2005 powerboat sales likely to be flat

MIAMI – Following the release of its December Bellwether report, Info-Link expects that 2005 boat sales in the 15 ft-plus power category will likely be flat once all the remaining states are tallied, it reported in a recent statement.

“The December numbers reflect a continuation of the slowdown we have been seeing during the 4th quarter,” said Jesse Wells, director of Sales & Marketing at Info-Link.

He added that during this time of year, the warmer weather states are a more significant factor in the national picture since that’s where most of the activity is. The state of Florida alone has had a tremendous impact during the 4th quarter, and it was down significantly this year due to hangover effects from Hurricane Wilma, Wells explained.

While the overall picture for the industry indicates a flat trend for the year, certain segments including PWCs, ski boats and jet boats did evidence robust growth, however.

Graphs that illustrate these trends can be viewed at: www.info-link.com/bellwetherreports.asp.

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