Boating

Recreational boating participation has been growing with the United States population. According to Responsive Management research, nearly a third of Americans 18 years old and older go boating each year. The increase in the number of recreational boaters, as well as increases in boat registration and the amount of time spent on the water, have led to increased demands for and use of public and private boating access, boating facilities, and boating supplies.

The majority of recreational boating in the United States is done in open motorboats under 26 feet in length. Furthermore, boats under 16 feet long are the most commonly used watercraft in recreational boating. Jet ski and other personal watercraft ownership have increased over the last decade, but still represent a minority of recreational boats used. Most recreational boating takes place on freshwater lakes or impoundments.

Inconsistent registration requirements confound the accurate collection of boating statistics. Standard, codified boating registration and accident reportage would increase the accuracy of analyses of boating participation, boat ownership and registration, and accident rates.
Income is correlated to boating recreation and boat ownership, contributing to the factors indicating that boat ownership is associated with middle-class sociodemographic characteristics. There is also a correlation between education and participation in recreational boating. Persons with graduate, professional, or undergraduate degrees are slightly more likely to participate in recreational boating. Ethnic minorities are under-represented in boating and boat ownership relative to the general population of the United States.

Although lack of access has been cited as a deterrent to recreational boating, Responsive Management research indicates that whether lack of access to the water is a constraint to boating participation varies state by state. In some states, lack of access to the water does indeed appear to be a constraint and boaters cite the need for more and improved access sites, such as boat launch ramps. However, in other states, access is not a reason for dissatisfaction with boating, decreased boating activity, or not going boating more often.

Recreational boating satisfaction is not derived from the physical activities of boating itself. Rather, satisfaction from recreational boating, as in other types of outdoor recreation, tends to be about naturalistic experiences, rest and relaxation, and social issues in connection with friends and family. The fact that naturalistic experiences, being with friends and family, relaxation, and other less tangible reasons are of primary importance, and proximal factors such as costs, challenge, and physical characteristics of boats and/or boat performance are of less importance needs to be carefully considered in the development of management and marketing plans.

In response to the large number of boating injuries and fatalities, Congress passed the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 and later created the Aquatic Resources (Wallop-Breaux) Trust Fund in 1984. Both of these actions paid dividends, with a decline in the rate of boating injuries and fatalities.

While typically a majority of boaters do not participate in boating safety courses, they do participate in basic first aid, water safety, and/or rescue courses at a higher rate than that of the general population. Recreational boaters favor mandatory boating safety classes, but few feel they personally need safety training. Recreational boaters are more likely to favor mandatory boating safety requirements for new boat operators, especially personal watercraft operators.

Responsive Management’s boating research studies have examined boating participation and related characteristics (locations of boating, numbers and types of boats owned and registered, etc.); ratings of state boating programs, services, and facilities; opinions on boating access; activities while boating and motivations for boating; boating law enforcement; environmental issues connected to boating; constraints to boating; factors associated with boating accidents and fatalities; and more.

Recent examples of Responsive Management’s research on boating include the following: