Boating Industry

October 2013

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/// Market Trends /// SKI BOAT SALES 12 MONTH ROLLING THROUGH JUNE 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 June 2009 June 2010 June 2011 June 2012 June 2013 Source: Info-Link Technologies, Inc. While wakesurfing has been around for more than 50 years, it's taken off within the last five years and is "like bringing surfing to Kansas." With the right body of water, the right driver and the right boat, a rider can theoretically surf forever, or until the gas runs out. Its low-impact nature means riders can fall all day long without injury, which has opened up surfing to a wider audience, including older riders who moved away from the demands of wakeboarding and skiing. Boat builders have responded with modified hulls and adjustable ballast to produce larger wakes, which has become a major selling point. "It's a full-court press to show the consumer that their boat is the best boat for wakesurfing on the planet," Meddock said. "I think that speaks to the importance of wakesurfing and its relevance in our marketplace today that all of your major brands are building products specifically for wakesurfing." Cable park proliferation Germany, a country that's slightly smaller than Montana without the plethora of lakes in the United States, has witnessed a proliferation of cable parks that some predict will be replicated here. At cable parks, a mechanically powered cable pulls skiers, boarders, skaters or surfers across the water, affording them an easy way to ride, without the need for a boat. Understandably, some boat builders reacted negatively, fearing the parks would reduce boat sales. Correct Craft, Nautique's parent company, took the opposite approach and actively invested in cable parks, speculating that they will act like Little League, grooming a new generation of riders that will eventually be seduced by the freedom and power of a boat. Correct Craft purchased the Orlando Watersports Complex cable park in 2012, and has plans for a second factory-owned facility. Meddock says Germany has more than 80 cable parks, which could provide a roadmap for states like Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas where large bodies of water are scarce. He predicts there will be 100 parks within five years in the United States, up from approximately 25 at present. "The boat manufacturers saw the cable park guys as a threat when they first hit the market in the U.S. and they were afraid the guy that would frequent the cable park wouldn't buy a boat — what's happened is just the opposite," Meddock said. Photo courtesy of WSIA wakeboarding, encourage a full boat for a more aggressive wake. Meddock said the opposite desire — a nearly weightless, empty boat — as well as wanting pristine water are two factors that led to the partial reduction of waterskiing's visibility. "Instead of telling all of your friends to stay on the dock because you didn't want their sorry butts in the boat, you wanted as many butts as you could put in the boat, because the more people you put in the boat, the bigger the wake is going to be, so now you've brought along your own cheering section," he said of the newer sports. Already popular in Europe, cable parks have begun proliferating in the U.S. 44 | Boating Industry | October 2013 P42x47-BI13OCT-MarketTrends.indd 44 www.BoatingIndustry.com 9/5/13 11:55 AM

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