Boat sales up in September, but growth rate slowing

Powerboat sales were up year-over-year again in September, according to Info-Link’s Bellwether Report, but the rate of growth dropped below 10 percent for the second month in a row.

While still running more than 5 percent ahead of last year, sales unit growth had been in double digits this summer. The Bellwether report tracks boat sales across the country based on new U.S. boat registrations. Bellwether states are geographically dispersed states representing roughly half of the US boat market (varies by market segment and time of year).

Sales were up in almost every category when compared to September 2013, although at a slower rate than in August. The sterndrive/jet category was the only one to be down year-over-year, with unit sales down nearly 5 percent.

PWC sales continued to be strong, up about 25 percent from 2013. The Sport Fish and Ski Boat segments both are showing unit sales increases of more than 10 percent from September 2013, while outboard boat sales were up just less than 10 percent after spending most of the year in double digits.