Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/231507
[ 2014 Outlook ] Continued from page 20 "There is a lot of pent-up demand for our products and services." "There still remains a significant amount of wealth and desire for leisure activities in the Baby Boom generation." "You can only hold Americans back so long with bad economies and government before they will come back out swinging and buying products." POWERBOAT SALES BY YEAR POWERBOAT SALES BY STATE 12 month rolling through September 1. Florida 19,469 2. Texas 17,875 3. Michigan 10,522 4. Minnesota 9,652 5. New York 7,493 6.Wisconsin 7,273 7. Louisiana 7,189 8. North Carolina 7,055 9. Georgia 6,239 10. California 6,182 Powerboat Sales 12 month rolling through September 200,000 195,000 195,061 192,541 190,000 185,000 182,492 180,000 173,656 175,000 169,453 170,000 165,000 160,000 155,000 2009 2010 "We are seeing more first-time buyers and more people make trades from boats that are 10+ years old for new boats." "If you can get people out on the water, they will want to spend more time out on the water." "There is a certain segment of the overall population that is going to participate in water sports and boating activities." "We're a tough group and have turned things around several times in the 60 years I've been in this business and we will do it again." "Housing market appears to be steadily improving and the stock market is rising. Both appear to be helping to improve consumer confidence." "People are drawn to the water. The largest segment of Baby Boomers is starting to retire in large numbers. The next 10 years are going to be good ones." 22 | Boating Industry | January 2014 P18x22-BI14JAN-2014Forecast.indd 22 2012 2013 Source: Info-Link Source: Info-Link "Money is getting restless." 2011 UNIT SALES BY PROPULSION 12 month rolling through September 2011 Outboard 106,993 PWC 35,479 Sterndrive16,932 Inboard6,504 Jet 3,545 2012 2013 117,369 127,722 37,44238,798 16,232 14,962 6,840 7,709 4,609 3,350 "The love of boating, the love of being on the water is as strong as it has ever been." Source: Info-Link — Thom Dammrich, NMMA president boating industry." When it comes to longterm challenges to the industry, the one that most concerns Boating Industry readers is affordability. Nearly half are very concerned about it, while 77 percent are at least somewhat concerned by it. On the other hand, despite the spotlight put on the issue by industry associations and efforts such as Grow Boating, barely a third of survey respondents said they were concerned about the lack of minority participation in boating. (See the full chart on p. 20) Those two issues cut across all businesses, but there were some notable differences between dealers and manufacturers, especially in the areas of water access and the increased use of 15-percent ethanol fuel blends or E15. Despite the challenges, there are good reasons to be optimistic about the future of the boating industry, Dammrich said. "The love of boating, the love of being on the water is as strong as it has ever been," he said. "I think that we have tremendous opportunity if we can keep the industry focused on reaching out to what I'll call underserved parts of our nation. If we could get the same penetration among those groups that we get among the white population we could double the size of the industry." The large investment in new product by many boat builders will also help bring more boaters back onto the showroom floor. "New product always drives new boat sales," Dammrich said. "That's going to be a big deal next year." www.BoatingIndustry.com 12/18/13 10:37 AM