Powerboats riding the economic wave

According to Info-Link Technologies Inc.’s Bellwether Report, overall powerboat sales have steered through choppy seas during the last few years. Boat purchases tracked by the Miami, Fla., marketing and research firm hit a low in summer 2009, rebounded in summer 2010 and dropped again in fall 2010. Unit sales of powerboats 15 feet or longer were down 11 percent in the year ending March 31, 2011; outboard boats down 5 percent; stemdrive/jet boats down 29 percent; personal watercraft down 15 percent; outboard sportfishing boats down 25 percent; and ski boats down 20 percent. The report is based on new U.S. boat registrations in dispersed states representing roughly half of the U.S. market.