Loading ...Whether you’re around school age kids or not, the buzz and excitement of impending summer seems to permeate the world over, or at least the northern hemisphere. To ride on the coat tails of this excitement, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) honors the days goneby—you know, before game consoles, innumerable TV stations and the ability to create a Second Life—with National Fishing and Boating Week, which takes place June 5-13.
But is there any power behind this summer’s peak boating season? Ellen Hopkins, director of communications at the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), thinks so. “We felt the hits of the economy like every industry and manufacturers coped with this by paying close attention to inventory and adjusting accordingly. In 2009, 80,000 new boats were produced and 150,000 new boats were sold. That means manufacturers used up inventory from the previous year and sold a few more,” says Hopkins. “This year we expect to sell around 150,000 boats again. Our data from the first quarter of 2010 shows a slowing in sales decline of new powerboats. That equates to a 12 percent decrease compared to a decline of 35 percent during the first quarter of 2009, and is a good sign.”
However, while that equates to good news for the industry as a whole, it’s not exactly glowing for the composites industry. “Our reports show an improving trend in small aluminum boat sales,” she says. “These are boats that are typically purchased by first-time boaters for fishing and navigating small lakes and rivers, with the top ten states for boat sales being Texas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, and Georgia.”
Yet, focusing on data from the NMMA, there is a clear area where composite boat manufacturers can focus. Data reveals that 75 percent of boaters have a household income of under $100,000 and 96 percent of powerboats on the water in 2009 were 26 feet or smaller, meaning boaters are primarily middle-class Americans operating small, trailerable boats. Add this to a recent survey wherein 95 percent of respondents said the current economy would not stop them from using boats this coming summer, with 23 percent stating they would go more this summer than last.
In fact, the RBFF is working with individual states to help market an increase of boating licenses. “Our push is to get people outdoors, kind of a tie-in with Michelle Obama’s No Child Left Inside campaign. Getting people boating not only helps the economy, but it helps protect the waters people are paying to play in,” says Heather Sieber, communications director at the RBFF. “And we’ve seen promise in these efforts. Just in the past year, license sales have gone up 4.7 percent, which is more than we’ve seen in the past 30 years. We attribute that to the new marketing efforts coupled with people’s desire to dial it back, enjoy a staycation and live a simpler life.” In fact, says Hopkins, “If economic conditions continue to improve—including consumer confidence, a growing housing and employment market—we expect to see growth again in 2011-12.”
The changing economy and changing recreational attitudes of the public are all good signs for boat manufacturers; it seems they just need to jump in with both feet.
