Gitnux/Report 2026

Boats Industry Statistics

US recreational boat-related tax receipts hit $8.6 billion in 2023, but the real pressure points are regulatory and technology shifts, from EU directive conformity costs that can reach thousands of euros per model year to new emission tiers that force powertrain upgrades across the boating supply chain. The page also tracks market momentum like a global recreational boating market heading toward about $60 billion by 2030 and mounting sustainability expectations, including 72% of yacht and cruise buyers prioritizing environmental performance.
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November 10, 2026Updated
Boats Industry Statistics
James OkoroWritten by James Okoro·Edited by Helena Kowalczyk·Fact-checked by Rebecca Hargrove
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 39 days

01 Industry overview

The boats industry at a glance

The boats industry remains a large, participation-driven market: U.S. recreational marine spending reached $55.6 billion in 2024, while global leisure-boat revenue was estimated at $51.2 billion in 2025.

$51.2B[55]
Global leisure boats, 2025
6.0%[55]
Leisure boats CAGR, 2026–2033
$55.6B[13]
U.S. marine spending, 2024
230,000–240,000[13]
U.S. new powerboats, 2024
Market size
Grand View Research estimated the global leisure-boat market at $51.2 billion in 2025 and projects $53.9 billion in 2026. In the United States, total recreational marine retail spending was $55.6 billion in 2024, down 2.6% from 2023.[55][13]
Forecast & CAGR
The global leisure-boat market is forecast to reach $81.0 billion by 2033, representing a 6.0% compound annual growth rate from 2026 to 2033. The forecast reflects continued demand for recreational boating, tourism and water-based leisure activities.[55]
Market share & regions
North America accounted for $758.7 million, or approximately 83.0%, of Malibu Boats’ $914.6 million fiscal 2026 revenue, while international markets contributed $151.3 million. Europe has approximately 48 million regular recreational marine participants, including 36 million boaters.[19][56]
Segmentation
The market spans motorboats, sailboats, yachts, personal watercraft and inflatable boats, with applications including leisure, fishing, watersports, cruising, charter and tourism. In Malibu Boats’ fiscal 2025 unit mix, Malibu performance boats represented 45.3% of units, Cobalt 28.8% and saltwater-fishing boats 25.9%.[57][19]
Key players & concentration
Major publicly reported manufacturers include Brunswick and Malibu Boats. Brunswick’s Boat segment generated $1.53 billion in 2025 net sales, while Malibu Boats reported $914.6 million in fiscal 2026 net sales; these figures indicate substantial scale among leading companies but do not establish a consolidated global market-share ranking.[18][19]
Pricing
Malibu Boats reported fiscal 2025 net sales of $807.6 million on 4,898 units, equivalent to approximately $164,876 in net sales per unit. The company said fiscal 2025 pricing benefited from inflation-driven price increases and favorable model mix.[19]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Demand continues to benefit from participation in boating, tourism and alternative access models such as boat clubs, but unit sales have normalized after the pandemic-era surge. U.S. new powerboat retail unit sales declined an estimated 9%–12% in 2024 to approximately 230,000–240,000 units, while Brunswick cited cautious wholesale ordering and Malibu cited lower unit volumes and dealer inventory reduction as challenges.[13][18][19]
Consumer behavior & competition
The U.S. boating customer base is aging: the median age of current boat owners was 60 at the end of 2024, according to NMMA citing Info-Link Technologies. At the same time, boat clubs and peer-to-peer sharing are expanding access, while manufacturers compete through product innovation, brand portfolios and dealer networks.[13]
M&A
Consolidation is occurring across adjacent boating infrastructure and services. Blackstone agreed in February 2025 to acquire Safe Harbor Marinas for approximately $5.6 billion; Safe Harbor operated 138 marinas at the time, highlighting investor interest in marina networks and recurring storage revenue.[58]
Regulation
In the European Union, recreational craft and personal watercraft are governed by Directive 2013/53/EU, which establishes requirements for design, construction, emissions and noise. In the United States, the Coast Guard recorded 3,887 recreational boating incidents in 2024, including 556 deaths and approximately $88 million in property damage.[59][60]
Latest news
The latest reported U.S. industry data show recreational marine spending remained comparatively resilient in 2024 at $55.6 billion despite a 2.6% year-over-year decline. In 2025, Brunswick’s Boat segment sales decreased 1.8% to $1.53 billion, while its Engine Parts & Accessories business benefited from continued boater participation and distribution share gains.[13][18]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Boats Industry

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

Updated November 7, 2026 · Next review December 7, 2026

Verdict

Brunswick Corporation leads Gitnux's 2026 boats ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with Mercury powers one out of every two U.S. powerboats. Malibu Boats is the highest-ranked towboat manufacturer at 8.9, driven by being the world’s largest watersports towboat manufacturer.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in marine propulsion and systems

    Brunswick Corporation

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.0 · Marine propulsion and systems

    Why we picked it: Its recreational boats, marine engines, and systems connect engine penetration to the U.S. powerboat base.

    See in ranking ↓Visit brunswick.com ↗

  2. Leader in watersports towboats

    Malibu Boats

    US

    Ranked #2 · 8.9 · Watersports towboats

    Why we picked it: Its watersports towboat focus sits inside a market where leisure-boat revenue reached $51.2B in 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit malibuboats.com ↗

  3. Leader in luxury motor yachts

    Azimut|Benetti Group

    IT

    Ranked #3 · 8.8 · Luxury motor yachts

    Why we picked it: Its luxury motor-yacht and superyacht model ties to the €1.5B revenue scale disclosed for 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit azimutbenetti.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 boats industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Brunswick Corporation

Marine propulsion and systems · US

9.0
2

Malibu Boats

Watersports towboats · US

8.9
3

Azimut|Benetti Group

Luxury motor yachts · IT

8.8
4

Sanlorenzo

Luxury sailing and superyachts · IT

8.7
5

Groupe Beneteau

Recreational boat building · FR

8.6
6

Ferretti Group

Luxury yachts and superyachts, globally · IT

8.6
7

Polaris

Pontoon and deck boats, North America · US

8.5
8

MasterCraft Boat Holdings

Performance, pontoon and sport-fishing powerboats · US

8.3
9

Nimbus Group

Premium powerboats, Europe and North America · SE

8.2
10

Bavaria Yachtbau

Sailing yachts and motorboats, Europe · DE

7.9

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).

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 7, 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

James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the boats industry. In Boats Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/boats-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest boats companies

Polaris leads with $7.2B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

Polaris$7.2B
Brunswick Corporation$5.4B
Azimut|Benetti Group$1.6B
Ferretti Group$1.5B
Groupe Beneteau$916M
Malibu Boats$808M
source-verifiedfinancialfilings.com · brunswick.com · azimutyachts.com · ferrettigroup.com · finance.beneteau-group.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI use is high in marine marketing: 79% used AI for content creation in 2025. Alongside that, U.S. new powerboats sold in 2025 are estimated at 215,000–225,000.

AI in the boats industry

  • 79% of recreational marine marketers used AI for content creation, including social posts, ads, blogs, and boat listings, in 2025.[1]
  • 35% of recreational marine marketers reported learning about AI through trial and error, paid courses, company hackathons, or organized groups in 2025.[1]

Digital Transformation in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across surveyed freight forwarders and logistics providers, 49% had digitized 50% or fewer of business processes or transactions in November 2024.[2]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 63% expected digitalization to enhance customer experience in 2025.[3]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 51% identified high costs as a challenge to digitalizing logistics operations in 2025.[3]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 69% expected digitalization to improve efficiency in 2025.[3]
  • Across surveyed freight forwarders and logistics providers, 23% had digitized more than 75% of business processes or transactions in November 2024.[2]

Technology Adoption in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across transportation and logistics executives surveyed in Europe and North America, 44% were using AI for transportation planning and optimization in 2025.[4]
  • Across transportation and logistics organizations, 53% were partially or fully deploying automated real-time shipment tracking to address knowledge-worker shortages in 2024.[5]
  • Among 2026 transportation-management survey respondents, 15% of logistics service providers reported using AI at scale.[5]
  • Among 2026 transportation-management survey respondents, 19% of shippers reported using AI at scale.[5]
  • Across transportation and logistics organizations, 53% were partially or fully deploying AI to reduce workloads in 2024.[5]

Cloud Computing in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across travel, transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 85% said leadership viewed cloud as a long-term investment in 2023.[6]
  • Across travel, transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 89% planned to increase AI and machine-learning investment during the following one to two years.[6]
  • Across travel, transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 84% had increased AI and machine-learning investment during the preceding one to two years.[6]
  • Across travel, transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 75% said cloud was crucial to their organization’s future in 2023.[6]

Big Data in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • 9.5% of transportation and storage enterprises used big-data analytics alone in the OECD’s 2026 cross-sector comparison, based on the latest available enterprise data.[7]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 34% identified data analytics, including cloud platforms and AI-powered solutions, as the most critical technology in 2025.[3]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 49% expected digitalization to improve data visibility in 2025.[3]
  • 12.5% of transportation and storage enterprises used both cloud computing and big-data analytics, according to the OECD’s 2026 sectoral comparison of enterprise technology adoption.[7]
  • 45% of surveyed multinational logistics and supply-chain organizations said in 2024 that they were using logistics data to its full potential, according to a survey of 60 organizations.[8]
  • 38% of surveyed GCC logistics organizations used structured data, while 20% recognized a systematic link between data and business insights, according to a 2023 study.[9]

IoT in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • 48% of transport-sector respondents had adopted vehicular tracking and route optimization in 2024, according to Viasat’s State of IoT survey.[10]
  • 88% of surveyed transport respondents had developed or were developing an IoT strategy in 2024, up from 46% with a completed formal strategy in 2021.[10]
  • 39% of transport-sector respondents had deployed shipment or supply-chain tracking in 2024, compared with 20% that had deployed cold-chain tracking.[10]
  • Among logistics organizations surveyed across multiple countries, 63% of companies in Belgium and the Netherlands used real-time tracking in 2024.[5]
  • 72% of transport and logistics businesses had fully deployed at least one IoT project in 2021, while 29% had completed a deployment during the preceding 12 months.[11]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 18% identified IoT as the most impactful technology in 2025.[3]

Innovation in the boats industry

  • 215,000–225,000 new powerboats were estimated to be sold nationwide in the United States in 2025.[12]
  • 95% of boats sold in the United States are made domestically, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association in 2026.[13]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data quality and governance show up as operational constraints for analytics scaling, with 33% of shippers citing data quality as a top barrier to scaling AI in 2026.

Business intelligence in the boats industry

  • Monthly wholesale-shipment and retail-sales reports covered all U.S. and Canadian boat and engine segments in NMMA’s 2023 business-intelligence program.[13]
  • 102,000 views were recorded for NMMA statistical reports in fiscal 2023, reflecting demand for boating-industry data and insights.[13]
  • Annual statistical abstracts were published for both the U.S. and Canada in 2023, covering new, pre-owned, state-level and import/export trends across boat segments.[13]

Data Quality in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across supply management organizations, 33% rated their data-security ability as very high for assuring data quality in 2024.[14]
  • Across supply management organizations, 67% said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[14]
  • Across supply management organizations, 49% rated their data quality as good or excellent in 2024.[14]
  • Across transportation and logistics shippers, 33% identified data quality as a top barrier to scaling artificial intelligence in 2026.[5]

Data Governance in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across supply management organizations with a data-governance function, 47% housed it in a center of excellence in 2024.[14]
  • Across supply management organizations, 61% had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024.[14]
  • Across supply management organizations with a data-governance program, 81% found the program useful in 2024.[14]
  • 39% of 3PL respondents said their supply chain governance maturity was running in place, with no noticeable progress, in the 2024 global survey.[15]
  • 33% of 3PL respondents said their supply chain governance maturity was running ahead, meaning proactive and predictable, in the 2024 global survey.[15]
  • 49% of shipper respondents said their supply chain governance maturity was running in place, with no noticeable progress, in the 2024 global survey.[15]

KPIs in the boats industry

  • -5 was the Net Promoter Score among respondents to the Ports of Jersey leisure-boat-owner satisfaction survey.[16]
  • More than 260 marine service departments contributed insights to the MRAA service-department study of boat-repair performance.[17]
  • More than 50 days was the average repair-event cycle time used as a key boat-service performance indicator in the MRAA study.[17]
  • More than 70 days was the average warranty repair-event cycle time reported in the MRAA boat-service study.[17]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Unit volumes softened after the pandemic era, with U.S. new-boat retail unit sales down 8.8% in 2025 to 215,237 units, while aftermarket and access models expanded.

Growth in the boats industry

  • 14% of Brunswick Boat segment net sales came from Business Acceleration businesses focused on services, subscriptions and new boating models in 2025.[18]
  • 8.8% was the year-over-year decline in U.S. new-boat retail unit sales in 2025, to 215,237 units.[13]
  • 35% was the increase in annual U.S. recreational-boating economic activity from 2018 to 2023, rising from $170 billion to $230 billion.[13]
  • 90% or more of U.S. 2025 powerboat unit sales came from personal watercraft, aluminum fishing boats and smaller trailerable boats.[13]

Differentiation in the boats industry

  • 61% of U.S. boat owners had annual household income of $75,000 or less, according to NMMA.[13]
  • Over 17 boat-club locations across Florida supported Vision Marine’s JetRide electric-boat partnership in 2024.[19]
  • 95% of U.S. boats were under 26 feet and towable, according to NMMA’s recreational-boating industry figures.[13]
  • 95% of boats sold in the United States were made domestically, according to NMMA’s recreational-boating industry figures.[13]

Mergers and acquisitions in the boats industry

  • 1 merger with Marine Products was completed by MasterCraft on May 15, 2026.[19]
  • 37 recreational boat dealers, 5 brokerage operations, 6 superyacht service companies, 2 yacht-repair operations and 3 boat manufacturers had been acquired by MarineMax as of September 30, 2025.[19]
  • 1 Saxdor acquisition expanded Malibu Boats’ dealer footprint to 68 countries in March 2026.[19]

Strategic partnerships in the boats industry

  • 1 strategic partnership with MarineMax covered pre-owned vessel transactions, financing, insurance and related services in 2026.[19]
  • 1 partnership with Vision Marine supplied Massimo Marine pontoon boats with the E-Motion 180E electric powertrain system.[19]
  • 17 boat-club locations across Florida were included in Vision Marine’s JetRide strategic partnership in 2024.[19]
  • 49% was Brunswick’s ownership interest in Brunswick Acceptance Company, a joint venture supporting marine finance in 2025.[18]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce signals point to older staffing and ongoing digital upskilling; the median age in a 2024 global marine-industry workplace study was 49.5 years.

Hiring in the boats industry

  • 49.5 years was the median age of respondents in the 2024 global marine-industry workplace study, indicating an older workforce and a need for stronger talent pipelines.[20]
  • 71% of marine-industry workplace-study respondents strongly agreed that they enjoy working in the marine industry in 2024.[20]

Employee retention in the boats industry

  • 75% of marine-industry workplace-study respondents strongly agreed that they were happy and satisfied with their current job in 2024.[20]
  • 61% of marine professionals strongly agreed in 2024 that their work was more than just a job.[1]

Remote Work in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. transportation and utilities occupations, about 11% of workers worked remotely at least sometimes from October 2023 through September 2024.[21]
  • Across U.S. transportation and utilities, 20.3% of workers could work from home in 2024–2025, while 18.6% actually did so, according to annual averages.[22]
  • Among U.S. transportation, logistics, supply-chain and storage hires, 17.0% of hires at small companies were remote during the year ending September 2024.[23]
  • In the U.S. transportation and warehousing industry, 13.9% of wage and salary employees worked from home in January 2025.[24]

Hybrid Work in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 42% reported a hybrid work arrangement in 2025.[25]
  • Among transportation employers surveyed for the U.S. Job Outlook, 33.3% reported fully hybrid work arrangements in 2024.[26]
  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 54% worked hybrid schedules in August 2026.[27]
  • Globally, 25% of engaged employees were working in hybrid arrangements in 2025, compared with 30% of exclusively remote employees and 17% of on-site, non-remote-capable employees.[27]

Upskilling in the boats industry

  • 25.71% of marine dealers selected a how-to guide for online analytics tools as their most-needed digital-marketing support in 2025.[28]
  • 22.14% of marine dealers selected better understanding of online terminology and available technology as their most-needed digital-marketing support in 2025.[28]

Employee Engagement in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across Asia-Pacific transport and logistics organizations, 62% of employees were actively engaged, based on feedback from 30,116 employees in 24 surveys.[29]
  • In U.S. logistics, more than 60% of frontline workers considered their roles long-term career commitments in 2024.[30]
  • In U.S. logistics, 40% of frontline workers wanted to quit in 2024, according to a survey of 500 logistics employees.[30]
  • In U.S. logistics, 71% of frontline workers reported workplace stress in 2024.[30]
  • Globally, 20% of employees were engaged at work in 2025, while 16% were actively disengaged.[27]

DEI in the boats industry

  • 1% of active seafarers employed by participating maritime organizations were women in the 2024 survey.[31]
  • 16% of employees in 608 participating maritime private-sector companies were women in 2024, excluding seafarers.[31]
  • 27,992 women were employed by participating maritime private-sector companies in 2024, excluding seafarers.[31]

Change Management in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among surveyed third-party logistics providers, 76% reported using a structured change-management framework in the 2025 Third-Party Logistics Study.[32]
  • Across large logistics organizations, 76% of transformation initiatives failed to meet critical budget, timeline or KPI metrics in a global survey conducted in late 2023.[33]
  • Across supply-chain organizations, only 15% of digital initiatives achieved at least 90% of their targeted benefits in Gartner research published in 2024.[33]
  • Among surveyed shippers, 58% reported using a structured change-management framework in the 2025 Third-Party Logistics Study.[32]
  • Among third-party logistics providers using a change-management approach, 33% reported using one of the named frameworks surveyed in 2025.[32]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Dealers’ measurement remains uneven: 60% tracked lead conversions in 2025, and more than 85% tracked website traffic, leaving 40% without conversion reporting.

Customer experience in the boats industry

  • 60% of marine dealers surveyed tracked lead conversions in 2025, leaving 40% that did not report doing so.[28]
  • More than 85% of marine dealers surveyed tracked website traffic in 2025, while 15% did not.[28]

Customer retention in the boats industry

  • Approximately 637,000 repeat boat owners were identified across Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia in Boats Group’s 2026 analysis.[34]
  • 70% of repeat buyers who started with a used boat purchased used again on their subsequent purchase, according to Boats Group’s 2026 analysis.[34]
  • Approximately 45% of buyers who started with a new boat purchased used on their next purchase, according to Boats Group’s 2026 analysis.[34]

Customer acquisition in the boats industry

  • About 75% of marine dealers surveyed tracked lead sources in 2025.[28]
  • More than half of marine dealers surveyed used Dealer Spike as their website provider in 2025.[28]

Customer loyalty in the boats industry

  • Approximately 60% of paired personal-watercraft and jet-boat purchases occurred on the same day in Boats Group’s 2026 analysis.[34]
  • Approximately 23% of repeat buyers in Florida stayed within the same boat class, while more than three-quarters switched categories, in 2026.[34]
  • Only 6%–13% of repeat boat buyers stayed with the same manufacturer on their next boat across four U.S. states in 2026.[34]

Lead generation in the boats industry

  • 60% of marine dealers surveyed tracked conversions from leads in 2025.[28]
  • 13.4% of marine-dealer digital-marketing challenges mentioned in 2025 concerned time or staffing.[28]
  • 7.6% of marine-dealer digital-marketing challenges mentioned in 2025 concerned lead quality.[28]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Demand capture is tracked at scale in Discover Boating reporting, including 6.5 million website visitors in fiscal 2024 and 951,000 social followers across platforms.

Marketing in the boats industry

  • 1.6 million introductions to boat manufacturers and dealers were generated through website referrals, boat shows and leads in fiscal 2024.[13]
  • 7.3 billion media impressions were delivered by Discover Boating’s U.S. and Canadian marketing program during fiscal 2024.[13]
  • 5,000-plus pieces of boating content were created by Discover Boating during fiscal 2024.[13]
  • 10.4 million dollars in equivalent media value was generated through nearly 24,000 positive boating news stories in fiscal 2024.[13]

Digital marketing in the boats industry

  • 16% of surveyed U.S. and Canadian marine businesses reported annual online marketing budgets of at least $100,000 in 2025.[28]
  • 6.5 million people visited Discover Boating websites in the U.S. and Canada during fiscal 2024, 23% more than the previous year.[13]
  • At least $50,000 was spent annually on online marketing by the reported share of U.S. and Canadian boat dealers identified in the 2025 survey.[28]
  • 8% of surveyed U.S. and Canadian marine businesses committed $5,000 or less annually to online marketing in 2025.[28]

Branding in the boats industry

  • 140-plus content creators partnered with Discover Boating during fiscal 2024 to share boating experiences with their audiences.[13]
  • 951,000 followers comprised Discover Boating’s social-media audience across Instagram, TikTok, Meta and X in fiscal 2024.[13]
  • 1,261% year-over-year growth was reported for Discover Boating’s social platforms compared with 2023 growth.[13]
  • 91 million people were identified as potentially interested in boating through Discover Boating research in fiscal 2024.[13]

Social media in the boats industry

  • 600,000 viral video views were generated by Discover Boating’s #BoatAppetit and #WaterWear TikTok campaigns in their first two days.[13]
  • 13% was the average engagement rate for Discover Boating’s #BoatAppetit and #WaterWear TikTok campaigns.[13]
  • 12.5 million interactions, including engagements and views, resulted from Discover Boating’s creator partnerships in fiscal 2024.[13]
  • 25 million impressions were generated by Discover Boating’s content creators during fiscal 2024.[13]

Influencer Marketing in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • 55% of B2B companies used influencers in 2025, according to a global survey of marketing decision-makers.[35]
  • 53% of U.S. B2B marketers reported a growing dedicated influencer-marketing budget in 2024 survey data.[36]
  • 29% of B2B companies planned to adopt influencer marketing within the following year in 2025, globally.[35]
  • 49% of B2B marketers selected industry relevance as a criterion for choosing influencers in 2025, globally.[35]
  • 58% of B2B marketers selected authenticity and credibility as criteria for choosing influencers in 2025, globally.[35]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Margin and cost drivers are explicitly quantified; Brunswick’s 2025 Boat gross-margin change included 250 basis points attributed to material inflation and tariffs.

Supply chain in the boats industry

  • 2.2 percentage points was MasterCraft Boat Holdings’ fiscal-2025 decline in gross-margin percentage.[37]
  • 250 basis points of Brunswick’s 2025 gross-margin change were attributed to material inflation, including tariffs, in its Boat segment.[18]
  • 10 basis points of Brunswick’s 2025 gross-margin change were attributed to higher absorption in its Boat segment.[18]
  • $1.5 million was MasterCraft Boat Holdings’ fiscal-2025 increase in operating expenses, primarily from higher variable compensation costs.[37]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across surveyed logistics companies in Germany, the rest of Europe and Latin America, 25% had fully outsourced warehouse operations in 2026.[38]
  • Across surveyed logistics companies in Germany, the rest of Europe and Latin America, 65% expected outsourcing to continue increasing in 2026.[38]
  • Across surveyed logistics companies in Germany, the rest of Europe and Latin America, about 60% had fully outsourced transportation services in 2026.[38]
  • Across surveyed logistics companies in Germany, the rest of Europe and Latin America, 57% planned outsourcing projects in warehousing in 2026.[38]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing and mix show up through per-unit sales disclosures; Malibu reported $807.6 million net sales on 4,898 units, about $164,876 net sales per unit.

Pricing strategy in the boats industry

  • 22.8% was OneWater Marine’s consolidated gross-profit margin in fiscal 2025, down 170 basis points year over year.[39]
  • 32.5% was MarineMax’s gross-profit margin for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, down from 33.0% in 2024.[40]
  • 8.2% was NextBoat’s pre-owned-boat gross-profit margin in 2025, compared with 7.5% in 2024.[41]

Cost reduction in the boats industry

  • $50.9 million was MasterCraft Boat Holdings’ fiscal-2025 reduction in consolidated net sales from fiscal 2024, partly reflecting lower planned unit volumes.[37]
  • 7.4% was the year-over-year decline in U.S. new-powerboat retail unit sales for the 12 months ended February 2025.[13]
  • 49.1% was the year-over-year decline in Brunswick Boat segment GAAP operating earnings in 2025.[18]
  • $51.0 million was the reduction in OneWater Marine’s total inventory between September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2025.[39]

Profitability in the boats industry

  • 12.0% was MasterCraft Boat Holdings’ adjusted EBITDA margin in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025.[37]
  • $10.7 million was MasterCraft Boat Holdings’ fiscal-2025 income from continuing operations.[37]
  • $32.2 million was Brunswick’s Boat segment GAAP operating earnings in 2025.[18]
  • $1.5252 billion was Brunswick’s Boat segment net sales in 2025, compared with $1.5535 billion in 2024.[18]

Financial planning in the boats industry

  • $55.6 billion was spent on retail boating sales in the United States in 2024.[42]
  • 18% of U.S. 2024 boating retail sales came from pre-owned boats, according to National Marine Manufacturers Association industry data.[42]
  • 37% of Malibu Boats’ new-boat revenue came from fishing boats in fiscal 2025.[42]
  • 38% of U.S. 2024 boating retail sales came from new boats, according to National Marine Manufacturers Association industry data.[42]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product mix continues to concentrate in propulsion, with 64.4% of U.S. boat-building revenue coming from outboard motorboats in 2025.

Product development in the boats industry

  • 64.4% of U.S. boat-building revenue came from outboard motorboats in 2025, compared with 23.8% from inboard boats and 8.7% from sailboats.[43]
  • 258,000 new powerboats were estimated to be sold at U.S. retail in 2023, while personal watercraft represented approximately 85,000–90,000 units.[13]
  • $19.1 billion was the estimated 2025 U.S. boat-building industry revenue, with customization, electric propulsion and autonomous technologies identified as product-development influences.[43]

Product lifecycle in the boats industry

  • €920,000 was Groupe Beneteau’s 2024 eco-contribution paid to APER for end-of-life recreational-boat management in France.[44]
  • 13,080 boats were decommissioned through APER in 2024, achieving 65% of the organization’s 20,000-boat target.[44]

After-sales in the boats industry

  • 3.8 out of 5 was the average satisfaction score for engine maintenance among surveyed leisure boat owners.[16]
  • More than 50 days was the average boat repair-event cycle time, rising above 70 days for warranty work in the MRAA study.[17]

Value proposition in the boats industry

  • 61% of U.S. boat owners had annual household income of $75,000 or less, indicating a broad mass-market segment within recreational boating.[13]
  • $40–50 billion was McKinsey’s estimated annual global new-boat sales-market value in 2025.[45]
  • Approximately 200 midsize-to-large builders produced around 8,000 boats and yachts of at least 12 meters annually, according to McKinsey’s 2025 analysis.[45]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

End-of-life activity is tracked with named targets: 13,080 boats processed in 2024 through APER, reaching 65% of the 20,000-boat target.

Sustainability in the boats industry

  • 30 million-plus recreational boats were estimated to be in use globally, according to ICOMIA’s boating sustainability overview.[46]
  • 95% of the global recreational fleet was under 24 meters, according to ICOMIA’s boating sustainability overview.[46]
  • 100-plus national associations were represented in ICOMIA’s global recreational-boating sustainability network.[46]
  • 2050 is the horizon for the recreational boating industry’s net-zero pathway identified by ICOMIA.[46]

ESG in the boats industry

  • 13,080 boats were processed for end-of-life decommissioning through APER in 2024, representing 65% of its 20,000-boat target.[44]
  • €920,000 was paid by Groupe Beneteau to APER in 2024 for France-scope environmental contributions.[44]

CSR in the boats industry

  • 812,558 jobs were supported by the U.S. recreational boating industry, according to NMMA’s industry-impact figures.[13]
  • 93% of U.S. boat manufacturers were small businesses, according to NMMA’s industry-impact figures.[13]
  • 36,101 businesses were supported by the U.S. recreational boating industry, according to NMMA’s industry-impact figures.[13]

Circular economy in the boats industry

  • €920,000 was Groupe Beneteau’s 2024 contribution to APER for end-of-life boat management in France.[44]
  • 13,080 boats were decommissioned through APER in 2024, equal to 65% of the organization’s 20,000-boat target.[44]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Cross-border distribution is measured through dealer footprints; Malibu’s dealer footprint reached 68 countries after its March 2026 Saxdor acquisition.

Globalization in the boats industry

  • 68 countries comprised Malibu Boats’ dealer footprint after its March 2026 Saxdor acquisition.[19]
  • 11.3% of MasterCraft’s net sales were international in fiscal 2026.[19]
  • 88 international dealers represented Marine Products’ overseas distribution network in 2024.[19]
  • $2.0 billion was the value of U.S. recreational boat and engine exports in 2025, while imports totaled $3.2 billion.[13]
  • 20% of Brunswick’s Boat segment net sales came from international markets in 2025.[18]

Supplier management in the boats industry

  • 10% was the largest share of Marine Products’ 2024 net sales attributable to any single dealer or commonly owned dealer group; none reached that threshold.[19]
  • More than 900 boat builders and over 9,000 marine dealers and distributors were served globally by Brunswick’s Propulsion segment in 2025.[18]
  • 2 principal outboard-engine suppliers—Yamaha and Mercury Marine—supplied Marine Products under multi-year and annual purchasing agreements in 2024.[19]
  • 5 key brands accounted for 10%–40% each of OneWater Marine’s sales volume, while no individual brand exceeded 7% of total sales in fiscal 2025.[19]

Stakeholder management in the boats industry

  • $26.9 billion in annual tax revenue was associated with the U.S. recreational boating industry, according to NMMA.[13]
  • 96 new members joined the National Marine Manufacturers Association in fiscal 2023, supporting its industry advocacy and market-expansion initiatives.[13]

Distribution channels in the boats industry

  • 17 independent dealers sold Twin Vee’s gas-powered boats across North America, Hawaii and Australia in 2025.[19]
  • 65 marina and storage locations worldwide were owned or operated by MarineMax after its IGY acquisition as of September 30, 2024.[19]
  • More than 1,300 dealers and distributors formed Brunswick Boat Group’s global sales network in 2025.[18]
  • 35 boat manufacturers and more than 50 brands supplied OneWater Marine’s retail assortment in fiscal 2025.[19]
  • 202 U.S. dealers and 88 international dealers distributed Marine Products’ Chaparral and Robalo boats in 2024.[19]

Key questions about the Boats Industry

How large is the global leisure-boat market in 2025, and what is the 2026 estimate?
Global leisure-boat revenue was estimated at $51.2 billion in 2025 and Grand View Research projects $53.9 billion in 2026.
What growth rate and end-point does the 2026–2033 leisure-boat forecast use?
The global leisure-boat market is forecast to reach $81.0 billion by 2033 at a 6.0% CAGR from 2026 to 2033.
Which companies lead the boats industry?
Brunswick Corporation leads Gitnux's 2026 boats ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with Mercury powers one out of every two U.S. powerboats. Malibu Boats is the highest-ranked towboat manufacturer at 8.9, driven by being the world’s largest watersports towboat manufacturer.
What technology shifts show up in boating-adjacent digitalization and analytics signals for 2025–2026?
In 2025, 79% of recreational marine marketers used AI for content creation. In 2026, 15% of logistics service providers reported using AI at scale.
What portion of U.S. boating retail sales came from pre-owned boats in 2024?
In 2024, 18% of U.S. boating retail sales came from pre-owned boats.
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
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Boats Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/boats-industry-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Boats Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/boats-industry-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Boats Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/boats-industry-statistics.

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