Long-term dealer sentiment dropped sharply last month, with the index dipping 11 points to 70 in February versus 81 in January.
This story by Reagan Haynes originally appeared in Trade Only Today.
Dealers said insufficient manufacturer promotions, product shortages, and too few affordable boats to draw new boaters were factoring into their decrease in long-term confidence.
The dealer sentiment readings, which are gleaned from a survey performed by Trade Only Today, Baird and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, range from 0-100, with 50 providing a neutral outlook.
The short-term index also dropped from 82 in January to 79 in February and accompanied drastically mixed commentary on how dealers felt they did in the winter boat shows.
Dealers had generally strong momentum following winter boat shows, with 70 percent reporting momentum was at least “somewhat strong.” No dealers reported that business has slowed coming out of winter boat shows, and only 22 percent said they saw minimal momentum emerging from the shows; just 8 percent said they saw zero momentum.
Comments about winter show season, however, tended to vary drastically; many said traffic was up and that they had their best show ever, while others said people were more hesitant to buy this winter.
