It’s official. The number of first-time boat buyers is in fact on the rise. We have been hearing a lot of anecdotal evidence about the increase in first-time buyers and we now have the empirical data to prove it.
Over the past couple of decades, the incidence of first-time boat buyers has been on a steady decline, but we are now seeing a significant and welcome reversal of this trend. The percentage of first-time buyers so far this year is up across almost every segment, especially runabouts, small cruisers and pontoon boats — in other words, boats that are particularly appealing for family recreation.
