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U.S. boat registrations ended 2019 at around 280,000 units, according to the latest data from the National Marine Manufacturers Association. That represents a 1 percent decline compared to 2018 but was the second-highest sales year in 12 years.
NMMA also said its December New Powerboat Registrations Report closed the fourth quarter of 2019 up 4 percent on a rolling three-month year-over-year (R3M YOY) basis.
“It was encouraging to see new-boat sales pick up in the second half of 2019 with demand across a range of boats reaching their highest or near highest year-over-year sales volumes in 10 to 12 years,” said Vicky Yu, director of business intelligence for NMMA, in a statement. “A pickup in the second half of 2019 and healthy demand in most powerboat categories offset softness in the smaller freshwater fishing boat segment.”
Segment growth leaders in 2019 were personal watercraft (up 5 percent), wake-sports boats (up 5 percent), cruisers (up 4 percent) and jetboats (up 1 percent) YOY. “Together, these categories account for 99,400 of the new boats sold in 2019, up by nearly 5,000 units from 2018,” Yu told Trade Only Today.
