Tag Archives: Statistical Surveys

“Same old, same old” can be a fine state of affairs, especially if you sell tow boats. For the past six years the tow boat category has been a consistent winner in an industry that is, in many ways, still finding its stride in this era of economic recovery.  According to new data from the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the ...

If there’s one constant in the recreational boating industry, it’s that freshwater fishing boats always manage to sell.  Even at the height of the downturn, freshwater fishing rigs were one of the few types of boats that continued to move off the lot – with some buyers joking that at least they would have something to do if and when ...

The growth in recreational boating over the past several years has been achieved in large part due to corresponding advances in outboard power. It’s impossible to walk through any consumer boat show these days and not be struck by the overwhelming prevalence of outboard engines. From lightweight portables to behemoth V8s, outboard engines continue to dominate sales figures not just ...

Since the very beginning the personal watercraft industry has bucked convention and marched to its own drummer. Back when boats all followed fairly conservative designs, personal watercraft exploded onto the scene with brilliant colors, bold graphics and a huge, motorcycle-like emphasis on matching clothing, wetsuits and more.  As those initial PWC buyers began having families and the expectation was that ...

Ask many small business owners in the marine industry how they study trends in their market and you’ll hear a similar answer. Whether it be dealers, manufacturers, marinas or others that touch the water, all too often the answer is some variation on “We talk to our customers” or “We’re on the lake every weekend.” While certainly important, anecdotal evidence ...

Seating more passengers than a bowrider and easier to tow than a pontoon, deck boats continue to appeal to boaters Designed to blend the generous seating capacity and family-friendly layout of a pontoon boat with the familiar look and easy trailering of a traditional runabout, deck boats would appear to offer boaters an ideal compromise between practicality and performance. They ...

The personal watercraft segment by nature is one that breeds an atmosphere of enthusiasm. That enthusiasm is matched by personal watercraft manufacturers, as all are in agreement that the state of the segment couldn’t be more positive. According to data from Info-Link Technologies, personal watercraft sales grew 15.1 percent in 2015 overall. A combination of factors contribute to this increase, ...

Recent data suggests boat sales will continue to grow in 2015 and 2016, according to Tom Walworth, general manager at Statistical Surveys. Sales in inboard-, jet- and outboard-powered boats are all up in a rolling 12-month period ending in March 2015. Overall, outboard sales are reporting double-digit growth with 10.08 percent. Jet boat sales are up 5.49 percent and inboard ...