Home » Boat show scheduled for Jan. 27-31, 2016 in Louisville

Boat show scheduled for Jan. 27-31, 2016 in Louisville

Powerboat sales up 8% in 2015

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Dec. 22, 2015) — The 2016 Progressive Insurance Louisville Boat, RV & Sportshow will be held from Jan. 27-31, 2016 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The event will feature hundreds of new boats and RVs, along with boating, outdoor and fishing accessories, educational seminars and interactive features.

LogoPowerboat sales are expected to be up by as much as 8 percent in 2015 and are projected to increase by 6 to 8 percent in 2016, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the leading trade association representing the North American recreational boating industry.

“A steadily improving economy and flurry of product innovation have boosted new powerboat sales, which is encouraging to see as we head into the winter boat show season, one of the busiest selling periods of the year,” said Thom Dammrich, NMMA president. If sales reach 6 to 8 percent in 2016 it “would take total new powerboat sales back to pre-recession levels of 250,000 units.”

The powerboat category is comprised of outboard boats, wake sport boats, inboard cruisers, sterndrive boats and jet boats and personal watercraft, which includes such brands as Sea-Doo, WaveRunner and Jet Ski.

Most powerboat categories experienced year-over-year growth through the second quarter of 2015, including: jet boats, up 18.1 percent; wake sport boats, up 12.1 percent; deck boats, up 11.3 percent; personal watercraft, up 8.2 percent; pontoon boats, up 6.6 percent; and, bass boats, up 5.3 percent. Other fiberglass outboard boats (including center console boats, sportfishing boats, and flats boats) were up 11.1 percent, and other aluminum outboard boats (including all-purpose fishing boats and jon boats) were up 5.8 percent.

Sales of larger boats, particularly those equipped for offshore fishing, are on the rise following a sharp decline during the recession. Sales of new powerboats 40 feet and above were up 9.4 percent through June.

With January marking the start of boat show season in North America the show in Louisville will be one of the first in the region.

Attendees can watch Flyboard demonstrations, test their own boating skills on the United States Power Squadrons Boating Skills Virtual Trainer, explore the latest in marine electronics technology at the Marine Electronics University and give stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing and kayaking a try. Experts will also demonstrate skills on the wakeboard trampoline wall.

Children under 12 can fish for free at the catch-and-release Trout Pond and create their own crankbait using balsa wood bodies and stick-on lure eyes. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife will provide animals native to Kentucky, as well as creepy crawlers.