Gitnux/Report 2026

Boating Industry Statistics

The U.S. recreational marine retail market reached $54 billion in 2025, explore 2025 unit moves, segment mix, and company financial signals across boating.
46Statistics
32Sources
5Sections
1Visuals
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November 13, 2026Updated
Boating Industry Statistics
Elena VasquezWritten by Elena Vasquez·Edited by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Claire Beaumont
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 34 days

01 Industry overview

The boating industry at a glance

U.S. recreational marine retail spending reached an estimated $54 billion in 2025, while new-boat unit sales declined to 215,237 as the market normalized after the pandemic-era surge.

$54B[16]
U.S. marine spending, 2025
215,237[2]
U.S. new boats sold, 2025
77,434[2]
U.S. fishing boats sold, 2025
€8.72B[17]
Italian boating turnover, 2025
Market size
U.S. recreational marine retail spending was estimated at $54 billion in 2025. Italy’s broader boating industry, including recreational craft, accessories and engines, generated €8.72 billion in 2025.[16][17]
Market share & regions
In Italy, almost 90% of boatbuilding turnover is concentrated in five regional production hubs, while the Liguria–Tuscany area accounts for more than half of national boatbuilding turnover. In the United States, Florida leads new-boating sales and registrations, followed by Texas, Michigan, North Carolina and New York for marine retail expenditure.[17][18]
Segmentation
U.S. 2025 new-powerboat sales totaled 220,397 units in NMMA’s segment report: fishing boats led with 77,434 units, followed by watersports boats and personal watercraft at 71,461 units. Boat-trailer sales reached 198,452 units.[2]
Key players & concentration
The U.S. recreational boating market is supplied through a fragmented dealership network of approximately 4,000 dealerships, with most retailers operating three stores or fewer. NMMA represents approximately 85% of U.S. recreational boat, marine-engine and accessory manufacturers.[18][2]
Pricing
Boats Group reported an average sold-boat value of $215,798 globally in 2025, up 1.89% year over year, while the North American average reached $169,997, up 4.90%. These figures cover boats sold through Boats Group marketplaces rather than the entire boating market.[19]
Trends, drivers & challenges
U.S. new-boat retail unit sales fell 8.8% in 2025 to 215,237 units, reflecting elevated interest rates, inflation and subdued consumer confidence. Entry-level categories remained comparatively resilient, with freshwater fishing boats declining only 1.5% year over year.[2]
Consumer behavior & competition
Pre-owned boats represented approximately 80% of total annual U.S. unit sales, with nearly 860,000 pre-owned units sold in 2024, the latest figure cited by NMMA. In 2025, volume was concentrated in accessible categories such as personal watercraft, aluminum fishing boats and smaller trailerable boats, which accounted for more than 90% of retail unit activity.[2]
M&A
Malibu Boats announced the acquisition of Saxdor Yachts in March 2026 for approximately €150 million, or about $175 million, at an estimated 7.2-times EBITDA valuation. In February 2026, MasterCraft agreed to merge with Marine Products Corporation, expanding consolidation among publicly traded recreational-boat manufacturers.[20][18]
Regulation
U.S.-flagged or registered vessels and their marine engines are generally subject to EPA emission standards. EPA rules cover recreational marine engines, including standards that vary by engine power, displacement and model year, with evaporative-emission requirements also applying to marine fuel systems in specified circumstances.[21]
Latest news
The latest available full-year U.S. data show 2025 new-boat retail sales falling 8.8% to 215,237 units, while Italy reported record 2025 boating-industry turnover of €8.72 billion. Early 2026 market commentary points to stabilization, with demand strongest in accessible segments and continued activity in luxury boating and shared-access models.[2][17]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Boating Industry

The leading companies in the boating industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 13, 2026 · Next review December 13, 2026

Verdict

Azimut Benetti Group stands out for motor-yacht and megayacht production because it reported €1.5 billion in 2025 revenue and leads global megayacht production, while Suzuki Motor Corporation is the pick for outboard propulsion since it reported ¥119.5 billion in FY2025 marine revenue primarily from outboard motors.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in motor yachts and services

    Azimut Benetti Group

    IT

    Ranked #1 · 9.2 · Motor yachts and services

    Why we picked it: Its motor-yacht, megayacht and yacht-services focus is backed by €1.5 billion in 2025 revenue.

    See in ranking ↓Visit azimutbenetti.com ↗

  2. Leader in marine propulsion

    Suzuki Motor Corporation

    JP

    Ranked #2 · 9.1 · Marine propulsion

    Why we picked it: Its propulsion mix is anchored in outboard motors, with ¥119.5 billion in FY2025 marine revenue.

    See in ranking ↓Visit globalsuzuki.com ↗

  3. Leader in luxury yachts and pleasure craft

    Ferretti Group

    IT

    Ranked #3 · 8.7 · Luxury yachts and pleasure craft

    Why we picked it: Its luxury-yacht and pleasure-vessel portfolio is reflected in a 16.8% market share for the category.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ferrettigroup.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the boating industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Azimut Benetti Group

Motor yachts and services · IT

9.2
2

Suzuki Motor Corporation

Marine propulsion · JP

9.1
3

Ferretti Group

Luxury yachts and pleasure craft · IT

8.7
4

Sanlorenzo

New yacht sales · IT

8.5
5

Correct Craft

Recreational boats · US

8.5
6

Groupe Beneteau

Sailing boats, motorboats, catamarans and boating services · FR

8.4
7

The Italian Sea Group

Luxury yachts, megayachts and refit · IT

8.3
8

MasterCraft Boat Holdings

Watersports, pontoon and recreational powerboats · US

8.0
9

Brunswick Corporation

Marine engines, boats, electronics and boat clubs · US

8.0
10

HanseYachts

Sailing yachts, motorboats and catamarans · DE

7.8

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 13, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the boating industry. In Boating Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/boating-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

U.S. recreational vessels registered by year

U.S. recreational vessels registered by year fell from 11.9M in 2019 to 11.5M in 2023.

11.9M count
Start
-0.71%
CAGR · 4y
11.5M count
Projected
20192023
source-verifiednavcen.uscg.gov2023

04 Statistics

Market Intelligence

Market activity shows dealer and marina scale, with U.S. marinas reporting $7.36 billion in 2024 revenue and boat dealers recording $22.19 billion in employer revenue in 2024.

Market size and service revenue in the boating industry

  • $7.36 billion in revenue was reported by U.S. marinas in 2024; the NAICS 71393 category covers docking and storage facilities for pleasure craft, with related activities.[1]
  • $22.19 billion in employer revenue and $668.0 million in nonemployer receipts were recorded for U.S. boat dealers in 2024; the category includes boat retailing and associated repair, parts and accessory activities.[1]
  • $56.7 billion in annual sales of boats, marine products and services was estimated for the U.S. recreational boating industry in 2023; the study includes rental, maintenance, financing, insurance, repair and storage.[2]

Firm counts and size structure in the boating industry

  • 35,327 employees worked for U.S. boat dealers in 2024, with $2.21 billion in annual payroll.[1]
  • 3,739 employer establishments operated in the U.S. marina industry in 2023, covering NAICS 713930 marinas with paid employees.[1]
  • 4,246 employer establishments operated in the U.S. boat-dealer industry in 2023, classified under NAICS 441222.[1]

Recent developments in the boating industry

  • 3,887 recreational boating incidents were verified in the United States in 2024, involving 556 deaths, 2,170 injuries and approximately $88 million in property damage.[3]
  • New U.S. powerboat retail sales were estimated at 258,000 units in 2023, approximately 1% to 3% below 2022; the figure concerns new powerboats rather than boating services.[2]
  • 11,674,073 recreational vessels were registered in the United States in 2024, up 1.1% from 11,546,512 in 2023.[3]

Regional breakdown of the boating industry

  • Florida recorded 922,915 registered recreational vessels in 2024, the largest state total in the Coast Guard registration table.[3]
  • Minnesota recorded 811,085 registered recreational vessels in 2024, while Michigan recorded 815,317.[4]
  • Florida's recreational boating industry generated an estimated $31.3 billion in annual economic impact and supported 109,000 jobs in the NMMA state breakdown.[2]

05 Statistics

Delivery & Operations

Registered assets define the installed base, with 11,674,073 recreational vessels registered in the United States in 2024 versus 11,546,512 in 2023.

Delivery capacity and installed base in the boating industry

  • 11,674,073 recreational vessels were registered in the United States in 2024, compared with 11,546,512 in 2023; registrations measure the installed recreational-boating asset base.[3]
  • 930 U.S. boat-building establishments operated in 2023, including 354 establishments with fewer than five employees.[1]
  • 7,355 U.S. marina establishments reported $7.36 billion in revenue in 2024; marinas operate docking and/or storage capacity for pleasure craft.[1]

06 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce supply is measurable through technician headcount, with 25,000 motorboat mechanics and service technicians employed in the United States in 2025.

Employment and hiring in the boating industry

  • About 50,000 workers were employed by U.S. small ship and boat builders in 2022; small firms represented more than 96% of firms in the combined ship-and-boat-building industry.[5]
  • 1,940 motorboat mechanics and service technicians worked in U.S. ship and boat building in May 2024.[6]
  • 25,000 motorboat mechanics and service technicians were employed in the United States in 2025; employment is projected to reach 26,200 by 2035, a 5% increase.[6]

Pay and labour costs in the boating industry

  • Motorboat mechanics and service technicians had a mean annual wage of $58,070 in the United States in May 2025.[6]
  • U.S. boat-building establishments reported $2.738 billion in annual payroll in 2023.[1]
  • Motorboat mechanics and service technicians had a median annual wage of $58,070 in the United States in May 2025.[6]

Skills and certification in the boating industry

  • 3,759 approved designated examiners supported U.S. merchant-mariner credentialing as of December 31, 2024.[7]
  • 203,328 unexpired merchant mariner credentials were recorded in the United States as of December 31, 2024.[7]
  • More than 4,500 marine professionals held an ABYC certification at the time of publication, covering technical credentials used in boat maintenance and repair.[8]

07 Statistics

Risk & Compliance

Risk reporting is segmented by vessel status, with 588 rented vessels involved in U.S. recreational-boating incidents in 2024 and 45 deaths occurring on rented vessels in the same year.

Regulation and licensing in the boating industry

  • Six months is the minimum rental-record retention period for Oregon boat-rental businesses, with records available for inspection; Oregon State Marine Board requirement effective January 1, 2020.[9]
  • 15 horsepower is the engine threshold at which Washington rental, charter and lease operators must review a safety checklist with every renter; Washington requirement currently in force under RCW 79A.60.[10]
  • $50 per boat is the annual Illinois license fee for carrying passengers for hire; the license is renewable each March 1 under Illinois passenger-and-rental-boat licensing rules.[11]
  • $500,000 per person per occurrence and $1 million aggregate per occurrence are the minimum liability-insurance limits for Georgia boat liveries seeking statutory liability protection; effective May 6, 2024, amended July 1, 2025.[12]
  • $30 plus a length-based per-boat fee is the annual Illinois license charge for boat-rental businesses; the license is renewable each March 1 under Illinois rules.[11]

Incidents, safety and loss events in the boating industry

  • 588 rented vessels were involved in U.S. recreational-boating incidents in 2024; this is the Coast Guard’s rental-status segment, not all boating incidents.[3]
  • 45 deaths occurred on rented vessels in U.S. recreational-boating incidents in 2024; this is the Coast Guard’s rental-status segment, not all boating fatalities.[3]
  • 31% of Florida boating incidents in 2024 involved collision with a fixed object, the leading accident type in the state report.[13]
  • 685 reportable boating accidents occurred in Florida in 2024; the state report includes death, medical-treatment, $2,000-plus property-damage or total-loss events.[13]

08 Statistics

Regional markets

Regional concentration appears in state-by-state registration and impact, with Florida recording 922,915 registered recreational vessels in 2024 and $31.3 billion annual economic impact in 2023.

The boating industry in Australia

  • More than 2,000 businesses operated across Australia’s recreational and leisure marine sectors in 2023–24.[14]
  • 27,500 people were directly employed by Australia’s boating industry in 2023–24.[14]
  • 8,250 contractors additionally supported Australia’s boating industry in 2023–24.[14]
  • A$10.12 billion was the Australian boating industry’s national turnover in 2023–24.[14]

The boating industry in Florida

  • 7,146 businesses were supported by recreational boating in Florida in 2023.[15]
  • 1,004,240 boats were registered in Florida in 2021.[15]
  • $31.3 billion was the annual economic impact of recreational boating in Florida in 2023.[15]
  • 109,912 jobs were supported by recreational boating in Florida in 2023.[15]
  • $5.4 billion was spent on new boats, engines, trailers and accessories in Florida in 2021.[15]

The boating industry in United States

  • 812,558 jobs were supported by the U.S. recreational boating industry in the latest NMMA economic-impact figures.[2]
  • $55.6 billion was spent on U.S. recreational boating retail sales in 2024.[2]
  • 858,798 pre-owned boats were sold in the United States in 2024.[2]
  • 36,101 businesses were supported by the U.S. recreational boating industry in the latest NMMA economic-impact figures.[2]

Key questions about the Boating Industry

How large is the U.S. boating market for retail spending?
U.S. recreational marine retail spending reached an estimated $54 billion in 2025.
Is demand growing or shrinking in U.S. new-boat sales?
U.S. new-boat retail unit sales fell 8.8% in 2025 to 215,237 units.
Which companies lead the boating industry?
Azimut Benetti Group stands out for motor-yacht and megayacht production because it reported €1.5 billion in 2025 revenue and leads global megayacht production, while Suzuki Motor Corporation is the pick for outboard propulsion since it reported ¥119.5 billion in FY2025 marine revenue primarily from outboard motors.
What technology or compliance pressure affects boating equipment?
EPA emission standards cover recreational marine engines with requirements that vary by engine power, displacement and model year, plus evaporative-emission requirements for marine fuel systems in specified circumstances.
How is the U.S. boating market structured for distribution?
The market relies on a fragmented dealership network of approximately 4,000 dealerships, with most retailers operating three stores or fewer.
What portion of U.S. annual unit sales comes from pre-owned boats?
Pre-owned boats represent approximately 80% of total annual U.S. unit sales, with nearly 860,000 pre-owned units sold in 2024.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Boating Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/boating-industry-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Boating Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/boating-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Boating Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/boating-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

32 sources cited across this report

  1. data.census.gov
  2. nmma.org
  3. uscgboating.org
  4. media.defense.gov
  5. advocacy.sba.gov
  6. bls.gov
  7. dco.uscg.mil
  8. abycinc.org
  9. oregon.gov
  10. parks.wa.gov
  11. dnr.illinois.gov
  12. legis.ga.gov
  13. content.govdelivery.com
  14. bia.org.au
  15. marinepbc.org
  16. linkedin.com
  17. confindustrianautica.net
  18. sec.gov
  19. boatsgroup.com
  20. globenewswire.com
  21. epa.gov
  22. azimutyachts.com
  23. globalsuzuki.com
  24. ferrettigroup.com
  25. sanlorenzoyacht.com
  26. planetcorrectcraft.com
  27. press.beneteau-group.com
  28. emarketstorage.it
  29. s21.q4cdn.com
  30. hanseyachtsag.com
  31. boatingindustry.com
  32. investors.mcbh.com