NMMA: New powerboat registrations down slightly through August
NMMA’s New Powerboat Registrations Report has been updated with data through August. New powerboat sales were down slightly (0.9%) on a rolling 12-month year-over-year basis and down 2% on a rolling three-month year-over-year basis through August. Total new units sold to date in 2019 reached 274,200 and by year-end are expected to be on par with or slightly below 2018.
“Despite a softening we’re seeing in small to mid-sized aluminum-hulled powerboat sales, we’re continuing to see healthy growth in other segments, including entry-level personal watercraft and wake sport boats,” said Vicky Yu, Director of NMMA Business Intelligence. “There was a pickup in sales in July and August but it wasn’t enough to offset the softening we saw in early spring and summer and as a result, it’s likely that overall new powerboat sales in 2019 will be flat or down slightly from 2018. We have had, on average, 7% growth every year for the past seven years and while that’s expected to ease in 2019, it would still mark the second highest level of new boat sales in 12 years.”
Insights from the August report include:
- New personal watercraft sales were up 8 percent R12M YOY and up 4 percent R3M YOY.
- New tow boat sales were up 5 percent R12M YOY and up 3 percent R3M YOY.
- Sales of new larger fiberglass boats, like cruisers and yachts, were up 9 percent R12M YOY and up 13 percent R3M YOY.
- Sales of new aluminum powerboats were down 6 percent R12M YOY and down 8 percent R3M YOY.
For complete data by boat type, hull material, propulsion, and size going back five years, please view the full report here.