Boat manufacturing picks up in May, PWC sales surge

CHICAGO, Illinois—New data from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) shows a pickup in manufacturing activity in May with seasonally adjusted wholesale shipments of outboard engines, personal watercrafts (PWCs), wake sport boats, and jet boats seeing increases ranging from 19 percent to 160 percent compared to April when business productivity was halted due to the pandemic.

Data also shows an unprecedented increase in PWC seasonally adjusted sales in May, up 59 percent compared to April, and up 75 percent compared to a year ago. NMMA said these initial findings are an encouraging indicator for new boat sales and boating activity as the summer boating season opens across the country.

“The new data coming out for May suggests that the worst of the pandemic impacts may be behind the boating industry as we’re seeing manufacturing activity start to pickup and an increase in sales in certain segments. PWC retail sales surged in May, a high volume category that account for about a quarter of total new boat sales annually and a popular purchase option for many first-time boat buyers,” Vicky Yu, director of NMMA business intelligence, said in a released statement.