A leading indicator may be the participation of kids in the yacht club jnior sailing programs. These programs have been over the years a reliable source of sailing enthusiasm. Last summer we were at a YC over in Buzzards Bay and I was sitting out on the lawn watching the kids come and go, different ages, different different sizes. When waiting to go put on the water many of them would be playing with their "devices: but when it came time to go sailing the devices were stowed quickly. Maybe there is hope.
Is it Just Me .............
- Thread starter Ralph Johnstone
- Start date
And golf, tennis, etc. look at all the clubs struggling to attract people.
On the other hand paddle board and kayak sales are exploding if you read industry news.
you can attribute that to west marine mass marketing those items as a front row item
Sailing declined tremendously at my former lake since the 70s when I learned to sail. Sailboats are somewhat of a curiosity to many power boaters there now. Sailing is alive and well at Lake Murray, SC and still growing. Our club just installed additional docks to accommodate our growing membership. We have a strong youth program and we regularly see young parents with kids who will eventually learn to sail. Before moving to Lake Murray, I was of the belief that sailing was on the decline. I now see that sailing is alive and well and growing. Come on in. The water's fine!
Rick D is correct, it is not just boating.
- Classic cars and car building is going away
- Golf courses are overbuilt because the younger generation doesn't play in anywhere near the rate of their parents
- I fly radio controlled model aircraft. 30 years ago if I started an engine, every kid in the neighborhood would show up. Now, there is little interest. The median age in my club is well over 60. This is despite our repeated efforts to recruit kids.
- Sailing is the same way.
-- A decade ago my local marina had a two-year waiting list for slips. Now, several are empty.
-- We have a local organization to sponsor race teams in the local high schools. Organization provides the boats, coaches, regatta support, etc. In three local high schools, with over 2500 students each, there are perhaps 6 teens in each school that race.
- There are a many, many activities competing for interest and many are falling by the wayside
- Classic cars and car building is going away
- Golf courses are overbuilt because the younger generation doesn't play in anywhere near the rate of their parents
- I fly radio controlled model aircraft. 30 years ago if I started an engine, every kid in the neighborhood would show up. Now, there is little interest. The median age in my club is well over 60. This is despite our repeated efforts to recruit kids.
- Sailing is the same way.
-- A decade ago my local marina had a two-year waiting list for slips. Now, several are empty.
-- We have a local organization to sponsor race teams in the local high schools. Organization provides the boats, coaches, regatta support, etc. In three local high schools, with over 2500 students each, there are perhaps 6 teens in each school that race.
- There are a many, many activities competing for interest and many are falling by the wayside
This is going to be out third season without an increase in fees,while empty slips are on the increase.While working on the boat this spring,took notice of all the grey hair in the marina,including my own!
The younger generation seems to have other ideas how to spend their time,and of course money, or lack thereoff.
The younger generation seems to have other ideas how to spend their time,and of course money, or lack thereoff.
I stopped by the marina I used to be in in Hampton. It was about a 1/3 full. Needs some dredging and ramp needs work but one would think they'd negotiate a little on the slip fees. Everyone is subject to the economy or other ups and downs. I mean a $100 a month is $50 less than they want but it's $100 more than they are going to get.
Why does it have to be a sellers market so to speak when it comes to slips?
I've often wondered if marinas with low occupancy aren't intentionally overpricing to keep what they perceive as the riff-raff out and their overhead low. In terms of gross revenue it's just the same to be 60% full at $150/ft than 100% full at $90/ft but the operating costs go down when there are fewer boats. Also, whether right or wrong, the perception is that those who are willing to pay more are able to pay more and won't leave the marina stuck with derelict boats and unpaid bills. In cases where the marina is corporately owned, the controlling entity may not even have much interest in successfully operating the marina as a business in its own right and are mainly in it speculatively for land value appreciation and future development potential of the shoreside property.
Luckily there are still places where one can find a slip relatively inexpensively and most of them are nearly 100% full unless they’re incompetently managed. The vast majority are still decidedly mom and pop operations. As much a I hope such places don't go away any time soon, I’m more than a little afraid. To buy even a modest marina is at least a $1-2 million investment of which you'll need to bring 20-30% in cash. If you're getting into it as a mom and pop owner-operator, you’ll spend over $1 mil to buy yourself a job with odd hours and modest pay. It’s a lot of manual labor, involves being a jack of all trades, there are numerous regulatory, tax, insurance, and liability issues to navigate, yours will be the first bill your customers stop paying when they hit a rough patch, and - worst of all - you’ll probably never sail on a nice day again! Not a lot of people are standing in line for that opportunity so the marinas are slowly being sold off to corporations or investment groups.
Dockage and maintenance fees are bigger barriers to owning boats their initial purchase price.