Wholesale Shipments of Outboard Motors Up Over 2014

According to data just released by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), wholesale shipments of outboard motors in the US through September were up by 4.5 percent over the previous year. Wholesale shipments in Canada were also reported to be up over 2014, and by a healthy 13 percent.

Gains were also reported at the retail level. Based on warranty card registrations, retail sales of outboards in the US were 10.5 percent higher than for the same period through September 2014, while Canadian retail sales were up by a more modest 2.9 percent.

According to NMMA’s control group of manufacturers – representing 95 percent of the North American market – market gains continue to be led by four-stroke outboards, and particularly by units of higher horsepower.

Last month NMMA president Thom Dammrich said that the future for the boating business looks bright over the next few years. In his address to delegates attending the 25th annual International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference in Louisville, Ky., Dammrich indicated that total retail spending in the recreational boating industry in 2014 totaled $35.4 billion – a figure closely approaching the industry’s all-time high of $38 billion recorded in 2006. “I am very confident when we are done calculating the final numbers for 2015, we’ll be back to that previous high or above that previous high of 2006,” he said.