Wholesale boat unit sales down, reports NMMA
CHICAGO – Wholesale dollar sales for the first half of 2005 were up 7.2 percent compared to the same period last year, while unit sales declined 1.7 percent, according to the June Monthly Shipment Report (MSR) released recently by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).
In June, wholesale dollar sales of all boats gained 0.7 percent compared to the same month the previous year, while unit boat shipments fell 6.3 percent, NMMA reported.
Dollar sales for the traditional powerboat segments (outboard, sterndrive, and inboard boats) were up 0.2 percent, and unit shipments decreased 6.3 percent. Year-to-date, dollars are up 7.3% and units down 2.4%.
NMMA Director of Industry Statistics & Research Jim Petru said the wholesale unit sales figures are not indicative of the boating market in the first half of 2005.
“We don’t know what dealer inventory was coming in to 2005, so the numbers could merely reflect that dealers had high inventories in January and limited their new boat orders,” he said. “We will have a better grasp on the state of the industry when second quarter retail numbers are released at the end of September. Early indications from Info Link’s bellwether report; however, are that sales are up at the retail level.”
NMMA’s MSR tracks manufacturers’ shipments to dealers for both boats and outboard engines using a control group of boat and engine manufacturers. The 2005 boat control group represents about 77 percent of the overall boat marketplace while the 2005 outboard engine control group represents about 95 percent of the market.
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