Recreational Boating

Demand will be driven by faster increases in personal consumption expenditures, rising spending on recreation and leisure activities, and an aging used boat fleet that will encourage trading up.

US demand to rise 6.1% annually through 2018

US sales of recreational boating products are expected to increase 6.1 percent per year to $13.1 billion in 2018, albeit from a reduced 2013 base. Effects of the 2007-2009 economic downturn were harsh because boating products are luxury items. The market depends on strong consumer spending as well as reasonable access to credit to both enable boat dealers to purchase inventory and allow consumers to finance such large items. In the years since the downturn, credit has begun loosening, allowing for an improvement in boat sales as purchasers relieve pent-up demand. Additionally, home values have risen, leaving consumers not only feeling more financially secure but also giving them access to home equity to finance boat purchases.

Recreational boating advances will be driven by accelerations in personal consumption expenditures and disposable personal incomes, and by rising spending on recreation and leisure activities. The aging used boat fleet will also aid sales of new boats as more boat owners will be looking to trade up. In order to grow, the industry must also expand the potential customer market by attracting women and minority participants who have been traditionally underrepresented among boat owners. Reaching other demographics is especially crucial as the large “baby boom” generation transitions out of the target age range for boat buying and the generation that follows -- “generation X” -- is smaller.

More versatile craft leading rebound in sales

In 2013, demand reflected a burgeoning recovery from the depths plumbed in 2010, although sales still remained well below pre-recession levels. Traditional powerboats, the largest boat segment, accounted for 85 percent of boat sales in 2013. Sales in this segment will be boosted by the continuing release of new more powerful and more efficient engine lines. In some cases, the newer generations of engines have contributed to the versatility of certain types of watercraft, such as pontoons that are powerful enough to pull inner-tubers or skiers. This is important because the boats helping to lead the industry away from its post recession levels will include more versatile craft as consumers seek boats that can fill multiple roles, e.g., as a daytime cruiser or a fishing or sports boat. Sales in the smaller personal watercraft (PWC) segment will be aided by the fact that they are relatively low cost, portable, easy to operate compared to most other types of boats, and typically seen as entry-level vessels. In contrast, demand for sailboats will continue to be restrained by the aging of the boating population since these boats are physically demanding to operate.

Study coverage

This Freedonia industry study, Recreational Boating, presents historical demand data for 2003, 2008 and 2013, and forecasts for 2018 and 2023 by material (e.g., plastic, aluminum, coated fabrics), product (e.g., traditional powerboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, propulsions systems) and US regional market.

The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share, and profiles 41 industry competitors, including Brunswick, Yamaha Motor and Bombardier Recreational Products.

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  1. Recreational Boating

    $5,300.00

    1. 1 INTRODUCTION

      $95.00

    2. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      $105.00

      1. Table | US RECREATIONAL BOATING SUPPLY & DEMAND

    3. 3 MARKET ENVIRONMENT

      $2,342.00

      1. 3.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 3.2 Macroeconomic Outlook

        $170.00

        1. Table | MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS

      3. 3.3 Demographic Outlook

        $148.00

        1. Table | POPULATION & HOUSEHOLDS

      4. 3.4 Consumer Trends

        $300.00

        1. 3.4.1 Personal Income & Expenditures

          $108.00

          1. Table | PERSONAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES

        2. 3.4.2 Recreational & Leisure Expenditures

          $82.00

          1. Table | RECREATIONAL & LEISURE EXPENDITURES

        3. 3.4.3 Consumer Financing Environment

          $104.00

          1. Table | CONSUMER FINANCING ENVIRONMENT, 2003-2013

      5. 3.5 Recreational Boating Consumer Profile

        $172.00

      6. 3.6 Recreational Boat Retail Sales

        $185.00

        1. Table | RECREATIONAL BOAT RETAIL SALES

        2. CHART II-1 OMPARISON OF RETAIL & MANUFACTURERS' LEVEL BOAT SALES, 2003-2023

      7. 3.7 Recreational Boats in Use

        $88.00

        1. Table | RECREATIONAL BOATS IN USE BY TYPE

        2. CHART II-2 RECREATIONAL BOATS IN USE BY TYPE, 2013

      8. 3.8 Inventory Levels

        $96.00

      9. 3.9 Pricing

        $82.00

        1. Table | RECREATIONAL BOAT PRICING

      10. 3.10 US Recreational Boating Market, 2003-2013

        $108.00

        1. Table | US RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCT MARKET, 2003-2013

        2. CHART II-3 US RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCT MARKET, 2004-2013

      11. 3.11 Technology

        $168.00

        1. 3.11.1 Engines

          $87.00

        2. 3.11.2 Electronics

          $82.00

      12. 3.12 Regulatory & Safety Issues

        $383.00

        1. 3.12.1 Emissions & Noise Issues

          $130.00

        2. 3.12.2 Wildlife & Environmental Protection Issues

          $138.00

        3. 3.12.3 Safety Issues

          $82.00

      13. 3.13 World Recreational Boating Market

        $216.00

        1. 3.13.1 Canada

          $82.00

        2. 3.13.2 Europe

          $82.00

        3. 3.13.3 Rest of the World

          $82.00

      14. 3.14 US Recreational Boating Foreign Trade

        $205.00

        1. Table | US RECREATIONAL BOATING FOREIGN TRADE

        2. 3.14.1 Imports

          $85.00

          1. CHART II-4 US RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCT IMPORTS BY SOURCE, 2013

        3. 3.14.2 Exports

          $82.00

          1. CHART II-5 US RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCT EXPORTS BY DESTINATION, 2013

    4. 4 MATERIAL CONSUMPTION

      $667.00

      1. 4.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 4.2 Plastic

        $223.00

        1. Table | PLASTIC CONSUMPTION IN RECREATIONAL BOAT PRODUCTION

        2. 4.2.1 Resins

          $96.00

        3. 4.2.2 Reinforcement Materials

          $82.00

      3. 4.3 Aluminum

        $82.00

        1. Table | ALUMINUM CONSUMPTION IN RECREATIONAL BOAT PRODUCTION

      4. 4.4 Coated Fabrics

        $324.00

        1. Table | COATED FABRIC CONSUMPTION IN RECREATIONAL BOAT PRODUCTION

        2. 4.4.1 Tops & Covers

          $82.00

        3. 4.4.2 Sails

          $82.00

        4. 4.4.3 Upholstery

          $82.00

        5. 4.4.4 Inflatable Boats

          $84.00

    5. 5 PRODUCTS

      $2,855.00

      1. 5.1 General

        $140.00

        1. Table | RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCT SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. CHART IV-1 RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCT DEMAND BY TYPE, 2013

      2. 5.2 Recreational Boats

        $1,765.00

        1. Table | RECREATIONAL BOAT SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. CHART IV-2 RECREATIONAL BOAT DEMAND BY TYPE, 2013

        3. 5.2.1 Traditional Powerboats

          $829.00

          1. Table | TRADITIONAL POWERBOAT SUPPLY & DEMAND

          2. CHART IV-3 TRADITIONAL POWERBOAT DEMAND BY TYPE, 2013

          3. Table | OUTBOARD POWERBOAT SUPPLY & DEMAND

          4. Table | OUTBOARD POWERBOAT DEMAND BY BOAT LENGTH

          5. Table | INBOARD POWERBOAT SUPPLY & DEMAND

          6. Table | INBOARD CABIN CRUISER SUPPLY & DEMAND

          7. Table | RUNABOUT & OTHER INBOARD POWERBOAT SUPPLY & DEMAND

          8. Table | STERNDRIVE POWERBOAT SUPPLY & DEMAND

        4. 5.2.2 Personal Watercraft

          $357.00

          1. Table | PERSONAL WATERCRAFT SUPPLY & DEMAND

        5. 5.2.3 Sailboats

          $232.00

          1. Table | SAILBOAT SUPPLY & DEMAND

        6. 5.2.4 Other Recreational Boats

          $251.00

          1. Table | OTHER RECREATIONAL BOAT SUPPLY & DEMAND

      3. 5.3 Propulsion Systems

        $644.00

        1. Table | PROPULSION SYSTEM SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 5.3.1 Outboard Propulsion Systems

          $241.00

          1. Table | OUTBOARD PROPULSION SYSTEM SUPPLY & DEMAND

        3. 5.3.2 Inboard & Sterndrive Propulsion Systems

          $233.00

          1. Table | INBOARD & STERNDRIVE PROPULSION SYSTEM SUPPLY & DEMAND

      4. 5.4 Boating Accessories

        $307.00

        1. Table | BOATING ACCESSORY SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 5.4.1 Navigational & Electronic

          $94.00

        3. 5.4.2 Trailers

          $82.00

        4. 5.4.3 Other

          $82.00

    6. 6 REGIONAL DEMAND

      $2,170.00

      1. 6.1 General

        $113.00

        1. Table | RECREATIONAL BOATING MARKET BY REGION, 2013

        2. CHART V-1 GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF US RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND, 2013

      2. 6.2 Regional Demographic & Economic Trends

        $282.00

        1. 6.2.1 Population Patterns

          $109.00

          1. Table | POPULATION BY REGION

        2. 6.2.2 Economic Outlook

          $98.00

          1. Table | GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT BY REGION

        3. 6.2.3 Personal Consumption Expenditures

          $82.00

          1. Table | US PERSONAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES BY REGION

      3. 6.3 US Regional Demand for Recreational Boating

        $1,775.00

        1. Table | RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND BY REGION

        2. 6.3.1 Northeast

          $361.00

          1. Table | NORTHEAST: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND BY SUBREGION & PRODUCT

          2. Table | NEW ENGLAND: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

          3. Table | MIDDLE ATLANTIC: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

        3. 6.3.2 Midwest

          $362.00

          1. Table | MIDWEST: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND BY SUBREGION & PRODUCT

          2. Table | EAST NORTH CENTRAL: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

          3. Table | WEST NORTH CENTRAL: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

        4. 6.3.3 South

          $520.00

          1. Table | SOUTH: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND BY SUBREGION & PRODUCT

          2. Table | SOUTH ATLANTIC: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

          3. Table | EAST SOUTH CENTRAL: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

          4. Table | WEST SOUTH CENTRAL: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

        5. 6.3.4 West

          $403.00

          1. Table | WEST: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND BY SUBREGION & PRODUCT

          2. Table | MOUNTAIN: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

          3. Table | PACIFIC: RECREATIONAL BOATING DEMAND

    7. 7 INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

      $5,333.00

      1. 7.1 General

        $87.00

      2. 7.2 Industry Composition

        $82.00

        1. Table | US RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCT SALES BY COMPANY, 2013

      3. 7.3 Market Share

        $330.00

        1. CHART VI-1 US RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCT MARKET SHARE, 2013

      4. 7.4 Competitive Strategies

        $113.00

      5. 7.5 Product Development

        $82.00

      6. 7.6 Manufacturing

        $82.00

      7. 7.7 Distribution

        $135.00

      8. 7.8 Marketing

        $216.00

        1. 7.8.1 Brand Awareness & Loyalty Marketing

          $82.00

        2. 7.8.2 Lifestyle & Other Marketing Strategies

          $156.00

      9. 7.9 Mergers & Acquisitions

        $82.00

        1. Table | SELECTED ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES

      10. 7.10 Cooperative Agreements

        $117.00

        1. Table | SELECTED COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

      11. 7.11 Company Profiles

        $5,333.00

        1. 7.11.1 Baja Marine Corporation

          $97.00

        2. 7.11.2 Beneteau SA

          $173.00

        3. 7.11.3 Bombardier Recreational Products Incorporated

          $174.00

        4. 7.11.4 Brunswick Corporation

          $681.00

        5. 7.11.5 Catalina Yachts Incorporated

          $82.00

        6. 7.11.6 Caterpillar Incorporated

          $147.00

        7. 7.11.7 Crownline Boats Incorporated

          $82.00

        8. 7.11.8 Cummins Incorporated

          $138.00

        9. 7.11.9 Egg Harbor Yachts Incorporated

          $103.00

        10. 7.11.10 FLIR Systems Incorporated

          $291.00

        11. 7.11.11 Garmin Limited

          $168.00

        12. 7.11.12 General Motors Company

          $84.00

        13. 7.11.13 Honda Motor Company Limited

          $82.00

        14. 7.11.14 J&D Acquisitions LLC

          $172.00

        15. 7.11.15 Johnson Outdoors Incorporated

          $323.00

        16. 7.11.16 Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited

          $82.00

        17. 7.11.17 KCS International Incorporated

          $98.00

        18. 7.11.18 Malibu Boats Incorporated

          $82.00

        19. 7.11.19 Marine Products Corporation

          $82.00

        20. 7.11.20 MarineMax Incorporated

          $115.00

        21. 7.11.21 Marlow Yachts Limited Incorporated

          $83.00

        22. 7.11.22 MasterCraft Boat Company

          $82.00

        23. 7.11.23 Monterey Boats Incorporated

          $82.00

        24. 7.11.24 Nautic Global Group

          $82.00

        25. 7.11.25 Nautique Boat Company Incorporated

          $82.00

        26. 7.11.26 PBH Marine Group LLC

          $154.00

        27. 7.11.27 Pleasurecraft Engine Group

          $82.00

        28. 7.11.28 Regal Marine Industries Incorporated

          $82.00

        29. 7.11.29 Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

          $108.00

        30. 7.11.30 Sea Fox Boat Company Incorporated

          $82.00

        31. 7.11.31 Smoker Craft Incorporated

          $165.00

        32. 7.11.32 S2 Yachts Incorporated

          $91.00

        33. 7.11.33 Suzuki Motor Corporation

          $97.00

        34. 7.11.34 Tracker Marine Group LLC

          $149.00

        35. 7.11.35 Viking Yacht Company

          $86.00

        36. 7.11.36 Volvo AB

          $223.00

        37. 7.11.37 West Marine Incorporated

          $82.00

        38. 7.11.38 Yamaha Motor Company Limited

          $289.00

        39. 7.11.39 Yanmar Company Limited

          $193.00

        40. 7.11.40 Z Marine

          $99.00

        41. 7.11.41 Zodiac Marine & Pool

          $82.00

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