March and Q1 US Boat Sales Both Down

Latest Statistical Surveys Inc figures show US boat sales fell 9% in March and Q1 2026, with declines across most segments.

US boats sales in March, and for the full first-quarter of 2026, remain bleak across the board with few exceptions, notably at the entry and upper-level market segments.

In March, all US recreational boat sales (5ft-135ft) fell 9.57% from last year, reflecting a downward trend for the month that is notoriously slow in the industry that began in 2024, with calendar Q1 2026 off just over 9%.

Cruisers in the 31ft-40ft range were up 9% in March – equaling two units – but for the quarter were down over 3.5%, which, ironically, also equated to two units.

While aluminum fishing boats in the 8ft-24ft range fell nearly 2% in March, the category survived the quarter with an increase of 1% or 79 units.

The yachting sector, long considered immune to the day-to-day market influences of interest rates and stock market performance, have not seen a happy start to the new year. 41ft-64ft yachts were off 57% in March and down nearly 27% for the quarter, while those over 65ft were down 60% and 45% respectively.

While individual OEMs saw some modest growth in March, few of those exceeded single digits, usually coming off more dramatically dismal numbers from the previous year.

Sales of bass boats dropped 13%, pontoons off nearly 12%; runabouts lower by nearly 24% – led by a 30% decline in I/O-powered 16ft-40ft models; saltwater fish off 7.5%; tow boats were down some 5%, and even the previously strong PWC market dropped 12% in March.

For the quarter, those segments faired no better with bass boats off 9%; pontoons off 11%, runabouts dropped 18%, saltwater fish fell 8% and tow boats were down 5.5%.

The numbers, provided by Statistical Surveys, Inc (SSI), are generated using data from 39 reporting states and represent some 79% of the boats sold.