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July 2017 | Boating Industry | 41 www.BoatingIndustry.com /// Market Trends /// BY CRAIG RITCHIE If there's one constant in the recreational boating industry, it's that freshwater fishing boats always manage to sell. Even at the height of the downturn, freshwater fishing rigs were one of the few types of boats that continued to move off the lot – with some buyers joking that at least they would have something to do if and when their own job disappeared. And now with the economy once again firing on all cylin- ders, freshwater fishing boats continue to sell as consumers show new levels of confidence and manufacturers unleash an avalanche of new models and new features designed to leap- frog the competition. Through February 2017 sales of freshwater fishing boats in the United States were up by 2.7 percent over the previous year, according to Vicky Yu, direc- tor of industry statistics and research for the National Marine Manufacturers Association. "Freshwater fishing boats now account for 45 percent of all outboard-powered boats sold, outpacing pontoons (32 percent) and saltwater fishing boats (19 percent)," said Yu. "Sales of freshwater fishing boats have been growing for the past four years, with increases slightly mod- erating in the past year." The slow but steady uptick in freshwater fishing boat sales volumes appears to parallel similar slow but steady growth in overall angler par- ticipation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fishing license sales show an average annual growth in the low single-digit range over each of the past four years – a figure that is in line with growth in the freshwater fishing boat category overall. The aluminum market If there's one thing about freshwater anglers, it's their endearing love of aluminum. Indeed, aluminum boats now account for 84 percent of all freshwater fishing boat sales, said Yu. Reasons cited for this strong preference include their lighter overall weight, which allows aluminum boats to be towed behind smaller vehicles, and their ability to be easily launched and retrieved from waterways with unimproved ramps or no ramps at all. Aluminum is also said to be more resistant to damage than fiberglass should it periodically scrub rocks or stumps, a common occurrence among anglers who often fish in shallow waters. "The freshwater fishing market has been steady and aluminum boat sales in particular are up. They've been climbing steadily since about Freshwater fishing boats continue to sell well and generate steady profits for manufacturers and dealers alike. Hobie Cat is seeing growing demand in the kayak fishing market.