Winnipesaukee Forum - Boat dealers, marinas busy, happy

This is from an article in the Union Leader, only time will tell if they are right...

MOULTONBOROUGH -- Boat owner Ray Dame of Methuen, Mass., poured $167 worth of gas into his 21-foot motorboat on a brilliant Thursday afternoon at the Melvin Village Marina on Lake Winnipesaukee.

He was ready for a day on the lake — in April.

“This is about the earliest I've been out,” he said. He didn't even mind the price tag. “Come hell or high water, I'll get out on the lake,” he said.

Nearby on the dock, Mark Winiker of Holliston, Mass., said he and Dame were fortunate that they could afford filling their boat's gas tank — Winiker has a nicely equipped pontoon boat that he readied for an outing as well.

“I'm taking the kids out tomorrow,” he said. “This is the earliest. Last year it was June when I put the boat in,” he said.

The mild temperatures and early ice-out are putting a smile on busy staff at Lakes Region marinas, where great weather and healthier economy are stimulating sales.

“Without question, the warm weather and early ice-out have jump-started sales,” said Melvin Village Marina general manager Matt Young. “Everything happened a month earlier. I think the weather, combined with the economy that seems stronger, the sales of boats has accelerated,” said Young. “We're up substantially over last year,” he said.

The customer base varies. Marina managers concurred the customers who could afford to pay cash for boats are buying, and that the middle-income segment is starting to buy as well.

“We're seeing customers return. The middle-income demographic is coming back. We're also seeing people who have held off buying are starting to feel secure enough in their jobs to buy. The boats they may have had got older — just like many people were keeping their cars longer — and kept them longer than they should,” said Young. Another positive sign is the return of the younger boater — age 35-50 bracket. The average boat owner is 50 years old, he noted.

“The younger buyers are returning. We're seeing people getting into boating again,” said Young.

At Goodhue Hawkins Navy Yard in Wolfeboro, general manager Steve Durgan recently reported a 40 percent increase in sales over last year.

“This is extraordinary,” he said. “We're in uncharted territory with this weather.” He said bow riders — an open motorboat with no cabin — and pontoon boats are selling well. The yard stores 500 boats, and an early start to the season means employees can get boats back in the water over several weeks.

“We got a three-week jump on the season,” he said.

In Alton Bay, sales manager Kim Smith reports a super busy April.

We've been working weekends. Weekends are nonstop. Last weekend I worked Thursday, Friday, Saturday — didn't get home for lunch — and came in half a day on Sunday,” she said.

Does the weather make a difference for boaters? “Oh yeah it does — when the sun shines and it's warm. We've been doing great,” Smith said. “We're a full-service marina. The sun and the early ice-out helped,” she said.

Smith also reports brisk sales of pontoon boats. “Basically, they are a living room on the water,” she said, adding the marina sells a pontoon boat model, Sylvan, powerful enough to tow water-skiers.