Can't see the US boating market increasing until there is space created to put the boats. Talking about boats that need slips, don't know anywhere where there is a significant amount of vacant slips so there is just no place to put any new boats. The law of supply and demand is making the slips that are existing ever more expensive. When slip
fees go much over $10 a foot, it seriously starts to bite into the affordability of a boat. Add $400 a month slip
fees onto the $200,000+ cost of a 40' boat and there just aren't that many people who can afford a
new boat.
Add the gas crunch onto the cost of operating
power boats, don't think you're going to have all that many in the US rushing out to buy a
new boat. From what I hear, there is virtually no market for used
power boats at this time. That's got to make used prices very attractive for anyone looking to buy a
power boat.
The downturn in realestate has dried up a a ready source of cash for luxury items. The relatively
cheap and available home improvement loans made it really attractive to borrow against people's homes to buy things like boats. With appreciation dried up, interest rates rising, and qualifying for loans getting tighter, there just isn't the capital to buy discretionary items now.
Couple the shortage of buyers with the dearth of slips and the down turn in realestate and you've got a pretty dismal market for toys.
Aloha
Peter O.