Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/147181
[ Hope in the aging buyer ] Pre-owned, first-time buyers older, too Still, whatever the category, it's clear the trend is older. That applies to buyers of pre-owned boats as well, many of whom are first-time buyers. Although not examined for this study, earlier research (see May 2012 Boating Industry) shows there is not a significant difference in age. "New vs. pre-owned – they're not fundamentally different people," Houseworth said. "That's one of the things that strikes us about this – new or pre-owned, you name your segment … it's just universal." Even when examined by boat length, the buyers of smaller boats – those most likely to be entry-level buyers – are only slightly younger. The biggest gap is in sterndrives, where the average buyer of a 15- to 19-foot boat is 48.8 years old, 1.3 years younger than the average sterndrive buyer. In other categories, the difference is less than one year. Not surprisingly, average age increases as vessel length increases. In the 30+-foot segment, the average sterndrive and outboard buyers are both 53.5 years old, while the average sail and inboard buyers are more than 56 years old. Even at that length, the average buyer age has increased about five years since 1998. Ski boats buyers youngest When we take a look at average buyer age by boat type and brand, there are more interesting differences. Ski boats have had the youngest average buyer over the last five years, coming in at 44 years old. That's significantly younger than any other category, although three other segments (runabouts, bass boats and small cruisers) come in under 50 years old. The oldest segment for powerboats is pontoons, with an average age of 55.1 for buyers over the past five years. Despite efforts to market pontoons to a younger buyer, it appears the segment still skews older – but with an older average buyer across all boat types, that may explain more than anything else the increased popularity of the market. In the pontoon category, Lowe Boats has the youngest average age at 52.6 years. While the company still sees a predominantly middle-aged customer (60 percent of their buyers are between 45 and 64), Lowe is having success reaching out to younger buyers. www.BoatingIndustry.com P12x16-BI13JUL-BuyerData.indd 13 New Boat Buyer age by purchase year 59 57 56.1 55 Sail 53 53 51 50.8 50.1 Outboard 49 47 47 45 43 Inboard 46.2 44.7 45.9 Sterndrive 44.1 Jet 41.3 41 PWC 39.6 39 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 average boat buyer age by segment and brand / bass 49.1 49.0 48.5 48.7 48.7 48.8 Category Average=48.4 48.0 47.8 47.5 47.5 47.0 46.7 46.5 46.0 45.9 Blazer SkeeterBassCatXpress Triton Tracker Ranger Stratos Boats BoatsMarine From graphics to stereos and wakeboard towers, Lowe is introducing features to appeal to a younger demographic, said marketing manager Beverly Ramsey. Lowe's marketing focuses on that youth message as well with headlines like "Proven Thrills" in ads aimed at wakeboarders promoting the new X-Series and "Proven Fun," aimed at young families with children. Lowe hasn't seen the full effect of its "Proven Thrills" X-Series campaign yet, said product manager Jordan Rockstad, but he expects it to help Lowe tap into a younger crowd going forward. With the economic impact of the recession, Rockstad also speculated that it might be those older, retired buyers that were less affected July 2013 | Boating Industry | 13 6/5/13 9:52 AM