The National Marine Manufacturers Association and the boating industry are expecting an estimated 2 million attendees at boat shows throughout the country from January to March. Dealers and manufacturers traditionally generate 30% to 50% of their annual sales at boat shows.

“Last year was a healthy year for recreational boating, with momentum coming off of record sales in 2021 due to continued demand and the fact that supply-chain shortages prevented our industry from overproducing like we saw happen in other sectors of the past two years,” NMMA president Frank Hugelmeyer said in a statement. “With boat shows fully returning following two years of limited events due to Covid, we’ve already seen encouraging sales reports within certain categories, coupled with consumers continuing to invest in the unique experiences that come from being on the water.”

Record sales in 2021 resulted in expenditures of $56.7 billion. New powerboat retail sales normalized in 2022 with an estimated 250,000 units sold, a 25% increase compared with 2008-2014. Looking ahead to 2023, NMMA said early indications point to continued strong demand and sales expected to match 2022 numbers.

Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis released in November show outdoor recreation generated $862 billion in economic output in 2021 and accounting for 1.9% of U.S. gross domestic product. Outdoor recreation supported 4.5 million jobs.

The following data is from NMMA’s 2021 Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract unless otherwise noted.

• Annual U.S. sales of boats, marine products and services totaled $56.7 billion in 2021, up 12.7% from 2020.

• An estimated 1.15 million preowned boats were sold in 2021, up 9.2% compared with 2020.

• The boating industry supports more than 690,000 American jobs and 35,000 American businesses.

• Outdoor recreation accounts for 1.9% of U.S. GDP, generating $862 billion in gross economic output, of which boating and fishing is the single largest segment with an attributed $50.4 billion. (source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis)

• Ninety-five percent of the boats sold in the United States are built domestically.

• An estimated 100 million Americans go boating each year.

• Sixty-one percent of boat owners have an annual household income of $100,000 or less.

• Ninety-five percent of boats in the United States are smaller than 26 feet.