View Of our Boating Market
From SOUTH FLORIDA ~~
Some thoughts to ponder……first,
our boating population is aging.
The number of boaters in their 50s and 60s far
exceeds those in their 30s and younger.
The sailing niche has an even more pronounced
graying factor.
What’s more, boating’s core demographic, the formerly
dominant Caucasian, has become the fastest-shrinking
slice of the American pie.
The fleet of boats is aging and the number of vessels in use is
declining, as reflected in boat registration lists. The
average age of a boat in use today is 21 years,
compared with 16 just 15 years ago.
Another challenge: The average price of a new boat in most
segments has doubled in the past 10 to 15 years.
19 percent of U.S. households own a boat but
10 percent of households have left boating in recent years.
In spite of this loss, boating participation has somehow
managed to grow in five of the past six years, reaching
35 percent of adult Americans (82 million), thus inching
close to the 36 percent participation levels of the 1990s.
Contact Captain Ed to see this Beautiful Custom Built
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