International News: US Sailing Market

North American sailboat sales declined 53 per cent in 2009.

By IBI Magazine. Sales by North American sailboat manufacturers fell to US$258m in 2009, a 53 per cent decline compared to 2008. Overall unit sales fell by 38 per cent to 7,076 units, according to a study by The Sailing Company.

The data in the “2010 The Sailing Market: State of the Sailing Industry” showed sizable declines in unit sales of all boat sizes. Sailboats over 6.1m (20ft) declined to 1,246 units for 2009, a 55 per cent decline compared to 2008. Sailboats under 20ft fell by 34 per cent to 6,055 units for the year, though a subset of that category, boats under 3.4m (11ft), were only down by 20 per cent to 2,457 units. The report noted that unit sales of cruisers fell from 54 to 56 per cent, depending on the size range.

Exports of sailboats from North American builders declined by 46 per cent to 1,154 units. Imported sailboats over 20ft also declined by 118 units to 240 last year.

The North American builders also reported that the total number of employees fell industrywide to 1,632, compared to 2,300 in 2008. The sailboat industry employed 2,975 in 2007.

The responding companies, which represent 92 per cent of the industry, forecasted a 12 per cent sales increase in 2010. That number, said the builders, will be led by a rebound in cruiser sales.