Sterndrive growth highlights April Info-Link report

Boat sales continued to head up in April, with all segments posting sales gains, according to the latest Info-Link Bellwether report.

The Bellwether report tracks sales of powerboats across the country based on new U.S. boat registrations on a rolling 12-month basis. Bellwether states are geographically dispersed states representing roughly half of the US boat market (varies by market segment and time of year).

All powerboat sales were up about 7 percent for the 12 months ending in April.

The sterndrive/jet segment showed its best performance since the recession, up 5 percent for the period. The segment has been posting small year-over-year gains since the middle of last year.

The ski boat and PWC segments continued to show the strongest growth, with ski boats up about 15 percent for the period and PWC increasing just less than that.

The sportfish market also stayed strong, with sales increasing slightly more than 5 percent for the year. Overall outboard sales were up about 7 percent.