Boat sales up in October, but growth slows

Boat sales have increased over the last 12 months, but the rate of growth slowed for the fourth month in a row in October, according to the latest Info-Link Bellwether report.

According to Info-Link, 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).

The report showed slowing growth in October, with sales up about 6 percent over the last 12 months. That was down very slightly from September, but sharply off the 10 percent growth rate posted earlier this year.

The ski boat category once again showed the strongest growth, with sales up by nearly 15 percent on a rolling 12-month basis.

The sportfish segment posted the second-strongest gains at about 7 percent. That was down slightly from the last report, when sales were up by nearly 10 percent. PWC sales were up about 5 percent.

Overall, the outboard segment was up about 7 percent, in line with the results of the last several reports. The sterndrive/jet boat segment was up by about 1 percent for the period.