From what I understand it’s getting to be more of a pain and expense to keep a boat in the water. Permits/stickers, mandatory boater safety classes, taxes, gas, maintenance, etc.
Thank goodness for the permits, stickers, registrations, and especially the safety classes. They help to weed out folks who have no business in a powered watercraft on the water in the first place. The more restrictions the better. I’m tired of seeing so many avoidable accidents.
We live on a bay south of Seattle, about a quarter-mile from a small boat launch. I go by it nearly every day. There’s been a marked decline in the number of boats on our bay the past few years. It was typical to see five or six trucks lined up at the boat launch. This year the most I’ve seen waiting was two. I’m pretty sure the sound is still plenty deep, but our gas prices are among the highest in the country.
For the really stupid powerboats, like the cigarette boats, you can easily burn 20-50 gallons per hour, which gets into some serious money. Even a small boat gets the same kind of mileage as a big SUV – it takes a lot of oomph to push your way through the water.
But you’re assuming that people are rational about spending. Someone who took out a loan to buy a $25,000 speed boat might hesitate at spending $100.00 - $200.00 for a day’s outing.
Based on my observations, it does seem as though there’s a good correlation between gas prices and the number of power boats on the water. There’s also an issue with ethanol in gas – it doesn’t agree with marine engines, which means that, particularly for older boats, maintenance is way up, and reliability is way down.
One thing with your “Demographics part I: young people aren’t starting ($$)” is that owning a boat as a renter is a pretty dicey proposition, and homeownership among people in their 20’s and 30’s has been steadily declining for the last three decades or so.
Another major factor may be that fishing (and hunting) are in decline. If you don’t fish, there’s not a whole lot else to do on a cheaper “starter” boat, so I think that’s probably another factor that’s preventing people from getting into the hobby. Most people aren’t just going to buy something like a high powered ski boat without any previous boating experience.
Less boating around here, too. I recall about 20 years ago, it was very crowded in all the lakes. I see many boats for sale, too. People need cash these days, they are selling things, and boats are the first to go (as well as other kinds of rec vehicles – have seen a fair number of RVs up for grabs, too.)
Thanks everyone for the responses. I noticed some other aspects of this.
Firstly; The number of semi-abandoned boats in the storage lots has definitely been increasing. I’m talking about the (formerly) nice boat now sitting in the open on flat tires, with the cover tattered and blown away, ruined upholstery and standing water in the hull. It’s obvious these craft haven’t even been looked at in many months. Canvassing a few other boaters, I’m told they’re seeing the same thing at their storage lots too. I’m a trailer boater, and am pretty anal about caring for my boat. I can’t imagine letting something that expensive go to ruin for lack of a decent storage garage. I would’ve assumed buyers factored this cost as part of their buying decision. (or just get a decent cover over it)
Secondly; I needed a part at the local dealer and was wandering among the new boats while they fetched my part. The prices were nothing short of astounding. A new 22 foot ski boat (Tige) was almost $70,000 including trailer and tax. New top of the line bass boats apparently top the 80K mark now. I have no idea what’s causing the runup in price, but it’s obvious why fewer are getting into the sport.