September wholesale dollar sales up nearly 9 percent

CHICAGO – Wholesale dollar sales for the traditional powerboat segment (outboard, sterndrive, and inboard boats) gained 8.8 percent while unit volumes declined 3.1 percent in September, compared to September 2004, the National Marine Manufacturers Association revealed in its September Monthly Shipment Report released today.

In the first nine months of the year, the traditional powerboat segment found dollar sales up 7.5 percent while unit volumes fell 4.2 percent compared to the same nine-month period the previous year.

Wholesale dollar sales of all boats rose 7 percent and wholesale unit volumes grew 1 percent in September compared to September 2004. Through the third quarter, dollar sales were up 7 percent while unit volumes fell 1 percent for all boats, compared to the first nine months of 2004.

“NMMA analysis of manufacturer shipments to retail through the third quarter found fewer shipments, indicating unit inventories will likely fall by the year’s end resulting in minimal excess inventory heading into boat show season,” says Jim Petru, director of industry research and statistics for the NMMA. “While the traditional powerboat segment shows dollar sales are up for the first three quarters led by sales of ski boats and cruisers, the upcoming winter boat show season will be crucial for retail sales across all segments.”

Product categories
The inboard boat category, including ski boats and cruisers, saw a solid dollar sales increase of 8 percent for the first nine months of the year when compared to 2004. Outboard boat sales, however, were down nearly 7 percent compared to 2004 and led the decline in year-to-date unit sales followed by sterndrive boats, down 1 percent.

Other product categories showing an increase in year-to-date unit sales include kayaks (up 6 percent) and sailboats (up 2 percent). Categories with declining sales through the third quarter (compared to the same period in 2004) include jet drive boats (down 5 percent), canoes (down 19 percent), inflatables (down 4 percent), houseboats (down 8 percent) and personal watercraft (down 0.2 percent).

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. With this information, companies can measure how their sales are compared to the rest of the boat and engine manufacturers.

Companies participating in the control group are asked to contribute their sales figures by the fifteenth of each following month. For information on subscribing to NMMA’s monthly statistical reports, contact Vicky Yu at (312) 946-6261; vyu@nmma.org.

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