Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/834717
44 | Boating Industry | July 2017 www.BoatingIndustry.com /// Market Trends /// considerably since Nov. 1 … we haven't seen numbers like this since 2005," said Zwicker. While Baby Boomers remain the primary buyers of fiberglass fishing boats in the freshwater market, as in the aluminum segment, a growing cohort of younger buyers has begun to make their presence known and are beginning to account for a higher proportion of sales. "Tournament bass boats remain the core business for Ranger, while we continue to push into the multi-species and fish-and-ski segments where we're starting to see more interest from young families," said Zwicker. "In the bass market, collegiate tournaments are clearly beginning to have an impact. We're seeing excellent success with the events that we participate in at the high school and college level. That's getting to be bigger all the time." As the bass market slowly expands, so too does the offshore fishery on large water bodies like the Great Lakes, where ecosystem rehabilita- tion efforts have resulted in rebounding populations of walleye, muskie, lake trout and salmon. "The Great Lakes can get rough so it's always been a strong market for offshore boats," said Alan Lang, national sales manager at Scout Boats. "The freshwater market has been growing for us, not only in units, but in size. We sell everything in freshwater, right up to our 42-foot model. The 17 to 22-foot models probably represent the strongest volume overall, but we see demand right up the line, depending what the customer wants to do. Some of the buyers don't even fish, they just like the look of the boat and its ability to handle rough water." Where hard-core fishing boats once commanded the lion's share of the big-water market, Lang notes that today's buyers are looking for fishability combined with luxurious amenities. "We're seeing more demand today for boats that provide the latest elec- tronics, whether that's big in-dash displays and radar, or convenience fea- tures like joystick controls." Go small or go home While aluminum continues to command the lion's share of the freshwa- ter fishing boat market and fiberglass exhibits steady year-over-year gains, some of the fastest growth in recent years has been seen in the fishing kayak market, with the small boats now accounting for some of the largest sales gains of all. Kayak fishing first gained widespread attention as an extreme offshore sport, with a handful of adventurous anglers going far out into the Pacific Ocean to catch sharks and sailfish. Fueled by an avalanche of kayak fish- ing magazines, websites, television programs, YouTube channels and a rapidly expanding tournament circuit, specialized fishing kayaks – com- plete with rod holders, fish finders and even live wells – have exploded onto the mainstream. "We're seeing more and more anglers buying a kayak as a way of get- ting off the bank and onto the water," said Morgan Promnitz, fishing prod- ucts manager at Hobie Cat. "And at the same time we're seeing a growing number of experienced anglers moving from their power boat into a kayak Anglers want more amenities, even in aluminum boats. For Scout, 17- to 22-foot models are the best sellers.