Sterndrive sales down in April, growth slows in other categories

While boat sales grew again in April, the rate of growth declined, according to the latest Info-Link Bellwether report.

According to Info-Link, the Bellwether report tracks sales of powerboats across the country based on new U.S. boat registrations on a rolling 12-month basis. Bellwether states are geographically dispersed states representing roughly half of the US boat market (varies by market segment and time of year).

Powerboat sales were up a little more than 5 percent across all categories on a rolling basis for the 12 months ending in April, compared with 6 percent growth in March and 7 percent-plus growth in February. The growth rate has been mostly declining since its recent peak of 11 percent in June 2016.

The sportfish segment was once again the strongest for the period, with sales up about 10 percent over the last year. The tow boat segment was up about 8 percent for the rolling 12-month period, and PWC sales ticked up by 8 percent as well.

Overall, the outboard segment was up a little more than 6 percent for the period. Sterndrive/jet was the only category to decline, with sales down about 3 percent for the last year.