David Lewin was the kind of marine industry figure who was difficult to overlook. He knew the people, understood the business and, crucially, was never afraid to ask whether the industry was doing things the right way. Colleagues remember a warm, generous and positive man who gave freely of his time and knowledge – but also one prepared to challenge accepted thinking when he believed change was needed.
Lewin, a former president of British Marine and former vice president of the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), died following an illness last month (July 2026).
As MIN‘s new editor, Zella Compton first met Lewin in 2019.
“He was kind, gracious and funny and told me how wonderful MIN could be – a new publication for the trade, unshackled by expectations or allegiances. I liked him immensely from the outset and my respect for him continued to grow as he went on to write some industry-challenging op-eds for MIN.
“His encouragement wasn’t unique to me, reading through the comments on his Linkedin page, it’s clear that he had an enormous affect on so many people’s professional lives – and clothing choices.”
David Lewin’s Linkedin page is full of tributes to both his professional career, and character.
Unusual foundation for a career in marine
Lewin’s multi-faceted career had an unusual foundation. The 1930s saw his family escape from Germany, where they were highly successful makers of clothing, to Northumberland where they restarted anew.
Few families can claim to have clothed the German army in WW1 and the British army in WW2, says a family friend.
‘Lewin had immense enthusiasm, capability and energy in spades,’ the friend continues. Electing not to submerge himself in academia, he spent six months in Paris, nine months in Germany, then went to a factory in Zurich and launched his first career. He made every kind of clothing for a myriad of customers in locations from South Carolina to Tehran.
Knowing how to assemble fabric, Lewin realised he could make specialist clothing for activities he was interested in – skiing, sailing, fishing and country sports. He made stylish clothing that looked good and worked in a gale. Meeting Peter de Savary during an Americas’ Cup inspired Lewin to look at the leisure marine business and how to bring fashion to local chandlery, says the friend.
Lewin breaks all the rules with creative features
“He broke the rules of marine clothing at the time with creative features, groundbreaking fabrics and bold colours… all just like David himself,” says Cathy Millien, boating industry and offshore racing enthusiast via Linkedin.
Plastimo (which makes marine safety equipment, navigation instruments, and deck hardware) says he inspired much of its strategy.
‘We were so lucky to work with him in the early 80s and distribute the Splashdown range of clothing. Already specialised in safety at the time, Plastimo was considered clothing to be an integral part of a sailor’s protection.
‘David came as a pioneer, bringing fashion and style on pontoons and boats by introducing vibrant colours and hi-tech fabrics to replace traditional ‘yellow oilies’. Cooperating with David inspired our clothing strategy and enriched the expertise we still keep fuelling years after, as today with Typhoon Leisure and Zhik.’
Splashdown’s coats and jackets are now classed as retro, they’re sold as vintage items.
David Lewin pictured in 2022.
A cornerstone of the marine industry
It was in his Splashdown role that Barton Marine’s Suzanne Blaustone first met Lewin in 1992 at the Chicago Boat Show, introduced by her husband, David Coleman. A Splashdown wax coat exchanged hands, which Blaustone says became a prized possession in her family.
“He was a cornerstone of our industry and trade,” she says.
“He knew what was going on. He was active. He didn’t sit back and become someone who worked in the trade but didn’t give back. He gave back and he always was helpful to anybody who needed help.”
Lewin spent over a decade with Splashdown. The company was sold in 1995 to Chemring, and Lewin left the firm in 1996. He then went on to run the UK arm of Compass24.com, before conducting a management buyout of Flag Paints.
Invaluable source of advice and support through the years
Blaustone says that her and Lewin’s paths crossed through the years via Flag Paints, British Marine shows and later with GMBA. Plus she enjoyed a personal friendship with him and his wife Melanie (with whom she formed a ‘ladies who lunch’ club for partners attending trade shows).
Following her husband’s death in 2014, Blaustone took over at Barton Marine and Lewin became an invaluable source of advice and support.
“He was one of the few men who supported me when I took over.
“Most of my David’s friends said, ‘Oh, Suzanne, you can’t possibly do this. You can’t walk in his footsteps. You’ve gotta stop working in the industry.’ But I did it anyway, and David Lewin supported me in that.
“So, for the people that supported me, I’ll never forget how gracious and supportive they were. They were the shoulders I stood on. And David Lewin was one of those people, so that was always really special to have him around.”
Lewin’s time at Flag Paints coincided with more than 20 years as the UK representative for Naviline Industries / Malvaux Marine and nine years as the UK agent for lifejacket manufacturer Secumar. He later served as chairman of Hudson Wight Performance Sailware from 2015 to 2025.
In 2010, he founded David Lewin Consulting, providing marketing services to the marine industry and drawing on his extensive network of industry contacts.
The man behind the industry roles
From 2020 to 2025, Lewin was also a member of the Global Marine Business Advisors (GMBA), an advisory group serving the marine industry where Veda Pretorius (a strategic consultant for the organisation) says he was an “exceptional” man.
“David was a true gentleman. He had impeccable manners and was quick to put everyone at ease.
“He was committed to boating his entire life and as he got on in years, there was little he enjoyed more as spending time with his family on his boat. He stayed connected to his industry friends and he regularly dropped an email to check in. He was quick to offer assistance or to make an introduction to a colleague or industry contact.”
Pretorius says that, in 2023, she attended a GMBA conference in the UK.
“David organised it all, and created a fantastic programme over the few days we had together. The highlight for him was being able to show us his beloved car, and take us for hair-raising spins on the small winding country roads.”
David Lewin and Maryanne Edwards – GMBA 2023
Kim Hollamby (Hollamby Partnership) notes via Linkedin that the arrival of Lewin in his Marlin kit car – with its BMW engine – was a keenly anticipated precursor at various events and meetings.
In June 2022, Blaustone presented Lewin with the Marine Trades Association’s 2021-2022 David Coleman Excellence in Exporting Award on behalf of GMBA. She says that moment is one of her favourite pictures of the two of them together.
David Lewin accepts the Excellence in Exporting Award for the GMBA from and Suzanne Blaustone at the MTA Dinner in 2022.
A career built around boating, business and ideas
Lewin served as president of British Marine from 1998 to 2001, during which he represented the interests of the UK recreational marine sector. He also spent many years on the committee of the Marine Trades Association – British Marine’s biggest group association tasked with looking after smaller businesses in the industry.
Personal pictures of David Lewin courtesy of his wife, Melanie.
During his tenure at British Marine, Lewin held much responsibility including being at the helm when the London Boat Show was moved from Earl’s Court to ExCeL. “A major event in the history of the industry,” says Howard Pridding who was chief executive of the trade association (he retired in 2018).
Pridding first met Lewin when he was chairing the (then) federation’s export committee, which guided export policy and helped companies go overseas.
“He served on the British Marine board, the council and the Boat Show board over many years. The key thing about those senior non-executive positions is that you’re elected by the membership.
“The fact that he was repeatedly elected to these positions demonstrates the respect that he had across the wider industry.”
Pridding continues: “David was very much an advocate and a champion of small business. It was where he came from.
“As an individual, he was just a warm and friendly personality.
“One thing that stuck with me early on was that he had this saying, and I’ve seen other people quote it, that ‘business should be fun’. Certainly, that was my experience of spending time with him. I worked with him for many years, spent time in his company in the UK and overseas, and we had to deal with some difficult issues at times when he was president. But he was thoughtful, he was constructive, he was just a positive guy.
“David should be remembered as ‘a leader who gave much back to the industry’ that he loved. He volunteered his time and knowledge and experience freely to the better of the industry.”
When Pridding became chief executive of British Marine he had the power to sort out the seating plan for events – and used that gift to change allocations so he could sit nearer Lewin. “I always enjoyed it because the conversation would just flow. He was that sort of guy.”
An outstanding president who was always positive
“He was always kind. He was always helpful. He was an instigator. He certainly had vision,” says David Pougher, who became president of British Marine in 2016. “He was just Mr Positive. I’ve never heard him moan once. He probably did, but I certainly can’t remember it.”
Pougher first met Lewin around 1985 at a boat show (where he bought Splashdown coats from Lewin for Yamaha employees) and then started to work more closely with him in a British Marine capacity in the late 1990s.
“He’d been an outstanding president. He’d stepped back from that, and then he became chairman of the marketing committee.
“I was on the committee with him, and he was just a breath of fresh air. Always looking for the positive, always looking for the opportunity, but in such a friendly way.
“As a youngster coming onto his marketing committee, it was just brilliant to have him there.
“He was always getting the best out of everyone, including the staff at British Marine as well as the committee members.”
Pougher sums Lewin up as a “lovely fellow.” Although he says “you couldn’t walk 200 yards at a pace with David during a boat show. He’d be stopping every five yards because somebody wanted to talk to him, or he wanted to talk to them. “He was very, very special.”
A catalyst in the industry and in life
One family friend describes Lewin as a “catalyst that made all sorts of things happen.”
He consulted for many companies in the boat business, involved with everything from electronics to lifejackets. With British Marine the experience of government and lobby groups became a key part of his life. On the Royal Yachting Association council he helped link providers and users, participating in many of the RNLI’s working groups.
Following his presidency at British Marine, Lewin was vice president of ICOMIA from 2002 to 2007, supporting the development of the recreational boating industry and international cooperation across the marine sector.
The marine industry challenges David Lewin was not afraid to make
Not one to hold back, Lewin challenged the accepted norms in the industry. One target was superyachts’ “gross displays of conspicuous consumption” as he asked whether the boats would “morph into expedition yachts with a tame science project as their raison d’etre?”
Size was a hot topic for Lewin over the years.
In 2021, he spoke openly about what he saw as a needless quest to build larger and larger boats.
“There are plenty of people out there willing and ready to buy boats – let’s not sell them something that will pollute our world for years to come,” he said and accused manufacturers of secretly acknowledging their responsibility but being happy to carry on riding the wave of customer demand rather than leading the revolution.
The delicate balance between customer wants and manufacturers’ social responsibilities is still ongoing, as is multiple outboard motor installations on the back of units – another of Lewin’s dread topics.
Each time he’d consider a new topic, he’d ring MIN to discuss the outline – and when edits were returned to him on his first draft, he’d ring again.
Questioning the race for bigger boats
In 2023, he challenged mid-range yachts. “Boating is often seen as elitist, and in many cases, we need to admit that it is. It’s expensive in real terms, but the notion that you can have anything you want if you can afford it has to change. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, especially when it comes to mid-range motor yachts.” He went on to argue that in terms of reducing our carbon footprint, the superyacht industry knows it’s under the spotlight, “but it’s the mid-range where the volume is, and where the worst offenders can be found.”
Blaustone – not one to mince her words (her thoughts on Brexit are an excellent illustration of that) – admired Lewin’s honesty.
“It takes courage [to speak out] because you know that you’re gonna get slammed by someone,” she says of Lewin’s willingness to challenge industry practices.
“He was a force. He came out and said the things that needed to be said at times when other people wouldn’t.”
Calling for a more efficient way to build boats
In 2020 he argued that it was about time that boatbuilders pursued the ‘holy grail’: To have the boat’s design – all of it – before commencing to manufacture.
He wanted boatbuilders: “To have thought through all the little niggles like where the side cladding meets the deckhead or whether there is enough depth and width in the bow to create a proper bed etc.
“If all these parameters can be fulfilled then the boat can be built ‘concurrently’ – while the hull is being moulded, the engineering can be planned, ordered and such things as the electrical loom manufactured. At the same time, the furniture can be committed to the woodshop or outsourced, any rigging made up, and the soft furnishings planned and put into production.”
Building them more efficiently would offer better margins so the industry could re-invest in its staff and equipment, he said, with a keen eye on UK builders.
A voice for small businesses
“David was the one who would stand up and say those things,” says Blaustone. “He could get away with it because he was a genuinely nice man.
“He used to sit with us at the MTA Awards.
“I knew that he was good friends with Mike Shepherd [MIN‘s publisher] as well. I could see them giggling together about things, so I know they were fond of each other’s support and attention.”
Shepherd first met Lewin in north-east London in the late 1980s. At the time, Shepherd was working as a sailing instructor at a reservoir.
“David sold me a Splashdown jacket at trade price – I couldn’t have been happier and genuinely felt like I was in Howards’ Way,” Shepherd says.
He continues: “Over the years, David became a guiding influence throughout my time in the marine industry and, in particular, a trusted confidant as we launched and built Marine Industry News. His advice, encouragement and friendship meant a great deal to me.”
Marine sector’s all about lifestyle and lovely people
In 2018, Hollamby’s blog quoted Lewin: “Fun is important…Let’s be straight, an awful lot of us don’t make a lot of money in boating-related businesses.
“It’s a small industry in real terms, but you do it for the lifestyle and the lovely people you meet. You need to enjoy it because if you don’t, you’d be much better off going into the real world and doing something else, like selling toilet rolls. Enjoyment is where the energy comes from.”
For those who knew him, Lewin’s legacy is less about the positions he held than the people he helped, the ideas he shared and the encouragement he gave.
He remained engaged with the industry throughout his life, continuing to offer advice, make introductions and challenge thinking.
As Pretorius puts it: “He was generous with his expertise and network, believing in sharing what he knew. He is truly missed.”
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