There’s good news about increasing boat sales from the University of Washington’s Sea Grant program, while marine trade associations across the country continue to add value for their members in a variety of ways.
In Seattle, for example, there’s been good news for all as the Seattle Boat Show opened last Friday for its nine-day run. The U.W. Sea Grant reported that the fourth quarter of 2024 posted a 10.6% increase in new and brokerage unit sales compared with the same period in 2023, with quarterly total units registered at 1,067. Moreover, the value of new and brokerage sales showed a handsome 18.3% increase in the fourth quarter, for a total value of $111.8 million.
Further, Sea Grant also summarized calendar year 2024. Washington posted 8,245 units totaling a value of $650 million. While this represents a 12.1% decrease in units and 1.3% decrease in value year-over-year, the fourth quarter data is a welcome harbinger of a possible sales turnaround going into this new year.
Meanwhile, in the Buckeye state, the Ohio Marine Trades Association announced it has won grant funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Watercraft, for its program to promote boating and safety: “On-the-Water-Ohio.”
“Our OTWO initiative is the banner under which we engage participants through events, news stories, digital platforms and social media outreaches,” says OMTA president Michelle Burke. “For example, our big OTWO Education and Paddling Center, complete with demo pool, is featured in our Progressive Cleveland Boat Show. We also showcase an OTWO Educational Center in our spring Catawba Island In-Water Show.”
OMTA’s prime purpose in creating the OTWO program and its promotions is to call attention to the wide-ranging boating opportunities on Ohio waterways while focusing on boating safety messages. OTWO will use the $31,440 in grant funding to zero in on life jacket safety and the importance of learning essential boating skills.
And while we’re on the subject of MTA action, how about the job fairs and career promotions these groups are executing to reach prospective employees to fill tech and other shortages?
The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association and Massachusetts Marine Trades Educational Trust see that a top priority within the industry is workforce solutions. The association is aggressively attacking the problem for its membership.
MMTA prioritizes working in a collaborative manner with its members, educational partners, state officials, job seekers and others. “Our industry definitely has the jobs and good careers; we just need the people to fill them,” says executive director Randall Lyons. “We urge our members to reach out to schools and ask how they can get more involved, such as by joining their advisory boards if the school offers such.”
The MMTA program has relationships with and promotes more than 15 marine educational programs offered in high schools, community colleges, maritime academies, and vocational and technical training facilities.
“The boating industry in Massachusetts has an annual economic impact topping $5 billion, more than 1,000 businesses and close to 20,000 employees,” Lyons says. “We have good-paying careers, our industry will continue to grow, and we’re aggressive in telling our story.”
Aggressive can be defined in another way. The Michigan Boating Industry Association boldly asks: “Who wouldn’t want to work in the boating industry?”
To highlight the opportunities, MBIA uses excellent videos describing what it’s like to have a good career in the industry. Moreover, at its Progressive Detroit Boat Show, which opened last Saturday for an eight-day run, MBIA holds an annual Career Day dedicated to educating students about career opportunities in Michigan’s $11.7 billion boating industry.
To participate in Career Day, high school and college students checked in at the show office and attended for free Feb. 3. “We annually host high school and college students from across the state on Career Day,” says Nicki Polan, MBIA executive director. “In addition, several school groups of more than 250 students from five or more different school districts annually attend our workforce initiative.”
During Career Day, 11 participating exhibitors provide students with knowledge about different careers within the industry, including a hands-on look at the inside of outboards, how to get trained to work and play with boats, and also answer questions. Students who complete each of the designated 11 “stops” can also qualify to win a $250 gift card.
In addition to the career promotion at the boat show, MBIA lists the training schools, job openings and internships online:
The participating organizations in MBIA’s Career Day included Algonac Harbour Club, Colony Marine, Diesel Fuel Doctor, Eagle Point Marina, Freedom Boat Club, Lakeshore Marine Group, Mercury, Safe Harbor Marinas, Silver Spray Sports, Walstrom Marine and Yamaha.
Back in Seattle, yesterday’s NMTA Career Fair at the Seattle show scored another success. In the face of an unusual snow and ice day for the Emerald City, more than 100 job-seekers and students, including a group from Core Plus Maritime Academy, arrived at the Lumen Field Event Center for the morning special event. A total of 33 member businesses participated with setups in the Career Fair area.
An annual participant, Life Proof Boats of Bremerton noted: “We have attended the Career Fair for many years, and this year we met some highly qualified people. We will definitely be following up with four excellent candidates, and afterward, two of them visited our boat display to talk further about the opportunities we have available.”
From Nordlund Yachts of Tacoma: “This was our first Seattle Boat Show Career Fair, and we were impressed. We have four candidates to follow up with and were especially impressed with the Core Plus Maritime students we met that will be ready to hire in six to 12 months.”
These are but a few examples of how marine trade associations work in different ways to grow the market and the success of members.
