Once a week subscribers to Boat & Motor Dealer e-ssentials will receive a few how-to articles that provide strategies used by marine businesses across the country. The articles will be short and to the point-just the "e-ssentials" to help business owners and operators make sound business decisions. Long-time industry experts Ben Sherwood and Ralph Lambrecht will continue to provide their input into our e-newsletter. So, look for their insights into the industry and let us know what you think by sending an e-mail to: jkoncel@boatmotordealer.com.

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Don’t stop developing your employees
By Jerome Koncel

In a recent column in our sister publication, Marina Dock Age, long time columnist Dennis Kissman wrote that now is great opportunity to “add the people you can afford and who will make your company profitable in the near future.” At Hampton Watercraft and Marine in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., the concept of adding talented employees is nothing new. It’s part of the dealer’s core values, and it’s why the dealer has pushed the ongoing development of all employees all year round.

From the time Tony Villareale founded the dealership in 1990 to the present, the dealer has emphasized the ongoing and continuous development of his employees. “We encourage all of our employees to attend training seminars for this allows them to grow and move up within the company,” said Villareale.

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TIPS on Propellers: Part III
What rake does for the boater
Posted by Ben H. Sherwood

Rake is the angle of the tilt of the blade’s tip toward or away from the gearcase. (Take a look at the Rake Angle drawing below to better understand what we mean.) As you can see from the drawing, rake is the angle that the slant of the blade has from a line perpendicular to the propeller hub. In our example, the rake is 20°

If the blade were exactly perpendicular to the hub, it would have 0° rake. Positive rake numbers indicate that the blade slants away from the gearcase. Negative rake numbers indicate that the blade is slanted toward the gearcase. Negative rake is unusual.

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There’s more ethanol headaches ahead for boaters
By Ralph Lambrecht

Forget logic, reason, or intentions when it comes to ethanol. It’s now a product in the hands of  politicians and lobbyists. The farmers grow and sell the corn. Investors are putting up ethanol plants everywhere the corn is being grown. Ethanol production is subsidized by a tax credit of 51 cents per gallon (tax dollars) so that it can compete in price with straight gasoline. There’s money to be made here, if only the government can be seduced into requiring or allowing more and more ethanol to be blended into the gasoline being pumped at the corner station.

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