NMMA Canada boating statistics report

In 2011, 38 percent of Canadian adults went boating, a statistic that should make marine textile manufacturers take notice. This is one of many statistics available from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Canada, a leading trade group for recreational boating, which recently issued its first Canadian Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract for 2010 and 2011. The data compiled include recreational boating retail sales, participation and boater demographics, overall retail market, imports/exports and economic impacts on the industry. Some findings: sales of new and pre-owned recreational boats and outboard engines totaled $2.8 billion in 2011, a decrease of 21 percent from 2010; 215,000 boats were exported from Canada in 2010, of which 81 percent were rowboats or canoes; and Canada imported 14,466 outboard boats with a value of $98 million.