Behind The Buoy

Boat/US Magazine, May, 1999 by Richard Schwartz

Thirty-three years ago, I sat in a room and presented a new concept for a national association for recreational boat owners.

I announced to the group that the organization's name would be "Boat Owners Association of The United States" and its acronym would be BOATUS!

The reaction I got was mixed. Some pronounced it "boat us" -- like Toys R Us. No, wrong, it was supposed to be boat U.S. (as in United States). With this reaction in mind, we went back to the drawing boards, put in the slash after BOAT and the periods between the U and the S and came up with BOAT/U.S. A great and fitting name, I felt.

But that wasn't enough -- a symbol, or logo, was now needed. Well, it's history now -- the stylized buoy is quickly identified today by boat owners all over the country as the nation's premier organization of boat owners working for boat owners. I must confess that I still get a big kick out of spotting boats on the waterways, and cars and trucks on the highways, sporting the BOAT/U.S. decal.

The Association I envisioned has 500,000 members today. Growth has brought new and expanded services. Last year members responded with more enthusiasm and vigor than I had seen in some time. This, in turn, inspired our staff and, as a result, the Association's marine insurance is better than ever, the TowBOAT/U.S. service network is expanding, along with the Cooperating Marina discounts, and the Boat Finance services. Marine Centers are growing too. We'll open new locations this year in Port Clinton, OH; Savannah, GA; Danvers, MA; North Miami, Stuart and Pompano, FL. All of these new marine centers will sport a dramatically new look and assortment of equipment.

Excitement over our progress also radiates from the staffs running our Foundation for Boating Safety, Clean Water Trust, Consumer Protection Bureau, Government Affairs department and BOAT/U.S. Magazine. Our Membership department is especially excited with increasing membership renewals and new member enrollment rates.

With all the change and expansion we've initiated over the years, it was inevitable that someone would take a look at our wonderful old logotype and say, "It's showing age and needs a facelift to reflect today's vigorous BOAT/U.S. Make it more modern-looking." This, they said, to the guy who had conceived and designed the original logo over three decades ago. After a lot of soul searching, I decided that if I was to avoid being put in the same category as the logo, I'd better give this serious consideration!

To make a long story short, I agreed that the time has come for a change. I've even grown to like the new design which I am pleased to unveil in three different variations:

The new style was chosen because, like the Association, it shows forward movement and it reflects clarity. It's also easier to read and resolves our longstanding struggle to get others to spell our name as an acronym.

You will begin to see this new design immediately. In the interest of economy we will use up our existing printed material and gradually move to the new buoy and type style. This allows the traditionalists among us time to get used to the "new" without totally losing the old anchor.

We hope you like the new spirit of our logo. We are all excited about it and believe it reflects the direction in which our organization is growing and serving members.