Boat registrations were down 8.2 percent in the main powerboat categories versus the first quarter of 2018, and down 7.1 percent overall.
This story by Reagan Haynes originally appeared in Trade Only Today.
Registrations on a rolling 12-month basis grew 2.6 percent in the main categories during the first quarter of the year, and 3.2 percent overall, according to quarterly data released by Statistical Surveys Inc., a Michigan firm that tracks registrations for the marine industry, as well as powersports and RVs.
“This is obviously a recap of the monthly data we put out, but we’re adding the 15 or 20 states that weren’t captured in that monthly data release,” SSI sales director Ryan Kloppe told Trade Only Today.
The comparison to the first quarter of 2018 was not particularly tough, since that quarter was up 1 percent, said Kloppe.
However, the marine industry is not alone; RV registrations are down 7 percent year-to-date, and powersports are down 5 percent.
“The boating industry is tracking within the other recreational industries,” said Kloppe. “RVs had a banner year in 2018 — it was the best year in history in terms of new retail registrations. So just to show what’s going on in this quarter, it really correlates with other industries. The industry cannot continue to have positive signs every month.”
