Boat storage demand exceeds supply

The demand for boat storage space at many Australian marinas exceeds current capacity. In different areas of Australia there is the need for additional storage spaces. These are findings from the recently-released 2011 marina survey report Australian Marinas: Economic, Social and Environmental Performance. Thirty-one per cent of all Australian marinas participated in the survey.         

Approximately half of Australia’s marinas provide boat storage on both land and water. The average boat occupancy across all marinas during the 2010/11 period was 83 per cent and a quarter of marinas reported over 95 per cent occupancy rates. More than half (52 per cent) of marinas had waiting lists for boat storage spaces during part or all of summer 2010-11 and over a third (39 per cent) had waiting lists during non-peak seasons.

The report details a number of variables affecting the supply/demand equation for marina boat-storage spaces. Type, size and location of the marina are all important variables. For example across Australia, club marinas had a higher average occupancy of 94 per cent compared to non-club marinas at 80 per cent. NSW had the highest average occupancy for all marinas types at 90 per cent while the lowest was for marinas in SA/NT at 63 per cent.

Marina Industries Association of Australia (MIAA) President Andrew Chapman said while the findings highlight significant variations in marina boat storage demand by state, type and size; the national picture is both positive and negative for industry and for the three million people regularly involved in recreational boating. "The good news is that the majority of marinas are seeing healthy demand that provides a strong platform for business growth. On the negative side is the looming supply shortage; the result of interrelated regulatory, lease, planning and investment barriers that have stifled the creation of new marinas and the expansion of existing marinas over the past decade," said Chapman

"With the forecast long-term growth in boating registrations many regions will not be able to cope with the boat storage demand. The problem is being exacerbated in urban regions where urban consolidation means less people have the option of home boat storage.

"For Australia to maintain its boating, sailing and fishing outdoor lifestyle it is essential that governments better understand the economic and social significance of recreational boating and proactively work with industry to address the looming supply shortage,” he said.

Copies of the 91-page report are available from the MIAA and a three-page highlights report is available on the MIAA web site at www.marinas.net.au