April boat sales approach double-digit growth

MIAMI – Year-over-year sales for 15-foot or greater powerboats took another step forward in April – actually, a bit of a leap – nearing 10-percent growth after breaking 5-percent growth the previous month, according to the latest figures from Info-Link.

Graphs of all of the Info-Link Bellwether Report data can be found by clicking here: Info-Link Bellwether Report.

Outboard boat sales improved even more, with year-over-year sales for the market improving close to 14 percent compared to April 2011.

Sportfishing boat sales were also up about 11 percent after rising about 8 percent in March.

Stern drive and jet boat sales slowed their sales decline slightly with just less than a 5-percent drop.

Sales of personal watercraft also showed smaller declines than in March. The segment dropped 5 percent in April as opposed to about 8 percent the previous month.

Finally, ski boat sales were also down but were closer to level than they have been in years with only about a 2-percent decline.

The data is based on new U.S. boat registrations, geographically dispersed, and representing roughly half of the U.S. boat market, which varies by market segment and time of the year.