US boat sales grow in 2018; Aussie boat sales numbers yet to surface

The US-based National Marine Manufacturers Association announced overnight that 2018’s recreational boat sales had grown an estimated 4.0 per cent to about 280,000 units – the highest number of sales the industry had experienced since 2007, with more to come.

The positive result is expected to be in sharp contrast with North American and overseas sales, hit after US President sparked a trade war with China and Europe that has hit US boat exporters hard.

“The outlook for 2019 remains positive with continued growth expected to bring a three to four per cent increase in new [US] powerboat retail sales,” the NMMA said.

Boatsales.com.au asked relevant Australian state and territory governments for the number of new boat registrations they added to their books in 2018, with mixed results from the ones that responded.

The NSW Roads and Maritime Service showed a small increase in the number of new power boat registrations, rising from 10,686 in the 2016-17 financial year to 10,686 in the 2017-18 financial year – a 3.3 per cent increase.

The figures show most of the growth in the NSW market was in small boats less than 4.0m (4425, up 6.0 per cent), boats between 8-10m (227, up 8.6 per cent), boats 10-12m (184, up 17.2 per cent), and boats 12-14m (156, up 34.5 per cent). Boats 4-6m, 6-8m and greater than 14m all grew slightly.

In Western Australia, the figures are a bit simpler, with 2017 registrations for boats with outboard engines in 2016-17, growing 3.4 per cent to 2084 registrations in 2017-18.

South Australia, meanwhile, stumped up year-on-year figures. It went slightly backwards, falling from 2607 in 2017 to 2547 in 2018, a 2.3 per cent slump.

In Queensland, the number of new boats registered held reasonably steady, rising 1.1 per cent from 7208 in 2017 to 7286 last year.

Maritime Safety Queensland also pointed us to the state’s regulated ship census table, which tallies the number of registered craft with outboard and inboard engines in the state.

All up, there were 261,532 registered craft in the state as of November 2018, the most up-to-date figures available. This compares with 259,879 in the same month in 2017, giving the state a net gain of 1653 boats – and not necessarily reflecting new boat sales.

Delve a little deeper into the Queensland figures, and there appears to be a net migration of boats to Mackay, which added more than 2200 boats up to 8m in length over the 12-month period. In contrast, the Townsville region lost almost 1900 registered boats up to 8m over the same timeframe.

Boating Industry Australia member services and advocacy general manager Nik Parker said gaining an idea of the strength of new boat registrations here was difficult.

“We try to, but we are reliant on registration data provided by the various state agencies,” Parker said.

“Some provide data, some don’t – or not readily. And those that do, we have a few concerns about the quality of the data, an issue we’re working on having discovered some errors toward the end of last year.”

Parker said the BIA was working with the industry to develop an “industry-owned/managed solution” that provided an accurate assessment of the health of the new-boat market.

Meanwhile, the US industry is bullish on the prospects of another strong year.

“The recreational boating industry has been on a seven-year climb that’s expected to continue into 2019, bringing even more people to the water,” NMMA president Thom Dammrich said.

“Driving these sales is a combination of the economic growth we’ve seen over the past decade, particularly with consumer confidence hovering near all-time highs and consumers seeking out boating as a way to spend quality time with family and friends outdoors.

“At the same time, over the past five years, marine manufacturers have put a concerted effort on offering new products that attract consumers with different interests and budgets, bringing out new buyers—especially across the watersports, fishing, and pontoon categories—three categories seeing unprecedented sales growth.”

Freshwater fishing boat sales were up an estimated 4.0 per cent in 2018 to around 75,000 units, recognising that fishing was the most popular activity performed on a boat in the US.

Jet skis, meanwhile, were up about 8.0 per cent to around 68,000 units – a recognised gateway to eventual boat ownership.

The US pontoon boat market also grew by up to 6.0 percent to around 58,000 units, while wakesport boats grew up to 11 per cent to around 10,000 units.

The cruising sector – boats between 22-32 feet mainly used for leisure activities – was up marginally at an estimated 9000 units.

Sales of boats, marine products and services in the US was estimated to total $US41 billion ($A56.9 billion) in 2018, an increase of 5.0 per cent from 2017.

It’s not just new boats, either, with an estimated 998,000 pre-owned boats sold in 2018, the highest pre-owned boat unit sales since 2006, the NMMA said. These sales were worth an estimated $9.7 billion, an increase of 2 percent from 2017.