Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/570649
44 | Boating Industry | October 2015 www.BoatingIndustry.com /// Market Trends /// "I think our market is aware, and Tige as a company is aware too, of the younger, maybe upper 20s but [mainly] mid 30s buyer that's try- ing to get into this market and would rather buy a new price-point boat rather than a used one," said Gutierrez. "It's wholly based on what they can get their payment down to." It's also important for manufacturers to be realistic about how their consumers are using the boats and what gets them on the water as often as possible. To that end, manufacturers are trending toward convenience. Tige's TAPS3 system was designed to provide a high-quality wave but allows users to do so with a smaller time investment. "Some people don't have the time to go out and spend the day on the water. They don't have the time to put in a super bunch of loaded weight and dial in the wave to be the biggest thing they've ever seen and replicate a smaller ocean-like experience," said Gutierrez. "When those time constraints come into play, that con- venience becomes overwhelmingly more impor- tant than the time it takes to go the traditional way and make the biggest wave. So we're just trying to strike that balance between the two." Surf's up As sales continue to stay up, so does the wake- surfi ng phenomenon, and it does not appear to be a passing fad. Wakesurfi ng is more social in nature than other water sports, and its low impact allows users of varying age and skill to participate. "We've got little kids that are up surfi ng right away because it's a low impact. We've got the grandfathers and grandmothers surfi ng with their grandchildren behind the boat," said Pov- lin. "You can have fun whether you're holding the rope, not holding the rope or doing it with somebody else. It's just a lot of fun and that's Povlin said the popularity of wakesurfi ng has lifted all aspects of business in the water sports segment. "I have never seen boat manufacturers spend as much money as they are spending right now on wakesurfi ng." — Larry Meddock, chairman, Water Sports Industry Association