Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/776460
February 2017 | Boating Industry | 43 www.BoatingIndustry.com /// Market Trends /// product's ability to absorb choppy water has given it a competitive advantage. "The boat loves rough water, we have a lot of them on large freshwater lakes and a few in the Pacific Northwest," said Campion Boats Presi- dent Brock Elliott. "It's reasonably comfortable in up to four-foot seas, so it appeals to people on bigger waters who used to own a cruiser." Regardless of their overall length, the pon- toon segment continues to show a clear shift to- ward performance-oriented designs, increasingly with three tubes. "For us, around 70 percent of what we build now are our three-tube boats," said VanWa- genen. "It's the performance models that are really driving our growth. They let buyers enjoy water sports, they can go for a nice eve- ning cruise, and for fun they can go fast and they offer amazing handling. We talk to a lot of buyers who have had a fiberglass boat their whole life, and they appreciate the additional seating and the versatility that a pontoon can offer. But they still want the performance Trend vs. Year Boats Shipped Previous Year 2012 34,679 up 21.3% 2013 39,286 up 13.3% 2014 41,563 up 5.8% 2015 45,440 up 9.3% 2016 49,829 up 9.7% (Source: NMMA) Duluth, MN +30.94% Dallas-Fort Worth, TX +29.56% Nashville, TN +20.91% Atlanta, GA +20.77% Detroit, MI +20.04% Chicago, IL +19.71% Grand Rapids, MI +15.20% Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN +14.02% New York, NY +12.70% Knoxville, TN +7.41% Charlotte-Gastonia, NC +2.43% Birmingham, AL +2.09% Milwaukee, WI -2.68% Houston, TX -2.76% Springfield, MO -8.57% OVERALL U.S. +9.33% (Source: SSI) 16' 11.24% 18' 10.27% 20' 2.91% 21' 32.69% 22' 6.15% 23' 22.03% 24' 3.88% 25' 16.58% 26' -1.91% 27' 32.57% (Source: SSI) PONTOON BOAT WHOLESALE SHIPMENTS BY YEAR 2016 PONTOON SALES INCREASES/DECREASES BY BTA 2016 PONTOON SALES GROWTH BY LENGTH