, as well as all the Facebook and Twitter friends and other websites that recommended us.

Among those I'd like to recognize include SilvertonForums.com, a very active community of owners of Silverton Yachts. With their nudging, we now proudly offer personalized Silverton branded products at BoatNameGear.

Also, thanks to Ericka Watson, the Powerboating Guide on About.com for suggesting that personalized products from BoatNamegear would make a great Father's Day gift.

GreenBoatingUSA has also supported us by running our BoatNameGear ads on their site, and displaying our products at their eco-friendly National Marina Day event in Tennessee. Our boat name welcome mats are made from 100% recycled materials, so they were a great fit for the occasion.

This is getting long, so forgive me if you were expecting a mention here and didn't see it... I'll get you next post!

Happy Birthday Jacques Cousteau?

2010-06-11T11:12:00.015-04:00

As we celebrate the 100th birthday of Jacques Cousteau, a pioneer in the field of marine conservation, it is hard not to imagine what his take would be on the Deep Horizon mess in the Gulf of Mexico.

Today Google is celebrating Captain Cousteau's birthday with a SCUBA-inspired logo (pictured). He was the defacto human representative and biggest advocate of life beneath the sea. The ocean's ambassador. So what Cousteau have to say about the oil spill?

As I googled that question to see what others who knew him better than I would have to say, I found Steven Machtinger of Tiburon (California), president of the board for The Bay Institute Aquarium Foundation, pondering that same question.

I also found that Captain Cousteau's grandson, Philippe Cousteau, has had plenty to say about the disaster. And, quite impressively, the young Cousteau has done more than just talk. According to his facebook page, he is onsite in Louisiana doing all he can to stop the carnage. Philippe even dove into the oil-infested waters a few weeks ago to see the damage up close. You can read his thoughts in this article from the Miami Herald, or check out Philippe Cousteau's website to learn more about him and his efforts to fight for the gulf in his grandfather's honor.

Click the Google logo for the most recent news results of articles mentioning Jacques Cousteau, and let's hope the people trying to stop that oil from pouring into the Gulf give Jacques a nice birthday present by having some success in their efforts.

Minutes from Mystic

2010-05-20T17:59:00.000-04:00

This time last week I was setting up the BoatNameGear booth for a boat show - The Northeast Maritime Exhibition at Mystic Seaport. I was as impressed with WindCheck Magazine’s ability to get this inaugural show off the ground in the short amount of time that they had, as I was with their venue selection in the Seaport.

The show started out looking like a dud on Friday with stormy weather and a constant flow of nothing but school children on field trips marching by the tent… not very promising if you’re trying to sell stuff to boat owners.

The weather cooperated for the rest of the weekend, and traffic picked up a bit. I anticipate that if the show is held again next year, perhaps a few weeks later (when school is out and families are more apt to attend the Seaport), we’ll see a much better showing. The location is ideal with its long docks and makes for a nice contrast when you see new boats on display among the historic wooden ships that are the norm at the Seaport.

Overall, I was glad to get the BoatNameGear brand out there in my homestate, and send some t-shirts and welcome mats home with a few fine folks. I also made some great connections in the industry, giving me plenty of fodder for a few Daily Boater articles, including Mobile Mariner, Sailors for the Sea, and the crew of the Spirit of Massachusetts which is part of the Ocean Classroom Foundation. Make sure you subscribe to the Daily Boater to catch our posts on the latter two organizations within the next couple of weeks.

Now for some more pictures from the show and the boats at Mystic Seaport.

Boutique Boat Shows in CT

2010-04-23T16:27:00.000-04:00

It seems Connecticut is hosting about a half dozen boat shows this year, most of them small and first-time shows organized by boat dealers that are pulling out all the stops to make 2010 more successful than last year.

Today, I attended one of these shows in Essex, CT, and I'll be exhibiting BoatNameGear at another one in New London on June 19th. There is also one happening in Mystic at the Seaport next month. The New London event appears that it might be much larger than what I witnessed today in Essex, as it is being organized by the same folks that put on the huge SailFest every year.

As for Essex, here's what I saw on this beautiful Friday afternoon. One dock with boats, three non-boat vendors under the tent, and a couple dozen boats to look at. And there seemed to be a lot of yacht salespeople and Soundings writers and photographers milling around - at least for the kickoff of the event.

Still, you couldn't have asked for a better day weather-wise for a boat show.

Overall, I think Soundings, Brewer, Hank Aldrich Yacht Sales and the other yacht brokers involved with the event did a pretty nice job with the inaugural "Spring Boat Show" in Essex, CT. The show began today and goes through Sunday, April 25th. Here are a few photos of my favorite boats from the show.

Linked In Group for Boaters

2010-03-18T15:24:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to invite you to join one of the largest boating groups on LinkedIn.

The FirstBoat Business Networking Group is a place for both boating enthusiasts and folks in the marine industry to connect to discuss virtually anything. You will have the opportunity to network with other executives who share the common interest of boats and boating.

Members include executives from all different industries... all aspects of the recreational and commercial boating industry, from all over the world, as well as people who work in energy, government, education, software, manufacturing and insurance, to name a few. The group includes advertisers, logistics officers, pilots, headhunters, and even a Space Shuttle Instructor. All share a love for boating, whether they own one or aspire to some day.

So if you are on LinkedIn, stop by our group and say hello. You'll be glad you did.

Building a Champagne Brand on a Beer Budget

2010-02-16T16:59:00.000-05:00

I remember boat shopping at a few marinas along the Connecticut shore about ten years ago and being told by more than a few dealers that my tastes far exceeded my budget. In fact, I'll never forget one woman telling me that I had champagne tastes and a beer budget.

Well, I finally did get a great boat at a fantastic price, but that's another story.

The boat shopping memory came to mind today as I was stepping up efforts to promote BoatNameGear without breaking the bank. Just today I announced two new ways for customers and potential customers to interact with the brand using social media sites FaceBook and Twitter.

It's not that I think these two tools are the end-all-be-all of marketing solutions. I simply want my brands to be where the customers want them to be. In less than few weeks since creating a FaceBook fan page for BoatNameGear, the page already has over 150 fans. And the best part is they all seem to interact with the brand and with each other. Moreover, the conversations and a contest on the page have already generated new product ideas that I've put into place and a few that are now in the pipeline. The twitter account started just today and I'm hoping for similar results.

And the other nice thing about of all this social media stuff is it's all free - if you have the time for it - leaving room in the budget for some "traditional" web advertising and local trade shows.

Sure there are other sites on the radar, Google Buzz, YouTube, Flickr, FourSquare. But you can't be everywhere on a beer budget so I recommend you go slow and stick with what you know - expand to other properties when you can. Don't get sucked in to any of these communities and overdo it, as they can easily drain a resource that is just as valuable as money to a start-up business - your time.

Boating Times Long Island

2010-01-21T12:33:00.000-05:00

It's always nice to see your store or products published in print magazines, even if that particular type of media is less relevant than it was as recently as ten years ago. It's not just because of the "free advertising" aspect, which is nice, but also because I personally think it adds a sort of legitimacy or validation to stores that are purely online such as BoatNameGear.com.

That's why I was pleased to see us get a mention in Boating Times Long Island (www.boatingtimesli.com). It looks like they did a "gifts for boaters" page in their winter issue and listed our Boat Name Gear store near the top. Better still, all the stores they included were contributed by their readers, so thank you to both the magazine and to the readers of the Boating Times Long Island for thinking of us!

BTW, I am happy to provide better product images or even samples to the press for future stories. Just email me at andrew (at) boatnamegear (dot com) if you're interested.

Feeling the love

2009-12-21T17:13:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this post to thank all the media outlets that recommended BoatNameGear.com as a source for holiday gifts for boaters over the past several weeks.

The love started pouring in way back in October when Alan Sorum included BoatNameGear in his article, Unique Christmas Gifts for Boaters, which was posted in Alan's Boating & Sailing blog on Suite101, as well as in a print boating publication in Long Island.

Being featured in the Florida Keys Fishing Examiner warmed our hearts so that we felt like we were actually in the Florida Keys! Thanks to author Christy Johnson for chumming the waters on Black Friday with our special offers of the day.

The love continued with a story by Ericka Watson, the About.com Powerboating guide, who wrote, "By personalizing an item for the boater in your life, you are meeting a practical need with a personal touch." Ericka then went on to discuss BoatNameGear and the products we offer.

The most unexpected endorsement came from the printed Lake Wylie Pilot (Lake Wylie, S.C.), where the author included BoatNameGear's products among those "that as a boater myself I would love to have." A similar story appeared in a blog that included BoatNameGear in their "Top 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for Carolina Boaters."

If we missed someone, please post it here. And thanks to all the writers, bloggers, twitterers (tweeters?) and facebookers who helped get the word out about what great holiday gifts can be found at BoatNameGear.

We're doing our best to live up to all of your recommendations.

I only hope that the high expectations of some of our recent customers are a result of great service that they've received from us in the past. I further hope that we meet or exceed those expectations - in quick service and quality, personalized products. It's too late to get any more personalized gear from our store, but you can still get a gift certificate with all the thoughtfulness of our gear and the flexibility to buy and receive the gift right up through Christmas Eve.

Happy Holidays everybody!

Good Business

2009-12-21T15:53:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's the simple things that keep successful companies ahead of the competition.

Mar-Lan Industries is a 50+ year old Texas-based supplier of electrical products to the marine industry. 12 days ago Jim Desai, the company's CEO, posted a small but sincere offer for a free calendar in a group I run on LinkedIn for boaters to network with each other (FirstBoat Business Networking Group).

I was impressed that Mar-Lan - a B2B company - seemed to get social media. The offer was from the CEO himself, and he didn't "spam" the discussion group with a blunt message like "Click here to view our electrical accessories" - he was smart enough to know that people viewing the offer in his post could find out more about his company if they were so inclined.

I signed up that day to get a free calendar.

And within 7 business days, I had my new calendar (pictured here). Turns out it's a nice wall calendar with motivational slogans on each page below pictures of outdoor adventures - from kayaking to surfing to mountain climbing. Mar-Lan also sent a "happy holidays" note on company letterhead with the contact info for their key customer-facing employees. Oh, and of course the calendar has Mar-Lan's contact info including web address across the bottom of the calendar so that I'll look at it all year.

Now, I am admittedly not necessarily Mar-Lan's target audience. But if anyone ever asks, I'll speak of Mar-Lan with a warm fuzzy feeling because they gave me something for nothing. And heck, I might even blog about them...

BoatU.S. Contest Again

2009-09-03T12:44:00.004-04:00

I'm pretty proud that BoatU.S. has decided to give away $200 worth of personalized apparel from our store, BoatNameGear, in their September contest.

BoatU.S. has a new contest each month - Members are entered to win a prize just for signing into the members-only website (My.BoatUS.com).

This marks the 2nd time within four months that BoatU.S. has called upon BoatNameGear to provide the prize (previous contest was June 2009.)

Perhaps they chose BoatNameGear again because we helped BoatU.S. drive new or existing members to their site? I don't know. Or perhaps they received feedback similar to what we heard from the winner of the June contest. Here's an excerpt:

Recieved my order yesterday and am very happy with the merchandise. I am extremely pleased with the mat.
You must be very pleased with the quality of your work, it is a very high quality.
Thank you so much.

John
A satisfied customer

So, if you want to try to win $200 worth of stuff with your boat name on it for free, sign up to be a BoatUS member by September 30th, or visit My.BoatUS.com.

By the way, we're currently offering a 10% discount to BoatU.S. members on all orders at BoatNameGear. This is exclusive to BoatU.S. members only through this link to BoatNameGear. (Fine print: Not valid on past or existing orders or in conjunction with other offers; may end at any time.)

Welcome to CA World WiFi

2009-07-03T10:36:00.007-04:00

Glad to have CA World WiFi on board as a new advertiser at WiFiMarine.org.

It's really a great fit - CA World WiFi, based in Florida, provides WiFi equipment for all environments, and specializes in providing solutions that are tailored for harsh outdoor environments. They know what saltwater, wind and rain can do to sensitive electronics and build products accordingly.

With WiFiMarine.org's position in Google for keywords related to Wi-Fi and marinas, CA World couldn't have picked a better site to sponsor!

If you run a marina - or any outdoor establishment - and want a better solution to offer Internet to your patrons, please visit CA World WiFi or call them at 561-245-7823.

Remember the Mining Company?

2009-06-08T23:51:00.007-04:00

When "About.com" was first created more than 10 years ago they were called the Mining Company. I remember thinking that the name didn't make sense as far as memorable URLs go, but I also remember "About.com" didn't do anything for me either.

Well, ten years later and that's all changed now that About.com actually DID do something for me.

As of today, the Powerboating Blog on About.com is featuring our store, BoatNameGear, as the place to shop for great father's day gifts for boaters.

Actually, their exact words were:

With Boat Name Gear - you can order polo shirts, hats, sweatshirts and even fender covers and welcome mats that are personalized with the name of the boat. What better way to honor Dad this Father's Day than with an item that can be used for years to come?

Many thanks to Ericka (yes with both a "C" and a "K") for thinking of us!

BoatUS featuring our store

2009-06-01T22:15:00.002-04:00

This happened pretty fast, but as of this morning BoatNameGear is an official sponsor of a contest on BoatUS for the entire month of June 2009.

So, if you want to try to win $200 worth of stuff with your boat name on it for free, sign up to be a BoatUS member by June 30th.

Click here to join BoatUS now - it's less than $20, and you also get 10% off any purchase at BoatNameGear with your membership, so you can pretty much get your money back before you're done shopping for Father's Day.

Our Little Contest

2009-03-20T00:07:00.002-04:00

I am honored that a team of young women that is planning to row a boat across the Atlantic has chosen me to help them name their boat.

It is such a big honor, in fact, that I can't do it myself.

That is why I enlisted Ask the Boater to help start a contest to let people from all over the country help them pick a name.

It is a testament to the team that we were able to scrape together over $650 in prizes in a very short amount of time, and by the end of the month the girls should have hundreds of names to choose from.

There are a couple of different ways to suggest a boat name and enter the contest. For starters, please visit our friends at Ask the Boater, or our own boat name blog.

I am also psyched that Alan Sorum, publisher of InfoAboutAlaska.com has found interest in the team, and has written about them and the contest at his blog on Suite 101.

Last but not least, an interesting array of sponsors has stepped up to support the contest, including Perricone and several others.

Please keep the boat names coming in!

Thanks to NBOA Marine Insurance

2009-01-27T09:58:00.002-05:00

When new boaters realize that boats need insurance, they usually turn to the National Boat Owner’s Association (NBOA), Marine Insurance Agency, on the web at NBOAT.com

NBOA gets it, because they do more than just sell boat insurance. First of all, they specialize - they only insure boats, so they probably already know what YOU need and can be trusted to guide you to get the right coverage for your new boat.

Second, they don't just give quotes and play the numbers game. Instead, they provide useful, free information, such as this primer on boat insurance.

Third, it may sound obvious, but believe it or not this is not true of all insurance agencies - NBOA offers low rates AND only provides top-rated insurance to their customers.

Best of all, they understand the value of a good story and had the good sense to publish our list of top ten boat names on their website in their marine industry news page.

For that, and for providing great service to boaters, we say "thank you" to NBOA.

Top boat names picking up steam

2009-01-23T10:18:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Alan Sorum for writing about the top boat names on his blog at Suite101, and also to the Hartford Courant and The Des Moines Register for posting the list in their fine publications.

Seems like even though there is too much snow and ice to boat in many parts of the country, boat show season and people's affinity for lists is keeping this story topical.

If you'd like to discuss a strategy to get publicity for your organization, or if you are an editor or blogger and would like to carry a story about the top boat names in your publication, please contact us via our online contact form or email (andrew [at] nauticalsites.com).

Thanks to Ask The Boater and Motor Boats Monthly

2009-01-20T13:19:00.003-05:00

Excited to see our top boat names list picked up by UK magazine Motor Boats Monthly, published by YBW, as well as New York-based AsktheBoater.

Here are the links to articles:

Motor Boats Monthly - http://www.mbmclub.com/auto/newsdesk/20090020175325mbmnews.html

AsktheBoater - http://www.asktheboater.com/popular-boat-names-announced/

Press Release on Top Boat Names

2009-01-19T13:38:00.004-05:00

This hit Google News today almost immediately after posting it to PitchEngine, the social media PR builder. After today, I would highly recommend PitchEngine to anybody looking to get their press release into the news stream quickly.

Anyway, here's the release that went out in its entirety:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FirstBoat Announces the Most Popular Boat Names of the Year

Top boat names of 2008 compiled from the leading network of nautical sites

Hartford, CT, January 19, 2009 - FirstBoat.com, the premier online destination for new boaters, today announced its list of the most popular boat names of the past year. The list, compiled by FirstBoat.com in collaboration with CustomBoatNames.com, BoatNameGear.com, and the Boat Name Blog, includes nautical puns, tributes to recent movies and TV shows, and an overall celebration of the boating lifestyle.

Following are the top ten most popular boat names for 2008:

1. Happy Ours
2. Carpe Diem
3. Aqua - Holic
4. State of Mind
5. Anchor Management
6. The Office
7. Feelin' Nauti
8. Yes Dear
9. Sundance
10. Serenity Now

Several of the boat names on the list, such as “Happy Ours”, “State of Mind” and “Carpe Diem”, reflect how much enjoyment people derive from the boating lifestyle. In fact, the popularity of these particular boat names may suggest that boating, for some, offers a temporary respite from the unremitting news about a distressed economy and record-high fuel prices which were experienced during the peak of last year’s boating season.

In general, most of the names on this year’s list of top boat names illustrate that boaters are imaginative and passionate individuals who like to have fun.

About Nautical Sites
Nautical Sites is a new media company comprised of a growing network of websites for boating and yachting enthusiasts. Included among the many sites in the network are:

FirstBoat.com, founded in 1999, is the premier online destination for new boaters and is home of the original Boat Name Machine, featuring over 50,000 possible boat names; online at www.FirstBoat.com.

The Boat Name Blog offers interactive boat naming advice at www.BoatNameBlog.com.

BoatNameGear.com is the ultimate source for personalized boating gear, offering high quality shirts, hats, towels, robes, tote bags and welcome mats, embroidered with your boat name; located online at www.BoatNameGear.com.

CustomBoatNames.com is one of the web’s leading vinyl lettering supplier to recreational boaters, featuring an easy-to-use online design tool and personal service, online at www.CustomBoatNames.com.

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Media Contact
Andrew Canepari, Andrew@FirstBoat.com

Brunswick keeps on cutting

2009-01-07T10:42:00.002-05:00

I thought they were done with the hacks and plant closures months or at least weeks ago, but I guess they were waiting until after the holidays.

Earlier in the week, Brunswick unloaded their Albemarle boat brand, and now just yesterday they announced a series of production cuts and layoffs including plans to "idle" a major production plant in Riverview, Tennessee.

Anyone remember a time when it was "safe" to work for a big company?

Social Media

2008-11-19T11:40:00.007-05:00

Is social media right for your marine business? FaceBook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter and the rest are no longer just for kids. If harnessed appropriately, social media may be able to help you generate more business.

With the launch last week of Fishington - a social media site for boating and fishing enthusiasts run by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) - now is a good time to review other places that boaters "socialize" online.

By the way, Fishington has already has about 2400 members as of this post.

Here are some other popular or up-and-coming social media sites for boaters:

SailMonster is run by a friendly couple who sincerely welcome you when you join - this site has potential and is worth checking out.

Bluemapia.com took a while to open and differentiates itself as a "mobile" social network. Cool mapping technology let's you track where you've been or where you're headed.

TheBoaters.com seems to have a large following, possibly drawn to the network by their facebook ads as well as their frequent podcasts, originally hosted by Julie Perry.

activeboating.com - maybe 200 members at most; hard to 'make friends' because it's hard to find friends to make. If you only have time to visit a couple of sites, perhaps hold off on this one.

DockWalk.com, the social media site for crewmembers and other yachting professionals. The site's 5500 members include deckhands, chefs, yacht owners and more. Looks like a nice community.

Zooors.com - Launched in Feb '08, this social networking site is aimed at yacht owners. Still looks like a work in progress, but big beautiful photos and video screenshots make it pleasing to the eye. Not sure, but the site just may be a tool for promoting yacht charters based on the multiple text links at the bottom of the pages. Boater beware - if you join this site, you might get pitched to charter a yacht... Not that there's anything wrong with that.

BoatingPassions.com - find a date who likes to boat. I had this idea 5 or 6 years ago and added a section to a forum I ran, but the only posts were from porn spammers.

By the way, you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/canepari and http://twitter.com/FirstBoat

BoatNameZ.com Launched

2008-10-12T11:28:00.004-04:00

We just started this blog last week, but it's not too late to announce the launch of our latest Nautical Site, BoatNameZ.com, which launched last month.

We refer to BoatNameZ.com as BoatNamez with a "Z" so that people don't get it confused with "boatnames.com" (without a z, and currently a spam site).

Our new site, BoatNameZ.com, is sort of a hub for all of our other boat name sites, which include BoatNameGear.com, CustomBoatNames.com, the Blog about Boat Names, and our general site which includes an extensive section on boat names, FirstBoat.com.

A Nautical Site in the News

2008-10-10T18:35:00.005-04:00

A few weeks after it was printed, I came across an article on the web that mentioned one of the Nautical Sites in our network. It was a welcome bit of free press, especially since we had not updated the site in some time.

Here's what the Business Courier of Cincinnati had to say about our WiFiMarine.org

A Web site called wifimarine.org promotes and tracks the progress of wireless Internet solutions in the boating community and allows slip owners to request access at their home marinas.

I'm glad to have received the free press, just wished I seen it when it first came out. From now on, I'm going to track WiFiMarine.org using Google Alerts like I do with most of my other sites.

Not sure how to track your sites for free using Google Alerts? Ask me how.

Worst Over for Industry?

2008-10-10T00:58:00.003-04:00

This news came on the same day that the stock market fell by nearly 700 points:

Brunswick cutting 1400 jobs, closing 4 more plants

So, can it get any worse? We'll probably see some more rough seas before it gets better, but Brunswick and other companies have been cutting all year. There's not much left to cut, is there?

Nautical Sites Network Blog

2008-10-06T14:46:00.001-04:00

As the proprietor of the Nautical Sites Network and a publisher of several blogs, I finally decided to start blogging here - and keep you abreast of how business is going across the Nautical Sites Network.

When we launch new sites, get picked up in the press, or have a successful engagement with a marine industry client, we can let you know right here on our own blog.

By the way, I recognize this blog should have happened sooner, and I still probably wouldn't have thought of it if I had not come across SFO Media while doing some research for one of my business plans.