As the yachting industry tries to crawl out of the wreckage from the recession, the concept of “good news” is a relative term. For the sailboat sector, the key numbers presented at the 15th annual State of the Industry report at the Miami International Boat Show are 8 & 38.
Boat production was down 8% in 2010, but that was positive news, compared with a 38% plunge the previous year.
“I think the worst is over,” said Rick Walter of Market Research Consulting, which tabulates the sailboat sales data. They were culled from a survey of builders and charter firms from September 2009 through August 2010. “It’s a start, but we have a long way to go.”
The fleet of sailboat builders also has thinned in a down market. The number of active builders is down 25%, to 119, from 2003, when there were 158.
However, the manufacturing of cruising sailboats was up 14% in 2010 after a 55% plunge in 2009. Pocket cruiser production was up 19%, while multihull sailboat production was down 14%, to 1,006.
On the employment front, the sailing production work force was up 3% in 2010, to 1,700 workers.
North American imports revealed a 21% decrease in sailboats 20’+, standing at 190 boats, compared with 240 in 2009, 358 in 2008 and 421 in 2007.
But Walter reported “very optimistic expectations” among respondents, who expect increases of 47 units in the 20-35′ segment, 34 units in the 36-45′ segment and 53 among boats 46’+ for 2011.
Bareboat charter firms reported that business was down 6% in 2010, but that’s “not bad,” Walter said, “compared with a 21% drop in 2009. And chartering improved with the recovering economy and was down only 4% in spring 2010.”
“I expect to see a nice increase for the fourth quarter of 2010,” Walter said.
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Source: Soundings Trade Only
