November sales mostly stable
MIAMI — November saw mostly steady to slightly improved sales for the boat segments tracked by Info-Link Technologies Inc.’s Bellwether Report. The one segment that saw a decline was sportfishing boat sales.
Info-link’s graphs can be viewed by clicking here: Info-Link Bellwether Report.
Losses tracked by the group had been decreasing steadily since summer 2009, when they reached their worst point of the recession. During the summer, the results became more mixed: In June three segments improved and three segments ticked down, and the same was true in July and August. However, September saw decreases across the board.
In November, the numbers were relatively stable. Unit sales of powerboats 15 feet in length and above were down about 16 percent during the 12-month period ended Nov. 30, compared to the previous 12 months. Last spring and into summer, sales were running about 35 percent down and in April they were 20 percent down.
Within the outboard boat segment, unit sales were down about 10 percent during the same period, while the sterndrive/jet boat segment sales were down about 29 percent, the personal watercraft segment was down about 14 percent, and the outboard sportfishing segment was down about 30 percent. In addition, the ski boat segment was down about 26 percent.
The Bellwether Report is based on new U.S. boat registrations in geographically dispersed states representing roughly half of the U.S. boat market.
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