Carl Blackwell, Senior VP of National Marine Manufacturers Association
- Looking ahead, its important for our industry to be focused on getting a younger, more diversified audience to get on the water and experience boating.
- Manufacturers should be sure that their websites are inviting and facilitate easy exploration of new brands and models. Since smartphones are the ever-increasing primary source of communication, making websites mobile-friendly is crucial and will highly increase traffic. Video is also an important tool in which boating is brought to life.
Huw Bower, President of Boston Whaler
- To be successful against tech-savvy customer demands, boat manufacturers and dealers will have to continue to position themselves as long-lasting and forward-thinking brands.
- While the majority of boaters purchase on price, an increasing numbers of boaters are willing to pay for functional luxury and purposeful innovation.
- We should all seek to increase efforts to conserve the environments in which we boat, not only in 2016, but as a long-term goal.
Joan Maxwell, Chairwoman of National Marine Manufacturers Association
- With fuel prices at their lowest levels in recent years and the economy continuing to grow stronger, the industry should continue to see growth through new boat sales with new models, features and technology.
Ben Speciale, President of Yamaha Marine Group
- Unemployment keeps slowly dropping, GDP has been slowly rising and boating participation is steady. Also, 30 percent of boat owners have said they are in the market for a new boat within the next three years.
So, in conclusion, industry leaders say new boats with advanced propulsion and innovative technology are keys to fueling sales and say that type of slow, steady growth is positive, given the hit boating took in the recession.
Please contact Ballast Point Yachts, Inc. for all of your boating needs. We offer yacht sales, service, insurance, financing, transport and more.
Visit: https://www.ballastpointyachts.com
1239 Scott Street, San Diego, California 92106
Tel (619) 222-3620 x 1 • Toll-Free (866) 341-0687