| Aluminum boat sales dipped slightly in April
New boat sales for aluminum boats posted a single-digit decline in April, with sales down 8.2 percent compared to April 2007, according to the latest report from Statistical Surveys.
Preliminary registration data for fiberglass boats in all lengths, including PWCs, fell 22.4 percent in the month. This report is based on 28 states, or 60 percent of the U.S. market.
Sales of fiberglass boats, in the popular lengths of 14-30 feet, were down 23.5 percent in the early reporting states for April. On a 12-month rolling basis, sales were down 14.1 percent.
Aluminum boats sales were down 6.9 percent for the 12 months from May 2007 through April 2008.
PWCs fell 8.5 percent on a 12-month rolling basis and were down 21.7 percent year to date.
“The relative strength of the aluminum segment is a good sign,” said Aarn Rosen, national marine sales manager for Statistical Surveys. “Some people believe that when the tin market bottoms out, the rest of the marine segments will follow. I’m looking for a couple more months to indicate greater market stability. It will be interesting to see how the entire second quarter fares.”
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