Manager Jake Jacobson at Rapid Marine in Ham Lake says 2020 turned out to be a very good year as people looked for a safe way to get away during the pandemic. “There were a lot of first time buyers buying entry level boats,” says Jacobson. “They would come in here and want to get away from all the crowds and the people and the possibility of getting sick.” The National Marine Manufacturers Association says sales of freshwater fishing and pontoon boats climbed by 12 percent in 2020. The organization points to smaller, versatile boats as the most popular with people looking to escape pandemic stress. After staying at home, “with nothing much to do.” Families like Terri and Lee Cater were boating hunting recently with an eye toward spending time with grandchildren. “Be able to get the grandson out fishing and maybe do a little tubing,” says Lee. Terri says it’s time for the grandchildren to get outdoors. “For the last year all they been able to do is stay in the house and play X-box,” said Terri. “So it’s time to get them out on the lake and get them out in the air.” Manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand. In some places the industry says they are still filling backlogs of orders from last year when the pandemic forced temporary shutdowns. “There will be a shortage, there’s no doubt about it,” said Jacobson. “A lot of manufacturers are already sold out until July or August.” Jacobson adds, there’s a good supply of boats on hand currently, but that may not last long. Boat manufacturers Lunds and Crestliner say they’ve added more than one hundred jobs to their Minnesota production facilities in the past six months.
BOAT SALES BOOMING
HAM LAKE – (March 4, 2021) – Minnesota always ranks high when it comes to getting out on the water. There are more than 820,000 registered boats in the state, and that number is growing. Nationally sales reached a 13 year high in 2020. Locally boat dealers say Minnesota is no exception.
