Rising tide.

AuthorMaurer, Kevin
PositionSTATEWIDE: East

Atlantic Marine President David Floyd gets calls daily from people asking about open boat slips at his Wilmington marina, which has 180 dry-storage slots and four wet slips. "We've surpassed the pre-recession," Floyd says. "We've got a waiting list of over 50 boats." With the explosion of boat sales, Port City area marinas are expanding as they try to meet demand for storage.

Powerboat sales increased more than 6% last year, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which represents the nation's recreational boat industry. More boats, engines and trailers are sold in North Carolina than all but five other states, with N.C. boat owners spending nearly $635 million in 2016, up 9.4% from two years earlier.

"It's likely we will reflect on this period as a golden age for our economy and our industry," says Thom Dammrich, the group's president; "Looking ahead, 2017 is likely to bring new dollar and unit sales gains on par with or better than 2016, and this trend will likely continue through 2018."

"Families are spending a little money on something everyone can do," Floyd says. "It is a clean, healthy family activity."

The uptick in...

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