They say that it is very expensive to own a boat, and having been involved in the Marine sector I do concur. I’ve also been around the aviation sector, and owning an airplane, renting an airplane, and/or flying airplanes is also quite expensive. A part for a car that might cost $35 could cost $700 for an airplane. For a boat, it might cost $350-$400. What about recreational boating? What if you rent a boat, charter boat, or split costs with a friend who owns a boat to go out on the ocean or a lake? Well, if you do you will be contributing to the economy, and chances are you will tell all of your friends.
You may not realize this but the amount of economic development and tourism garnered from marinas and recreational boating can be quite staggering at times. Not long ago, I read an interesting article in ‘The Log’ which is a local newspaper that you find around the marinas in Southern California. There was an interesting article on June 7, 2013 titled; “Study Shows Boating BONANZAJP Has a Major Impact on US Economy,” and it turns out that “the recreational marine industry contributed $121.5 billion in 2012 through about 35,000 recreational boating related businesses, providing over 338,000 jobs.”
The article also noted that there are 12 million registered recreational boats in the United States, and these are some staggering numbers from the national Marine Manufacturers Association NMMA. Personally, none of this surprises me because I live a stone’s throw from a very large marina in Southern California. It’s obvious that there is a ton of money being poured into these recreational vessels in our area, and those who come to enjoy boating in our area also stay and eat at the restaurants, go shopping, and contribute to the success of our local area small businesses.
When I was younger, we had a business which specialized in cleaning boats down at the marina. We had so much business we couldn’t get all the work done, and then after the weekend was over, all the boats were dirty again, or needed cleaning before the next weekend. “Thank God for dirt,” I used to say, and back then I was one of those 35,000 recreational boating related businesses they talk about, and we did provide jobs for a number of local college students and marine minded individuals.
What I’m saying to you is this; we shouldn’t sell the marine sector short, it’s something we do very good here the United States. Please consider all this and think on it.