The National Marine Manufacturers Association today announced that boat registration numbers decreased 2.2 percent (or 282,615 boats), for a total of 12.5 million registered boats in 2010, compared with 12.7 million in 2009.
This new data are from the NMMA's 2010 U.S. Recreational Boat Registration Statistics Report,released this week.
Of the 12.5 million registered recreational boats, the report notes that there were 183,930 new model-year powerboats sold and registered in the United States in 2010.
The report again ranks each state based on total boat registrations. The top 10 are:
Florida: 914,535 registered boats in 2010. Florida held the No. 1 spot, decreasing 3.6 percent from 949,030 in 2009.
Minnesota: 813,976 registered boats in 2010. Minnesota moved from third to second, increasing 0.3 percent from 811,775 in 2009.
Michigan: 812,066 registered boats in 2010. Michigan moved from fourth to third, staying relatively flat in 2010, compared with 811,670 in 2009.
California: 810,008 registered boats in 2010. California dropped to fourth from second, decreasing 10.7 percent, compared with 906,988 in 2009.
Wisconsin: 615,335 registered boats in 2010. Wisconsin remained fifth, decreasing 1.8 percent, compared with 626,304 in 2009.
Texas: 596,830 registered boats in 2010. Texas held its sixth-place ranking, decreasing 4.1 percent, compared with 622,184 in 2009.
New York: 475,689 registered boats in 2010. New York was again seventh, decreasing 0.7 percent from 479,161 in 2009.
South Carolina: 435,491 registered boats in 2010. South Carolina held its eighth-place ranking, remaining flat with 435,528 in 2009.
Ohio: 430,710 registered boats in 2010. Ohio kept its ninth-place ranking, increasing 1.4 percent, compared with 424,877 in 2009.
North Carolina: 400,846 registered boats in 2010. North Carolina again ranked 10th, decreasing 1.2 percent, compared with 405,663 in 2009.
In addition, the report analyzes total boat registrations and finds:
95 percent of mechanically propelled boats are less than 26 feet; 42 percent are less than 16 feet; and 54 percent are between 16 and 25 feet.
57 percent of mechanically propelled boats have a hull made of fiberglass; 38 percent have a hull made of metal.
66 percent of mechanically propelled boats are outboard boats; 20 percent are inboard/PWC; and 13 percent are sterndrive boats.
The Pacific region posted the largest decline in registrations for 2010, down 9 percent, compared with a year earlier. The Mid-Atlantic region posted a 207 percent increase in registrations.
The Great Lakes region again ranked first, accounting for slightly more than a quarter (27 percent) of registered boats in 2010.
"The annual U.S. Recreational Boat Registration Statistics Report allows us to grasp how many boats and what types of boats are on the water to get a deeper understanding of what Americans are buying and what type of boating they're doing across the country," Jim Petru, director of industry statistics and research for the NMMA, said in a statement.
"Our 2010 findings tell us that recreational boating remained a popular activity, with just a slight decline of 2.2 percent during one of the toughest recessionary years from 2009-2010, further demonstrating boaters' dedication to the lifestyle despite economic conditions," he added.
Electronic copies of the study, in PDF format, are available at no charge to NMMA members at theCenter of Knowledge's statistical library. Click here to directly access the report on the statistical library page.
NMMA members will need their log-in information to access the link and can contact Bryan Welsh atbwelsh@nmma.org for log-in assistance.
Non-members can order the report for $600 by contacting Melissa Malito in the NMMA's fulfillment department at (312) 946-6209 or orderdesk@nmma.org.
