Registration numbers for the 15-foot-and-over U.S. powerboat market improved in June from May’s numbers relative to the 12-month rolling average. In June, registrations were down 7.4% from that average compared with 10.2% in May. Registrations across all segments totaled 221,976 units on a rolling 12-month basis.
The data for new-boat registrations was provided by Info-Link, a Florida-based company that compiles registration numbers from the Coast Guard and individual states.
Matt Gruhn, president of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, told Soundings Trade Only that based on dealer meetings this summer, “2025 seemed to start on pace with 2024 before slowing down considerably in April. After a few months of slower sales, as is reflected in Info-Link’s report, dealers have been reporting that sales picked up some. The sustainability of that bump is something we continue to watch closely.”
In June, seven boat categories showed declines from their 12-month rolling averages, with the freshwater fishboat segment slowing the least, at 0.1% under its 12-month rolling average, with 54,030 units sold on that yearly basis. The towboat category ran 9.8% below its 12-month average for a running total of 8,247 units sold, with that category in particular facing added challenges.
“There are certainly enough headwinds, mostly economic, that exist in the marketplace already, as we can see in the sales numbers,” Gruhn says. “As we continue to deal with regulatory concerns related to wakeboats in numerous states across the country, it certainly adds unwanted challenges to our dealers’ ability to close sales and move product.”
Pontoons were off 12.5% from their rolling 12-month average, with yearly sales on that basis of 49,846 units. PWC were down 8% with yearly sales at 62,454 units.
Saltwater fishboat sales ran at 9.9% below their 12-month averages for a total of 21,956 units sold on that basis. The cruiser/yacht category was down 1% from its 12-month average, showing a good improvement from May’s numbers on a yearly basis, with 4,893 units for the running average of units sold. The runabout category posted a 12-month rolling average of 14,970 units, down 11.3% on a yearly basis, but again, an improvement from the running average in May.
Gruhn says the industrywide slowdown runs deep: “We have identified a series of external pressures that are converging on our industry that, if not addressed, will prolong these negative reports. But at the same time, if our industry can step up and evolve alongside new consumer demands, changing business models in the retail landscape, and rapidly advancing technologies, we can ultimately reverse these trends.”
On a state-by-state basis for the larger-market states, Florida was down 12% for a 12-month rolling average of 28,797 boats sold. Texas was down 5% for a 12-month rolling average of 16,504 units. Michigan was also off 5% from its average for a yearly total of 11,589 units sold, and Wisconsin was lower by 9% for a 12-month average of 8,521. Minnesota was down 5% for a 12-month rolling average of 9,580. California showed an improvement of 3% for 8,373 units. New York was down 6% with a tally of 7,798 units.
Overall, Gruhn expressed caution about the seasonal improvement in sales, noting the steady declines in sales numbers and the pressures on dealers that he continues to see. “If we choose to keep our heads down, however, and we simply focus on surviving 2025 or hope for a better year in 2026, too many of our businesses are going to look up one day and realize that their business is no longer relevant,” he says. “By then, it will be too late.”
MRAA, he adds, is trying to provide dealers with tools to adapt, to get on a path to greater relevancy. “That has begun at the 2026 dealer meetings, but it will accelerate in earnest at Dealer Week this December in Tampa,” he says. “If I were operating a dealership in today’s climate, Dealer Week’s educational lineup is an opportunity I would not miss.”
