Marine Trade representatives to form panel
PORT TOWNSEND — Marine trade representatives agreed to form a committee to work with the Port of Port Townsend beginning next week to come up with port haul-out and storage discounts that, coupled with an aggressive marketing campaign, will lure new boat-work business.
The port commissioners Wednesday night struck up a conversation with Boat Haven business owners, many of whom said boat-repair business was slow-to-nothing.
“I don’t think anybody in the marine trades has raised their rates except the port,” said Mark Jochems, owner of Shoreline Marine Diesel.
“I don’t have any place else to cut. I’m bare bones right now. If it gets any worse, I don’t know. I’m going to be relying on emergencies this summer.”
Jochems was among about 15 marine operators who attended the port commissioners meeting, many of them talking about lagging business.
Economic stimulus
Diana Talley of Taku Marine urged the port to consider an economic stimulus or larger incentives for the short term, and possibly longer.
“We’re all concerned about the instability of where we’re going from here,” Talley said.
“I want to remind you that the marine trades represent 30 percent of all nongovernmental jobs in Jefferson County.”
She cited a marine operator at the Shilshoe Marina in Seattle who she said, offers a 50 percent discount on haul-outs, and is taking business from Port Townsend operations.
Larry Crockett, port executive director, said a study of the Shilshoe operator and other connected costs found that the Port of Port Townsend’s boat yard was still less expensive.
“Having said that, I still think we need to do something,” Crockett said.
Talley urged the port to do something similar to the Shilshoe haul-out operation.
Gordon Nielsen, a rigger operating out of the Boat Haven, said the port should promote its efforts to make the Boat Haven environmentally sound by upgrading its water-treatment system to protect against copper contamination from paints chipped away from boat hulls.
Green practices
Port Commissioner John Collins said such green practices could be attractive to environmentally conscious boaters.
Les Schnick, Port Townsend Marine Trades Association chairman, agreed to form the marine trades committee.
Schnick said the port needed a marketing effort “for right now. We need to get some movement, even it’s in the short term.”
Others suggested that the port consider extending discounts for longer than three months, if necessary.
Crockett suggested that discounts similar to those used to attract ships to the yard be applied to boats using the 70-ton lift.
In the shipyard, the port offers 20 percent discounts if vessel owners stay 90 days or more.
Port Commissioner Dave Thompson, a marine tradesman, supported getting the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association together with port staff to produce an advertisement for a trade publication.
Port Commissioner Herb Beck said if the port did something for the marine trades, it would also have to offer discounts to individuals.
Crockett said marketing would be easy for the port. Sinking revenues in the Port of Port Townsend boat yard have driven port leaders to consider a two-for-one offer to attract more business, meaning one week charged and one week free.
Crockett said marine trades, however, saw discounts as a better incentive.
The incentives have been under consideration with port work and shipyard activity decreasing dramatically since 2006, said Don Taylor, port finance director.
Taylor said the March figure for the work yard — boats hoisted by the 70-ton — totaled 3,220 feet in length.
That compares to 5,300 feet through March 2006.
“Lay day” revenues, meaning the daily charges for boats sitting in work yard, totaled $184,000 at the end of April, he said.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
