2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 About This Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 NRBS Purpose, Objectives and Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 NRBS Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Participant Survey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Boat Owner Survey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Weighting and Rounding Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 II. Survey Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Boating Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Household Participation in Recreational Boating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Individual Participation in Recreational Boating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Adult Participation in Recreational Boating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Child Participation in Recreational Boating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Boater Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Age of Recreational Boating Participant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Boating Participation by Type of Boat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Individual Participation in Recreational Boating Activities . . . . . . . . . 36 Boat Ownership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Household Boat Ownership in the United States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Days and Hours of Recreational Boats' Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Boat Use in Different Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Boat Owner Safety Training and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Boat Ownership by Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Boat Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Boat Registration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Motorized/Mechanically-Propelled Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Boat Fuel Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Boat Hull Composition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 III. Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Boating provides wide-ranging recreational opportunities to the diverse people of our nation. With such varied waters as the oceans and Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, the thousands of lakes and reservoirs, and the many river systems, countless boating opportunities await your enjoyment. You can boat on pristine waters and enjoy solitude; you can boat where large numbers of boaters gather to share a more social experience; you can boat on calm waters or in large waves; you can boat on some of the best whitewater in the world; and you can boat where the pure enjoyment of nature and your surroundings will astound you. Capt. David Rokes Chief, USCG Office Of Auxiliary And Boating Safety 2 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey You will find every type of boat conceivable - and more are being invented every year! There are many different types of power boats, from small boats that can get you into shallow waters, through pontoon boats, medium-sized fast boats, houseboats, and full scale motor yachts. There is a great array of sailboats, from small sailboats that are fun and exciting, to sailboards and kiteboards, to mediumsized sailboats for those who enjoy the larger open bodies of water, to multi-masted cruising yachts. There are countless types of paddle craft, from traditional canoes to modern-age whitewater canoes, traditional kayaks to squirt boats, to sit-ontop kayaks, and now the rapid emergence of new varieties of paddleboards. Across the recreational boating community, you will find people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. You will find boaters who enjoy relaxing trips to help ease daily stresses; and you will also find boaters who enjoy the thrill of boating, whether it's sailing in stiff winds, catching a great fish, participating in towed water sports, or enjoying some great whitewater. Boating offers all of this and more. It enhances our quality of life, environmental awareness, health, and economy. Did you know that there are hundreds of thousands of jobs that are directly related to recreational boating? It's a huge industry, and it's one that is producing economic and fiscal (e.g., tax revenues) impacts throughout the country. Boating supports significant tourism industries in many states. The recreational boating system was developed and is maintained by a combination of different public and private organizations. This system includes access to boating waters (e.g., launch sites, navigation rules and signs, dredging); boating facilities (e.g., harbors, marinas, clubs); safety, rescue, and law enforcement; boat and boating equipment manufacturing and sales; and repair and storage. To improve the recreational boating opportunities in America, effective and productive partnerships have been formed among boating agencies, organizations, stakeholders, and local communities. These partnerships include the boaters themselves; volunteer service organizations such as the U.S. Power Squadrons and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary; federal, state and local government entities that provide and maintain facilities and services; the many different components of the 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 3 Figure 1. Changes in Boating Fatalities, 1960 - 2010 45 40 Federal Boating Act of 1958 ABYC voluntary manufacturing standards 35 1958, 1971 & 1984 Acts led to significant enhancements of state boating laws and enforcement Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 enacted Federal mandatory manufacturing standards 30 25 Aquatic Resources Trust Fund created 1984 20 Drunk boating laws and enforcement enhanced States begin enacting education mandates 15 Wearable life jackets required smaller boats 10 5 0 1960 Fatalities/100,000 Boats 1965 1970 1975 1980 boating industries such as the manufacturers, retailers, marinas, service providers, and more; and centers of research and education. Within the federal government, many agencies are involved in recreational boating. These include the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, among many others. One key U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) responsibility relating to recreational boating is working in partnership with the states and numerous other organizations to administer the National Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) Program. The RBS Program mission is: "To ensure the public has a safe, secure, and enjoyable recreational boating experience by implementing programs designed to minimize the loss of life, personal injury, and property damage while cooperating with environmental and national security efforts." 4 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 This partnership program has produced important results since its inception in 1971. The number of boating deaths dropped for decades from the early 1970s to the later 1990s. This was a notable success in itself, especially given that the number of boats bought and used grew significantly during that period. However, it is vital to reduce further recreational boating accidents and related casualties. Since the late 1990s, the decline in boating casualties appears to have leveled off, remaining relatively constant at about 700 deaths per year. There have also been changes in the types, sizes, and characteristics of recreational boats that have significant safety and facility supply implications. The number of registered recreational vessels plateaued during the past decade and has even begun to decrease. Conversely, the number of paddle boats (kayaks and paddleboards) has been growing during this period. There has also been a change in the ratio of registered to non-registered vessels. branded messages that encourage positive behaviors, which will ultimately enhance public safety and achieve the program's goals. A key strategy of the National RBS Program is to motivate greater state participation in boating safety efforts. To execute the National RBS Program and garner more participation from states, the USCG grants funds to eligible states that are approved to implement their own state-run recreational boating safety programs. To support this strategy, the USCG strives to improve program efficiency and effectiveness continuously by setting well-defined, results-based performance objectives; developing targeted strategies in support of those objectives; and collecting valid and reliable information to assess performance. 1 To reduce further the number of boating casualties (deaths and injuries combined), the National RBS Program continues to work to develop a "safety culture" among boaters through outreach and education, regulation, and enforcement. The primary goal of the Program's Strategic Plan for 2012-2016 is to reduce deaths and injuries to specified levels and to decrease property damage that could be associated with recreational boating. The Program thus supports developing and communicating The USCG also grants Program funds to eligible national non-profit organizations. Organizations that receive these funds implement their own boating safety strategies, along with measures of their effectiveness. Such measures are critical to knowing what works and to determining future grant allocations. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 5 Decades ago, Congress directed the USCG to conduct research in order to obtain valid data about boating activity and about which initiatives are effective in enhancing safety. We've conducted five national boating surveys in the past 40 years to help us to do just that. From those past surveys, we learned a great deal about both the types of data that were needed and improved ways to gather that data. We also learned that we needed to develop a new survey that would not only improve the quality and usability of the data, but also provide for multiple partners to participate in its development and use after the data was gathered. This would mean that other boating surveys could be combined into this new survey, thus reducing the number of surveys that the public would be subjected to and decreasing the costs for many organizations. The new National Recreational Boating Survey (NRBS) does all of this. It was conceptualized with the boating industry and academia, which brought together two great teams for this project. The first team comprised a large number of representatives from all components of the 6 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey boating community who provided advice on the different types of data needed to enhance their aspects of boating. The second team, comprised of survey scientists, recommended the methods for survey implementation. These teams offered recommendations regarding survey objectives, questions and sampling methods. As you read this report, you will see a wealth of information that has never been gathered before, but is crucial to boating, along with improvements in the quality of the data gathered. This information includes how many people participate in boating, the numbers of different types and sizes of vessels that are owned in different regions of the country, as well as how often vessels are used, and much more. With this data, we will be able to better measure the effectiveness of strategies we implement and then refine them to be more effective in creating a better boating environment for the nation through safety programs, new or improved boating facilities, improvement in the boating industry, or other initiatives. About This Report This is the first in a series of reports that will convey the results of and describe tools to be produced from the newly designed and implemented NRBS. This report focuses on overall boating participation, boat ownership, the types of boats used, and the amount of time that boats are used (e.g., personhours on recreational boats) for different regions of the country during 2011. Boating person-hours represent the hours of exposure to boating incidents (in short "exposure hours"), and the estimated numbers produced by NRBS are already being used to assess the effectiveness of efforts to reduce boating deaths and accidents. information will include: (1) telephone and mail survey instruments, (2) how the instruments were pre-tested; (3) mail and telephone survey sample design, procurement and sample allocation; (4) administration of the mail survey - mailings, reminders, data entry; (5) telephone data collection - interviewer training, respondent selection, call backs, data entry; (6) response rates; and, (7) weighting factors applied to the data. The data from the 2011 telephone and mail surveys will be available to download by March 1, 2013, also through the Boating Safety Resource Center's web site. Section I provides an overview of the objectives and methodology that guided the 2011 Survey. An in-depth description of the methodology will be available by March 1, 2013 on the U.S. Coast Guard's Boating Safety Resource Center's web site: http://www.uscgboating.org. This detailed Section II below provides major findings of the National Recreational Boating Survey, some in chart format. To facilitate referencing, supporting tables immediately follow each topic addressed. Section III summarizes key results and provides some report conclusions. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 7 NRBS Purpose, Objectives and Methodology The number and types of boats, where they are used (i.e., rivers, oceans, lakes), the activities for which they are used, as well as boating policies and regulations, can vary significantly from state to state. Recognizing this, the NRBS was designed (through size and distribution of survey sample) to capture sufficient data for each state to produce accurate state-level estimates of boating participation, types of boats owned and how much they are used, boater demographics, and boating safety behaviors, and education. The NRBS produced national, regional, and state estimates of boat ownership and boating participation. An important NRBS function is to provide reliable and valid measures of the effectiveness of the program elements of the RBS Program's strategic plan. Central to achieving this is the ability to produce valid, accurate, and consistent estimates of boaters' exposure hours - that is, the total number of hours boaters (e.g., kayakers, sailboaters) spend 8 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey out on the water. Risk ratios for boating incidents (accidents and fatalities) will be calculated by dividing accident numbers by the exposure hours from the NRBS. These risk ratios will be used to evaluate safety programs and to track and analyze accident trends. They will be similar to the ratio of accidents and deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled used by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to identify trends and assess the performance of highway safety programs. The importance of a continuing national survey of both the general population and boat owners was confirmed during a 2004 Recreational Boating Research Symposium organized by Michigan State University. Participants concluded that sample sizes need to be large enough to ensure an adequate number of survey responses to provide regional and state estimates and to allow analyses of different boater segments (e.g., owners of non-registered boats, inactive boaters). Symposium participants agreed that boating safety (e.g., exposure measures) should be the main topic for the survey, but they also recommended that the survey collect other types of data (e.g., spending on boats and boating trips to estimate economic impacts) that would be useful to other agencies, organizations, and the boating industry. 3. To determine boat ownership and boat use rates: o Number of registered and non-registered vessels, o Size and types of boats, o Boat characteristics (e.g., hull, propulsion), and o Boat use rates and number of days they are used. The NRBS was designed to collect sufficient and reliable data to: 4. Estimate economic significance and impact of recreational boating: o Money spent annually to maintain boats, and o Money spent on boating trips. 1. Estimate boating participation rates on a national and state level: o Total annual boating participation by boat owners and non-owners, o Total annual boating participation by boat type, and o Total boat ownership including registered and non-registered vessels. 2. Measure recreational boating exposure rates: o Number of days different sizes and types of boats were out on the water, o Average number of hours these boats were out on the water, and o The average number of persons on board boats while they were out on the water. 5. Assess boating safety and awareness behaviors: o Participation in safety courses. 6. Evaluate the incidence of negative events: o Actual and reported accidents that cause injury and boat damage. 7. Yield precise, state-level estimates of boating activities and behaviors critical to state program and policy development. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 9 Table 1. Overview of the NRBS Survey Versions and Data Collection Modes Survey Mode(s) Phone Sample source(s) Random Digital Dial (RDD) Universe Privately-owned recreational boats in all states 2011 Boat Owner Survey Mail Registry Lists Privately-owned recreational boats Respondent Non-registered recreational boats in all states Member of boat-owning household Registered recreational boats in all states Member of boat-owning household Registered recreational boats in states sharing lists Informational Purpose Ownership and participation Registered boat owner Economic impact of boating Boat statistics Exposure (2011 only1) Exposure 2012 Trip Survey Web Phone Panel Privately-owned recreational boats Boat owner panelist Safety awareness and behaviors Economic impact of boating Negative events U.S. households 2011 & 2012 Participant Survey Phone RDD U.S. child (<16) boating population Ownership and participation Any adult household member (proxy) U.S. adult boating population Boating participants Any adult household member Adult boater Safety awareness and behaviors Exposure Rented boats Adult boater: rented boat Safety awareness and behaviors Economic impact of boating Negative incidents 1 10 Exposure data was collected using the Boat Owner Survey in 2011 only; in subsequent iterations of the NRBS, exposure hours will be collected via the Trip Survey. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey to gather participation data from at least 320 households per state. Table 2 presents the sample of households, by state, where participation data was collected. NRBS Methodology To accomplish these objectives, the 2011 NRBS was designed as a system of two surveys-- Participant Survey and Boat Owner Survey. The Participant Survey is, and will continue to be, conducted every two years, as a population-based survey of U.S. residents regarding their boating participation and related behaviors. In 2011, the Boat Owner Survey utilized mail and telephone surveys to collect information from the owners of both registered and non-registered boats. In 2012, the once-a-year administered Boat Owner Survey was replaced by monthly trip surveys of a panel of boat owners that were conducted by phone and via web application. The panel of boat owners was considered a more efficient way to collect accurate data about the number, timing, and duration of boating trips, as well as how much was spent on these trips. The panelists were recruited as part of the 2011 Boat Owner Survey. Table 1 illustrates the structure of the NRBS. Telephone interviewers screened households responding to the telephone survey to identify individuals who were at least 16 years old (considered adult for the purpose of this study) and if the household owned any boats; interviewers then proceeded to collect boat information from a household member knowledgeable about the boats that the household owned. The Participant Survey was then administered to a randomly selected member of the household, age 16 or older, regardless of whether the household owned any boats. Data relating to participation in boating by children residing in the household was collected by proxy from a person at least 16 years old. The surveys were administered in both English and Spanish. The Participant Survey focused on whether respondents went out on the water in recreational boats in 2011, the types of boats they went out on, and the boating activities they engaged in while out on boats. Additionally, it collected information on boater demographics. The Participant Survey To estimate participation for the 2011 boating season, a subsample of telephone households was selected. The sub-sampling was designed Table 2. Sample Allocation by State State, Territory Alabama Alaska Arizona Population in 1,000s 4,662 Registered Vessels Estimated Rate of Boat-Owning Households1 Sample Allocation Mail Phone Sample Completes Total Mail Phone Total 273,527 25% 360 376 736 341 391 732 686 48, 605 31% 123 200 323 143 349 492 6,500 134,583 9% 213 200 413 152 213 365 Arkansas 2,855 208,752 32% 298 375 673 215 377 592 California 36,757 755,972 9% 0 654 654 0 668 668 Colorado 4,939 99,615 9% 156 200 356 110 256 366 Connecticut 3,501 119,496 15% 234 200 434 291 289 580 Delaware 873 43,091 21% 82 200 282 82 215 297 District of Columbia 592 4,363 9% 0 200 200 31 122 153 Florida 986,124 23% 695 677 1,373 703 704 1,407 9,686 364,661 16% 444 330 774 383 320 703 Hawaii 1 18,328 Georgia 1,288 12,729 9% 0 200 200 47 233 280 Many states do not require registration for manually propelled (person-propelled) and sail-propelled boats. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 11 Table 2. Sample Allocation by State (Cont'd) State, Territory Population in 1,000s Registered Vessels Estimated Rate of Boat-Owning Households1 Sample Allocation Mail Phone Sample Completes Total Mail Phone Total Idaho 1,524 80,845 23% 0 342 342 0 392 392 Illinois 12,902 419,470 14% 482 323 804 505 324 829 Indiana 6,377 253,313 17% 0 523 523 0 472 472 Iowa 3,003 237,212 34% 311 419 729 295 415 710 Kansas 2,802 103,293 16% 210 200 410 219 241 460 Kentucky 4,269 181,107 18% 309 251 559 291 253 544 Louisiana 4,411 306,497 30% 366 441 807 2 650 652 Maine 1,316 96,918 32% 203 257 459 283 405 688 Maryland 5,634 184,796 14% 319 215 535 337 354 691 Massachusetts 6,498 186,140 12% 321 200 521 358 374 732 Michigan 10,003 734,503 32% 559 705 1,264 714 796 1,510 Minnesota 5,220 801,165 36% 0 1,346 1,346 0 1,378 1,378 Mississippi 2,939 191,676 28% 294 336 630 305 335 640 Missouri 5,912 325,346 24% 398 394 792 361 411 772 Montana 967 83,199 36% 0 434 434 7 459 466 Nebraska 1,783 74,244 18% 157 200 357 111 201 312 Nevada 2,600 58,423 10% 77 200 277 54 227 281 New Hampshire 1,316 76,952 25% 0 350 350 0 378 378 New Jersey 8,683 190,311 9% 297 200 497 248 246 494 New Mexico 1,984 2,363 9% 0 200 200 31 208 239 19,490 466,639 10% 514 280 794 584 373 957 9,222 378,078 18% 448 355 802 471 378 849 New York North Carolina North Dakota 641 58,694 36% 152 215 367 163 236 399 11,486 427,476 16% 481 355 836 548 408 956 Oklahoma 3,642 192,344 23% 308 296 604 265 294 559 Oregon 3,790 179,844 21% 303 268 571 443 356 799 Pennsylvania 12,448 375,518 13% 458 291 749 566 306 872 Rhode Island 1,051 39,134 16% 53 200 253 90 278 368 South Carolina 4,480 414,440 36% 404 570 974 381 558 939 Ohio South Dakota 804 57,682 31% 153 200 353 162 259 421 6,215 266,465 19% 374 306 680 404 324 728 Texas 24,327 615,956 11% 590 333 923 482 370 852 Utah 2,736 75,560 12% 130 200 330 119 267 386 Vermont 621 30,137 21% 35 200 235 69 350 419 Virginia 7,769 270,179 15% 385 270 655 430 305 735 Washington 6,549 280,075 19% 384 313 697 518 356 874 West Virginia 1,814 53,267 13% 80 200 280 48 235 283 Wisconsin 5,628 617,178 36% 493 696 1,189 583 787 1,370 533 27,329 22% 26 200 226 54 229 283 3,967 40,400 9% 26 200 226 21 223 244 Tennessee Wyoming Puerto Rico 1 12 Many states do not require registration for manually propelled (person-propelled) and sail-propelled boats. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Approximately 1.65 million call attempts yielded 35,700 completed surveys including 20,140 participant surveys and 15, 560 boat owner surveys. A mail version of the Boat Owner Survey was administered to a sample of registered and documented boat owners in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that provided their boat registry information (i.e., the names and addresses of their registered boat owners). Mail surveys were conducted between November 2011 and February 2012. Boat Owner Survey To ensure the accurate representation of registered and non-registered vessels of different types and sizes located in different states, the Boat Owner Survey was conducted using two different survey modes, telephone and mail. Info-Link Technologies, Inc. provided the registered boat sample consisting of the count, names, and addresses of owners of registered boats by boat type in 43 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The size and distribution of the selected sample was designed to meet the following objectives: o Overall boat number estimates with an error margin of ?1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level; o Boat type estimates with an error margin of ?3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level; o At least 200 boats per state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico; o Recruitment of a boat owner panel to collect data related to 2012 boating outings. The 2011 Boat Owner Survey collected information on the number, type(s) and size(s) of the boats that households owned; number, types and sizes of motors/engines; hull materials; characteristics of boat storage during the boating season and launch sites used (if any); and annual spending on boat maintenance, upkeep and storage. Questions needed to estimate exposure rates were included only in the telephone survey. These questions gathered the following information: number of days boat was taken out on the water; average number of hours boat was out on the water, and average number of people aboard the boat when it was used. Table 3. Boat Survey Sample and Completed Interviews by Boat Type Registered Boats Completed Surveys/Interviews Selected for Mail Survey Listed Mail Telephone Total Power Boat <16 ft 3,121,539 5,941 1,429 1,920 3,349 Power Boat 16-20 ft 4,562,441 8,708 3,184 4,474 7,658 Power Boat 21-28 ft 1,435,749 5,135 1,852 1,742 3,594 Power Boat >28 ft 270,313 2,021 929 466 1,395 Sailboat <25 ft 205,132 2,099 930 677 1,607 Sailboat >26 ft 112,301 2,318 1,252 349 1,601 Pontoon Boat 801,466 2,811 1,410 904 2,314 1,279,095 4,806 1,083 1,339 2,422 315 2,858 3,173 270 2,684 2,954 366 2,135 2,501 13,020 19,548 32,568 Personal Water Craft (PWC) Canoe Kayak 717,620 1 2,287 Other Boat Total 1 1,2505,656 36,126 Many states do not require registration for manually propelled (person-propelled) and sail-propelled boats. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 13 A special Random Digit Dial (RDD) general population telephone survey (cell and landline) was used to collect data from boat-owning households in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. During the telephone survey, upon reaching a household, an adult member provided a roster of the boats owned by the household. Boats were stratified based on boat type and size, and one boat was randomly selected per household for further profiling. Rare boat types (e.g., large sailboats and power boats) were sub-sampled at a higher rate than more common boat types. (error margin ?3%) for boat types was 1,500. This goal was met for all but one boat type: power boat over 28 feet long. Table 3 provides registry counts, sample and completed interviews by boat type. At the end of the 2011 Boat Owner (mail and phone) Survey, respondents were also asked if they would be willing to participate in a panel and be contacted on multiple occasions during 2012; these contacts were designed to gather more detailed information about their boating experiences. Those who agreed to join the panel became the sample for the monthly Trip Survey in 2012. Table 2 shows how the boat owner sample was allocated across states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The minimum sample size for achieving the desired level of precision Approximately 32,570 households completed the boat owner survey either by mail (13,020), or telephone (19,550). Figure 2. Survey Regions Midwest Region WA MT OR MN ID West Region MO KS OK NM NJ WV VA KY NC TN SC AR MS AL GA LA FL South Region HI CT OH IN AK 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey MA PA IL CO TX 14 NH NY IA NE AZ ME VT MI NV UT WI SD WY CA Northeast Region ND MD DE RI Weighting and Rounding Errors Having a representative sample of the population is crucial when conducting a survey. Weighting is normally used to make statistics (e.g., average number of boating days) computed from survey data more representative of the characteristics of the target population, in this case the U.S. population is based on 2010 Census data. In some situations, after a probability sample is drawn and survey is completed, researchers stratify the sample according to supplementary information about the sampled population. This process is often called post stratification. Post stratification and weighting are used to adjust for a known or unknown difference between the response group (e.g., NRBS respondents) and the population. In the case of the NRBS, every effort was made to produce the most representative sample possible of the U.S. population. However, regardless of these efforts, some persons in the population were oversampled and under-sampled and certain characteristics (e.g., age, gender, state of residence) were distributed differently than they were in the population. Post-stratification weights were estimated and applied to make the sample (i.e., survey respondents) more representative of the population, and to provide greater confidence in the validity of the population parameters (e.g., average number of boating days). To compute individual-level boating participation statistics, the participant sample was post-stratified. This means that respondents were classified (e.g., by state of residence, age, gender) based on the data collected during the survey. Weights were then calibrated to reflect the U.S. population distributions by state, age, and gender based on the 2010 Census counts. The process of calibrating these combinations of weights to represent the U.S. population is called iterative post-stratification or iterative proportional fitting. When the weights are first adjusted to reflect U.S. Census counts on one dimension, such as age, they often will not reflect the gender dimension. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 15 The subsequent adjustments to reflect the gender and state dimensions will alter the previously ageadjusted weights, forcing another iteration to correct them. This iterative process will eventually converge towards a stable set of weights that will reasonably reflect the U.S. Census counts on all dimensions. Occasionally, the iterative procedure leading to the calibrated weights will take significant processing time. It is common practice to define the relative stopping rule as a relative difference between the achieved Census control total and the actual control total itself. A standard stopping rule often used is 0.001. Therefore, a compromise must often be found between the processing time one is willing to tolerate, and the precision with which the Census counts will be matched. When this 16 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey iterative algorithm is stopped, the Census counts are generally better matched on some dimensions than others. The number of recreational boating participants is generally estimated by summing the weights associated with all individuals who belong to the estimation domain of interest, and who reported having participated in recreational boating. The numbers will not always add up accurately to the totals of a higher level of aggregation (e.g., the sum of state numbers may not add up to the region total) due to the loss of precision created by the iterative calibration process. These rounding errors are why, in some tables, the sum of regional numbers differs very slightly (less than 0.05%) from the overall total for the country. II. Survey Results T: Boating Participation Household Participation in Recreational Boating Figure 3: Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in U.S. Regions 35% 30% Previous research has shown that some individuals do not perceive fishing from a boat or canoeing/kayaking to be a form of boating. Therefore, in this study, respondents were asked a general question if anyone in their household spent time on a recreational boat, and two specific questions: if anyone in the household fished from a boat, and if anyone used a canoe or kayak in 2011. 25% 20% 15% About 29%, or 34.2 million, of the estimated 116.7 million U.S. households had at least one member who boated in 2011. 10% 5% 0% United States 18 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey West South Midwest Northeast More than a third (35%), or 12 million, of all boating households in the U.S. were located in the South region. The overall household boating participation rate was highest in the Midwest, at 34.6%. The Midwest also had the highest percentage (17.4%) of households with at least one person who fished from a boat. The Northeast region had the highest percentage (14.7%) of households with one or more persons who either canoed or kayaked in 2011. Canoeing and kayaking were especially popular in Maine (31.8% of households) and New Hampshire (31.0% of households) where at least one member participated in that form of boating. California (3 million) and Florida (2.5 million) had the highest numbers of households participating in boating, while Alaska (53.2%) and Minnesota (50.7%) had the highest overall percentage of boating households. Table 4: Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions Households in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Regions United States Number (000) Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Overall Participation Rate1 (%) Spent Time on a Recreational Boat (%) Fished from a Recreational Boat (%) Used a Canoe/Kayak (%) 100.0 34,210 100.0 29.3 26.3 14.6 11.6 Northeast 21,215 18.2 5,925 17.3 27.9 24.8 11.7 14.7 Midwest 26,216 22.5 9,087 26.6 34.6 32.1 17.4 13.2 South 43,610 37.4 12,091 35.3 27.7 24.4 16.0 10.2 West 1 116,716 25,675 22.0 7,107 20.8 27.6 24.8 11.7 9.8 This represents the number of boating households per 100 households. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 19 Table 5: Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the Northeast Region Northeast States Northeast Region Households in Northeast Region (2010 U.S. Census) Number (000) Percent (%) Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) Overall Participation Rate1 (%) Percent (%) Spent Time on a Recreational Boat (%) Fished from a Recreational Boat (%) Used a Canoe/Kayak (%) 21,215 100.0 5,925 100.0 27.9 24.8 11.7 14.7 1,371 6.5 429 7.2 31.3 28.4 12.7 14.5 557 2.6 282 4.8 50.6 45.9 22.9 31.8 2,547 12.0 828 14.0 32.5 30.0 11.2 21.4 Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire 2.4 221 3.7 42.5 39.5 15.9 31.0 3,214 15.2 778 13.1 24.2 22.7 10.1 11.7 New York 7,318 34.5 1,742 29.4 23.8 20.2 8.9 9.8 Pennsylvania 5,019 23.7 1,420 24.0 28.3 24.8 14.8 16.4 Rhode Island 414 1.9 118 2.0 28.5 26.5 11.3 13.5 Vermont 1 519 New Jersey 256 1.2 107 1.8 41.9 38.3 19.1 28.7 Spent Time on a Recreational Boat (%) Fished from a Recreational Boat (%) Used a Canoe/Kayak (%) This represents the number of boating households per 100 households. Table 6: Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the Midwest Region Midwest States Midwest Region Households in Midwest Region (2010 U.S. Census) Number (000) Percent (%) Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) Overall Participation Rate1 (%) Percent (%) 26,216 100.0 9,087 100.0 34.6 32.1 17.4 13.2 Illinois 4,837 18.5 1,359 15.0 28.1 24.6 10.9 11.6 Indiana 2,502 9.5 851 9.4 34.0 30.5 14.9 15.7 Iowa 1,222 4.7 379 4.2 31.0 28.0 15.3 14.9 Kansas 1,112 4.2 282 3.1 25.4 23.1 10.3 6.5 Michigan 3,873 14.8 1,417 15.6 36.6 36.4 20.4 17.6 Minnesota 2,087 8.0 1,058 11.6 50.7 47.6 29.5 18.0 Missouri 2,376 9.1 817 9.0 34.4 30.9 18.5 14.2 721 2.8 222 2.4 30.8 27.8 17.9 5.0 Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin 1 20 281 1.1 110 1.2 39.0 37.5 23.9 8.9 4,603 17.6 1,409 15.5 30.6 29.2 14.5 8.8 322 1.2 91 1.0 28.2 26.4 17.0 6.2 2,280 8.7 1,092 12.0 47.9 44.1 26.7 16.2 This represents the number of boating households per 100 households. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 7: Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the South Region South States South Region Households in South Region (2010 U.S. Census) Number (000) Percent (%) Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) Overall Participation Rate1 (%) Percent (%) Spent Time on a Recreational Boat (%) Fished from a Recreational Boat (%) Used a Canoe/Kayak (%) 10.2 43,610 100.0 12,091 100.0 27.7 24.4 16.0 Alabama 1,884 4.3 507 4.2 26.9 22.8 15.9 9.1 Arkansas 1,147 2.6 388 3.2 33.8 30.5 21.7 12.0 Delaware 342 0.8 86 0.7 25.1 23.8 12.8 8.1 District of Columbia 267 0.6 61 0.5 22.7 21.1 6.0 12.1 Florida 7,421 17.0 2,493 20.6 33.6 30.4 19.2 15.5 Georgia 3,586 8.2 982 8.1 27.4 24.6 12.3 10.4 Kentucky 1,720 3.9 568 4.7 33.0 28.2 19.0 9.5 Louisiana 1,728 4.0 510 4.2 29.5 25.9 22.1 7.9 Maryland 2,156 4.9 673 5.6 31.2 26.8 17.3 14.1 Mississippi 1,116 2.6 316 2.6 28.3 23.5 16.8 6.0 North Carolina 3,745 8.6 850 7.0 22.7 20.6 16.0 6.3 Oklahoma 1,460 3.3 349 2.9 23.9 20.1 14.4 7.7 South Carolina 1,801 4.1 650 5.4 36.1 31.5 23.3 11.4 Tennessee 2,494 5.7 805 6.7 32.3 26.8 18.3 8.8 Texas 8,923 20.5 1,856 15.4 20.8 18.5 11.4 6.9 Virginia 3,056 7.0 828 6.8 27.1 23.7 13.9 14.9 764 1.8 169 1.4 22.1 20.8 11.8 6.3 West Virginia 1 This represents the number of boating households per 100 households. Table 8: Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the West Region West States West Region Alaska Households in West Region (2010 U.S. Census) Number (000) 25,675 Percent (%) Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) Overall Participation Rate1 (%) Percent (%) 100.0 7,107 100.0 27.6 Spent Time on a Recreational Boat (%) Fished from a Recreational Boat (%) Used a Canoe/Kayak (%) 24.8 11.7 9.8 258 1.0 137 1.9 53.2 48.6 37.9 17.2 2,381 9.3 512 7.2 21.5 20.8 6.0 7.4 California 12,577 49.0 3,019 42.5 24.0 21.3 8.7 8.7 Colorado Arizona 1,973 7.7 576 8.1 29.2 23.1 14.7 12.0 Hawaii 455 1.8 127 1.8 28.0 22.5 10.7 13.3 Idaho 579 2.3 203 2.9 35.0 30.9 15.6 12.9 Montana 410 1.6 164 2.3 40.1 37.5 26.0 14.5 1,006 3.9 216 3.0 21.5 20.0 9.9 4.9 791 3.1 150 2.1 18.9 15.2 12.8 6.2 1,519 5.9 497 7.0 32.7 30.7 18.9 12.0 Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming 1 878 3.4 269 3.8 30.6 27.1 14.3 10.0 2,620 10.2 1,158 16.3 44.2 41.0 18.2 14.6 227 0.9 80 1.1 35.1 33.5 23.7 11.2 This represents the number of boating households per 100 households. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 21 Individual Participation in Recreational Boating Figure 4: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in U.S. Regions Tables below report the percentage of persons in the U.S. who went out on the water on boats, as well as those who spent time on boats while they were docked. A very small percentage (less than 6%) of individuals spent time only on docked boats in 2011. 35% 30% The individual boating participation rate was greatest in the Midwest, at 32% (as compared with the national participation rate of 23.8%), but the South region had the highest number of boating participants, 24.7 million, which constituted about a third of all boating participants in the U.S. 25% 20% 15% States with highest individual participation rates included Minnesota (51.8%), Wisconsin (46.4%), Maine (44.6%), Vermont (41.1%), Alaska (39.3%), and North Dakota (37.0%). States with the lowest individual participation rates included New Mexico (14.3%), Texas (15.0%), and New Jersey (16.9%). 10% 5% 0% United States West South Midwest Northeast Table 9: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions Population in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Regions Number (000) United States 308,746 Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) 100.0 73,560 Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) 100.0 23.8 Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 23.4 6.6 Northeast 55,317 17.9 12,021 16.3 21.7 21.2 6.2 Midwest 66,927 21.7 21,419 29.1 32.0 31.6 7.4 South 22 114,556 37.1 24,727 33.6 21.6 21.2 6.8 West 71,946 23.3 15,393 20.9 21.4 21.1 5.8 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 10: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the Northeast Region Northeast States Northeast Region Population in Northeast Region (2010 U.S. Census) Number (000) Percent (%) 55,317 Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) 100.0 Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) 12,021 100.0 21.7 Participation While Boat on Water (%) 21.2 Participation While Boat Docked (%) 6.2 Connecticut 3,574 6.5 889 7.4 24.9 24.8 5.6 Maine 1,328 2.4 592 4.9 44.6 44.1 13.2 Massachusetts 6,548 11.8 1,713 14.3 26.2 25.7 7.0 New Hampshire 1,316 2.4 440 3.7 33.4 33.3 7.2 New Jersey 8,792 15.9 1,488 12.4 16.9 16.4 6.9 New York 19,378 35.0 3,365 28.0 17.4 16.5 4.8 Pennsylvania 12,702 23.0 3,021 25.1 23.8 23.4 6.7 Rhode Island 1,053 1.9 256 2.1 24.3 24.1 8.7 626 1.1 257 2.1 41.1 41.1 7.1 Vermont Table 11: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the Midwest Region Midwest States Households in South Region (2010 U.S. Census) Number (000) Household Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) Midwest Region 66,927 100.0 21,419 100.0 32.0 31.6 7.4 Illinois 12,831 19.2 3,590 16.8 28.0 28.0 6.1 Indiana 6,484 9.7 1,712 8.0 26.4 26.1 6.0 Iowa 3,046 4.6 819 3.8 26.9 26.4 7.2 Kansas 2,853 4.3 600 2.8 21.0 21.0 4.0 Michigan 9,884 14.8 3,116 14.5 31.5 30.9 6.9 Minnesota 5,304 7.9 2,749 12.8 51.8 51.5 12.7 Missouri 5,989 8.9 1,995 9.3 33.3 33.1 7.3 Nebraska 1,826 2.7 496 2.3 27.1 27.1 4.8 673 1.0 249 1.2 37.0 36.8 8.8 11,537 17.2 3,247 15.2 28.1 27.3 8.0 814 1.2 211 1.0 25.9 25.6 3.2 5,687 8.5 2,637 12.3 46.4 45.1 9.4 North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 23 Table 12: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the South Region South States Households in South Region (2010 U.S. Census) Number (000) South Region Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 114,556 100.0 24,727 100.0 21.6 21.2 6.8 Alabama 4,780 4.2 988 4.0 20.7 20.4 10.0 Arkansas 2,916 2.5 849 3.4 29.1 28.7 8.5 Delaware 898 0.8 207 0.8 23.0 22.0 7.8 District of Columbia 602 0.5 124 0.5 20.6 20.6 4.9 Florida 18,801 16.4 5,401 21.8 28.7 27.7 8.9 Georgia 9,688 8.5 1,723 7.0 17.8 17.8 4.5 Kentucky 4,339 3.8 1,022 4.1 23.6 23.2 8.7 Louisiana 4,533 4.0 1,037 4.2 22.9 22.4 9.2 Maryland 5,774 5.0 1,405 5.7 24.3 23.5 8.8 Mississippi 2,967 2.6 631 2.6 21.3 20.7 4.7 North Carolina 9,535 8.3 2,094 8.5 22.0 21.4 7.3 Oklahoma 3,751 3.3 749 3.0 20.0 19.7 7.5 South Carolina 4,625 4.0 1,295 5.2 28.0 27.0 8.1 Tennessee 6,346 5.5 1,366 5.5 21.5 21.4 5.9 25,146 22.0 3,765 15.2 15.0 15.0 4.4 Virginia 8,001 7.0 1,704 6.9 21.3 20.8 5.5 West Virginia 1,853 1.6 366 1.5 19.7 19.6 6.0 Texas Table 13: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the West Region Households in West Region (2010 U.S. Census) West States Number (000) West Region Alaska Arizona Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 71,946 100.0 15,393 100.0 21.4 21.1 5.8 710 1.0 279 1.8 39.3 39.1 10.4 6,392 8.9 1,309 8.5 20.5 20.4 6.3 California 37,254 51.8 6,452 41.9 17.3 17.0 5.0 Colorado 5,029 7.0 1,080 7.0 21.5 21.2 5.5 Hawaii 1,360 1.9 257 1.7 18.9 18.6 6.4 Idaho 1,568 2.2 468 3.0 29.8 29.5 11.0 Montana 989 1.4 332 2.2 33.6 33.5 7.4 Nevada 2,701 3.8 583 3.8 21.6 21.4 6.0 New Mexico 2,059 2.9 294 1.9 14.3 13.6 4.3 Oregon 3,831 5.3 1,181 7.7 30.8 30.5 8.5 Utah 2,764 3.8 666 4.3 24.1 24.0 5.1 Washington 6,725 9.3 2,323 15.1 34.5 34.1 6.6 564 0.8 169 1.1 30.0 29.3 11.1 Wyoming 24 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Adult Participation in Recreational Boating Adult (an individual at least 16 years old) participation rates varied across the U.S. regions. The rate was significantly higher in the Midwest region, at 30.4%. Minnesota (50.2%) Wisconsin (44.9%) and Maine (44.7%) had the highest adult participation on the state level. Table 14: Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions Adult1 Population in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Regions United States Number (000) Percent (%) Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 246,952 100.0 58,324 100.0 23.6 23.1 6.8 Northeast 45,378 18.4 9,692 16.6 21.4 20.8 6.3 Midwest 53,416 21.6 16,212 27.8 30.4 29.9 7.7 South 1 91,155 36.9 20,183 34.6 22.1 21.7 7.1 West 57,003 23.1 12,238 21.0 21.5 21.1 6.0 Adults are individuals 16 years old or older. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 25 Table 15: Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the Northeast Region Adult1 Population in Northeast Region (2010 U.S. Census) Northeast States Number (000) Northeast Region Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 45,378 9,692 100.0 21.4 20.8 6.3 2,924 Connecticut 100.0 6.4 744 7.7 25.4 25.4 6.2 Maine 1,092 2.4 489 5.0 44.7 44.2 12.7 Massachusetts 5,367 11.8 1,292 13.3 24.1 23.6 6.8 New Hampshire 1,088 2.4 373 3.8 34.3 34.3 8.0 New Jersey 7,278 16.0 1,218 12.6 16.7 16.2 6.6 New York 15,958 35.2 2,912 30.1 18.2 17.2 5.1 Pennsylvania 22.7 2,244 23.2 21.8 21.7 6.5 870 1.9 214 2.2 24.6 24.2 8.9 Vermont 1 10,286 Rhode Island 516 1.1 205 2.1 39.7 39.7 7.5 Adults are individuals 16 years old or older. Table 16: Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the Midwest Region Adult1 Population in Midwest Region (2010 U.S. Census) Midwest States Number (000) Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) Midwest Region 53,416 100.0 16,212 100.0 30.4 29.9 7.7 Illinois 10,203 19.1 2,637 16.3 25.8 25.8 5.8 Indiana 5,106 9.6 1,220 7.5 23.9 23.5 6.7 Iowa 2,420 4.5 601 3.7 24.9 24.2 7.0 Kansas 2,219 4.2 467 2.9 21.1 21.1 5.1 Michigan 7,921 14.8 2,502 15.4 31.6 31.0 7.5 Minnesota 4,187 7.8 2,104 13.0 50.2 50.0 12.6 Missouri 4,837 9.1 1,543 9.5 31.9 31.7 8.4 Nebraska 1,421 2.7 346 2.1 24.3 24.3 5.3 551 1.0 182 1.1 33.0 32.7 9.3 9,382 17.6 2,416 14.9 25.7 24.8 8.4 634 1.2 160 1.0 25.2 24.9 3.6 4,535 8.5 2,034 12.5 44.9 43.5 9.6 North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin 1 26 Adults are individuals 16 years old or older. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 17: Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the South Region Adult1 Population in South Region (2010 U.S. Census) South States South Region Number (000) Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 91,155 100.0 20,183 100.0 22.1 21.7 7.1 Alabama 3,866 4.2 837 4.1 21.7 21.4 10.1 Arkansas 2,293 2.5 687 3.4 29.9 29.5 9.2 Delaware 730 0.8 171 0.8 23.5 22.7 8.5 District of Columbia 519 0.6 104 0.5 20.1 20.1 5.2 Florida 15,373 16.9 4,396 21.8 28.6 27.3 9.7 Georgia 7,582 8.3 1,341 6.6 17.7 17.6 5.4 Kentucky 3,457 3.8 800 4.0 23.2 22.9 9.4 Louisiana 3,573 3.9 801 4.0 22.4 21.9 9.4 Maryland 4,657 5.1 1,154 5.7 24.8 23.8 9.2 Mississippi 2,332 2.6 445 2.2 19.1 18.4 5.1 North Carolina 7,526 8.3 1,631 8.1 21.7 21.3 6.0 Oklahoma 3,002 3.3 548 2.7 18.3 17.9 6.2 South Carolina 3,688 4.0 1,057 5.2 28.7 27.5 9.5 Tennessee 5,069 5.6 1,100 5.5 21.7 21.5 6.2 19,447 21.3 3,478 17.2 17.9 17.9 4.8 Virginia 6,523 7.2 1,327 6.6 20.3 19.7 5.6 West Virginia 1,519 1.7 305 1.5 20.1 19.9 6.3 Texas 1 Adults are individuals 16 years old or older. Table 18: Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the West Region Adult1 Population in West Region (2010 U.S. Census) West States West Region Number (000) Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 57,003 100.0 12,238 100.0 21.5 21.1 6.0 557 1.0 219 1.8 39.3 39.0 12.2 4,971 8.7 940 7.7 18.9 18.8 6.0 California 29,627 52.0 5,373 43.9 18.1 17.7 5.5 Colorado 4,013 7.0 817 6.7 20.4 20.1 4.8 Alaska Arizona Hawaii 1,118 2.0 222 1.8 19.8 19.5 6.9 Idaho 1,217 2.1 365 3.0 30.0 29.6 8.9 803 1.4 258 2.1 32.2 32.1 8.2 Montana Nevada 2,132 3.7 406 3.3 19.0 18.8 5.6 New Mexico 1,613 2.8 202 1.6 12.5 11.6 3.7 Oregon 3,085 5.4 935 7.6 30.3 30.1 9.4 Utah 2,013 3.5 505 4.1 25.1 25.0 5.8 Washington 5,409 9.5 1,866 15.2 34.5 33.9 6.8 445 0.8 131 1.1 29.4 28.8 10.0 Wyoming 1 Adults are individuals 16 years old or older. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 27 Child Participation in Recreational Boating Tables below report the percentage of persons in the Midwest reported the greatest boating participation rate for children (those aged 15 or younger) at 38.5% (compared with the national average of 24.7% children), while the South reported the lowest participation rate of children, at 19.4%. States with highest rates of children's participation in boating included Minnesota (57.8%), North Dakota (55%), Wisconsin (52.3%), Vermont (47.3%), and Maine (43.8%). States with the lowest recreational boating participation rates for children were Texas (5%), New York (13.2%), California (14.1%), and Hawaii (14.7%). Table 19: Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions Child1 Population in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Regions Number (000) United States Northeast Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 61,793 100.0 15,236 100.0 24.7 24.4 5.4 9,939 16.1 2,329 15.3 23.4 23.1 6.1 Midwest 28 21.9 5,207 34.2 38.5 38.3 5.9 23,400 37.9 4,544 29.8 19.4 19.2 5.3 West 1 13,511 South 14,943 24.2 3,156 20.7 21.1 20.9 4.8 Children are individuals 15 years old or younger. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 20: Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the Northeast Region Child1 Population in Northeast Region (2010 U.S. Census) Northeast States Northeast Region Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 9,939 100.0 2,329 100.0 23.4 23.1 6.1 651 6.5 145 6.2 22.3 22.3 3.0 Connecticut Maine Massachusetts Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 236 2.4 103 4.4 43.8 43.8 15.7 1,181 11.9 421 18.1 35.6 35.5 8.2 New Hampshire 229 2.3 67 2.9 29.2 28.6 2.9 New Jersey 1,514 15.2 269 11.6 17.8 17.8 8.1 New York 3,420 34.4 453 19.4 13.2 13.2 3.6 Pennsylvania 24.3 777 33.3 32.1 30.7 7.5 183 1.8 43 1.8 23.3 23.3 7.8 Vermont 1 2,416 Rhode Island 110 1.1 52 2.2 47.3 47.3 5.5 Children are individuals 15 years old or younger. Table 21: Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the Midwest Region Child1 Population in Midwest Region (2010 U.S. Census) Midwest States Midwest Region Number (000) Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 13,511 100.0 5,207 100.0 38.5 38.3 5.9 Illinois 2,628 19.4 953 18.3 36.3 36.3 7.0 Indiana 1,378 10.2 492 9.4 35.7 35.4 3.5 Iowa 627 4.6 217 4.2 34.7 34.7 7.7 Kansas 634 4.7 132 2.5 20.8 20.7 <1 Michigan 1,963 14.5 614 11.8 31.3 30.5 4.4 Minnesota 1,117 8.3 645 12.4 57.8 57.1 13.0 Missouri 1,152 8.5 452 8.7 39.3 39.3 2.3 Nebraska 405 3.0 150 2.9 37.0 37.0 3.0 North Dakota 122 0.9 67 1.3 55.0 55.0 6.7 2,155 15.9 831 16.0 38.6 38.6 5.9 180 1.3 51 1.0 28.4 28.4 1.7 1,152 8.5 603 11.6 52.3 51.5 8.8 Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin 1 Children are individuals 15 years old or younger. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 29 Table 22: Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the South Region Child1 Population in South Region (2010 U.S. Census) South States Number (000) South Region Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 23,400 100.0 4,544 100.0 19.4 19.2 5.3 914 3.9 151 3.3 16.5 16.5 9.3 Alabama Arkansas 623 2.7 163 3.6 26.1 26.1 5.8 Delaware 168 0.7 35 0.8 20.8 19.0 4.7 District of Columbia 82 0.4 20 0.4 24.2 24.2 2.8 Florida 3,429 14.7 1,005 22.1 29.3 29.3 5.3 Georgia 2,106 9.0 382 8.4 18.2 18.2 1.4 Kentucky 883 3.8 222 4.9 25.2 24.1 5.8 Louisiana 961 4.1 236 5.2 24.6 24.3 8.1 Maryland 1,117 4.8 252 5.5 22.5 22.4 7.2 636 2.7 186 4.1 29.3 29.1 3.0 2,010 8.6 463 10.2 23.0 21.6 11.9 Mississippi North Carolina Oklahoma 749 3.2 201 4.4 26.9 26.9 12.5 South Carolina 937 4.0 238 5.2 25.4 25.4 2.6 Tennessee 1,277 5.5 266 5.9 20.8 20.8 4.7 Texas 5,699 24.4 287 6.3 5.0 5.0 2.8 Virginia 1,478 6.3 377 8.3 25.5 25.5 4.9 334 1.4 61 1.3 18.2 18.2 5.1 West Virginia 1 Children are individuals 15 years old or younger. Table 23: Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the States in the West Region Child1 Population in West Region (2010 U.S. Census) West States Number (000) West Region Alaska Percent (%) 14,943 Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) 100.0 Overall Participation Rate (%) Percent (%) 3,156 100.0 21.1 Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) 20.9 4.8 153 1.0 61 1.9 39.6 39.6 3.6 Arizona 1,421 9.5 369 11.7 26.0 26.0 7.2 California 7,627 51.0 1,079 34.2 14.1 13.9 2.9 Colorado 1,016 6.8 262 8.3 25.8 25.8 7.9 242 1.6 36 1.1 14.7 14.2 4.2 Hawaii Idaho 351 2.3 103 3.3 29.3 29.3 18.1 Montana 186 1.2 74 2.3 39.6 39.6 4.1 Nevada 569 3.8 177 5.6 31.2 31.2 7.4 New Mexico 446 3.0 92 2.9 20.6 20.6 6.5 Oregon 746 5.0 246 7.8 33.0 31.9 4.8 Utah Washington Wyoming 1 30 751 5.0 161 5.1 21.4 21.2 3.3 1,316 8.8 457 14.5 34.8 34.8 6.0 119 0.8 39 1.2 32.5 31.0 15.0 Children are individuals 15 years old or younger. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Boater Demographics Gender About 44.3% of boating participants across the nation in 2011 were female, with little variance across regions. In the Northeast, females of all ages represented 48.3% of participants; in the Midwest, 46.1%; in the South, 40.8%; and in the West, 44%. Overall 20.3% of adult women and 20.7% of females of all ages (compared with 27.1% of adult men and 27% of males of all ages) across the U.S. participated in boating in 2011. The highest percentage of females participated in the Midwest, where about 29.1% of females of all ages went boating in 2011. Table 24: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions by Gender Population in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Regions Gender Number (000) Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Overall Participation Rate (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) Female 50.8 32,563 44.3 20.7 20.4 5.0 Male 151,781 49.2 41,007 55.7 27.0 26.5 8.2 Total United States 156,964 308,746 100.0 73,560 100.0 23.8 23.4 6.6 28,448 51.4 5,809 48.3 20.4 20.0 5.1 Female Northeast 26,869 48.6 6,215 51.7 23.1 22.5 7.5 55,317 100.0 12,021 100.0 21.7 21.2 6.2 Female Midwest Male Total 33,999 50.8 9,882 46.1 29.1 28.6 5.8 Male 32,928 49.2 11,544 53.9 35.1 34.6 8.9 Total 66,927 100.0 21,419 100.0 32.0 31.6 7.4 Female 58,421 51.0 10,097 40.8 17.3 17.1 4.9 Male 56,135 49.0 14,630 59.2 26.1 25.4 8.7 Total South 114,556 100.0 24,727 100.0 21.6 21.2 6.8 Female West 36,096 50.2 6,775 44.0 18.8 18.4 4.5 Male 35,850 49.8 8,618 56.0 24.0 23.8 7.1 Total 71,946 100.0 15,393 100.0 21.4 21.1 5.8 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 31 Table 25: Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions by Gender Adult1 Population in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Regions Gender Number (000) Percent (%) Adult Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) Percent (%) Overall Participation Rate (%) Participation While Boat on Water (%) Participation While Boat Docked (%) Female 51.4 25,838 44.3 20.3 20.0 5.2 Male 119,915 48.6 32,496 55.7 27.1 26.5 8.6 Total United States 127,037 58,324 100.0 23.6 23.1 6.8 52.1 4,729 48.8 20.0 19.6 5.3 Male 21,727 47.9 4,965 51.2 22.9 22.0 7.4 45,378 100.0 9,692 100.0 21.4 20.8 6.3 Female Midwest 100.0 23,652 Total Northeast 246,952 Female 27,448 51.4 7,453 46.0 27.2 26.6 6.0 Male 25,968 48.6 8,765 54.1 33.8 33.3 9.5 Total 53,416 100.0 16,212 100.0 30.4 29.9 7.7 Female 47,105 51.7 8,237 40.8 17.5 17.4 5.0 Male 44,050 48.3 11,946 59.2 27.1 26.2 9.4 Total South 91,155 100.0 20,183 100.0 22.1 21.7 7.1 Female 1 28,833 50.6 5,418 44.3 18.8 18.4 4.9 Male 28,170 49.4 6,819 55.7 24.2 23.9 7.2 Total West 57,003 100.0 12,238 100.0 21.5 21.1 6.0 Adults are individuals 16 years old or older. Table 26: Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Region by Gender Child1 Population in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Regions Gender Female United States Number (000) 29,927 Percent (%) 48.4 Child Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Number (000) 6,725 Percent (%) 44.1 Overall Participation Rate (%) 22.5 Participation While Boat on Water (%) 22.2 Participation While Boat Docked (%) 4.2 Male 31,866 51.6 8,512 55.9 26.7 26.5 6.6 Total 61,793 100.0 15,236 100.0 24.7 24.4 5.4 4,796 48.3 1,080 46.4 22.5 21.8 4.1 Female Northeast Male 5,143 51.7 1,250 53.7 24.3 24.3 8.0 Total 9,939 100.0 2,329 100.0 23.4 23.1 6.1 Female 6,552 48.5 2,429 46.6 37.1 37.0 4.9 Male 6,959 51.5 2,779 53.4 39.9 39.5 6.8 Total Midwest 13,511 100.0 5,207 100.0 38.5 38.3 5.9 Female 11,316 48.4 1,860 40.9 16.4 16.1 4.4 Male 12,084 51.6 2,684 59.1 22.2 22.1 6.1 Total South 1 32 100.0 4,544 100.0 19.4 19.2 5.3 7,263 48.6 1,357 43.0 18.7 18.4 3.1 Male 7,680 51.4 1,799 57.0 23.4 23.3 6.4 Total West 23,400 Female 14,943 100.0 3,156 100.0 21.1 20.9 4.8 Children are individuals 15 years old or younger. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Age of Recreational Boating Participant Almost a quarter (23.8%) of the U.S. population 73.6 million persons - went recreational boating in 2011, 58.3 million adults and 15.3 million children. Participation was significantly higher for young boaters in the Midwest, where 38.2% of those ages 0-11 participated in boating, and 39.7% of those ages 12-15. Young to middle-age adults were a significant part of the boating community; nearly 30% of boaters were ages 25-44. Over a quarter (27.5%) of recreational boaters were between 45 and 65 years old. Figure 5: Recreational Boating Participants in 2011 by Age 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 0-11 years 12-15 years 16-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years 65-74 years 75-96 years 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 33 Table 27: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions by Age Population in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Regions United States Northeast Midwest South West 1 34 Age 0-11 12-15 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-96 Unknown Total1 0-11 12-15 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-96 Unknown Total1 0-11 12-15 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-96 Unknown Total1 0-11 12-15 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-96 Unknown Total1 0-11 12-15 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-96 Unknown Total1 Number (000) 46,304 15,489 37,366 39,366 39,349 42,731 34,503 20,646 16,624 16,369 308,746 7,208 2,731 6,407 6,657 7,146 7,908 6,364 3,642 3,347 3,907 55,317 10,074 3,436 8,002 8,226 8,359 9,535 7,741 4,563 3,916 3,075 66,927 17,815 5,585 14,028 14,772 14,801 15,761 12,747 8,235 5,735 5,077 114,556 11,206 3,736 8,929 9,710 9,043 9,528 7,652 4,206 3,626 4,310 71,946 Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percent (%) 15.0 5.0 12.1 12.8 12.7 13.8 11.2 6.7 5.4 5.3 100.0 13.0 4.9 11.6 12.0 12.9 14.3 11.5 6.6 6.1 7.1 100.0 15.1 5.1 12.0 12.3 12.5 14.2 11.6 6.8 5.9 4.6 100.0 15.6 4.9 12.2 12.9 12.9 13.8 11.1 7.2 5.0 4.4 100.0 15.6 5.2 12.4 13.5 12.6 13.2 10.6 5.8 5.0 6.0 100.0 Number (000) 10,522 4,715 9,412 11,339 10,591 11,676 8,554 3,567 1,357 1,828 73,560 1,444 886 1,694 1,409 1,457 2,088 1,749 598 281 409 12,021 3,845 1,363 2,360 3,569 2,863 3,082 2,296 1,155 414 479 21,419 2,965 1,578 3,266 3,868 3,661 4,287 3,086 1,260 367 388 24,727 2,268 888 2,091 2,493 2,610 2,219 1,423 554 295 552 15,393 Percent (%) Overall Participation Rate (%) 14.3 6.4 12.8 15.4 14.4 15.9 11.6 4.8 1.8 2.5 100.0 12.0 7.4 14.1 11.7 12.1 17.4 14.5 5.0 2.3 4.2 100.0 17.9 6.4 11.0 16.7 13.4 14.4 10.7 5.4 1.9 3.0 100.0 12.0 6.4 13.2 15.6 14.8 17.3 12.5 5.1 1.5 1.9 100.0 14.7 5.8 13.6 16.2 17.0 14.4 9.2 3.6 1.9 4.5 100.0 The sum of numbers may not equal the total in a higher-level of aggregation due to weighing procedures and rounding. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 22.7 30.4 25.2 28.8 26.9 27.3 24.8 17.3 8.2 11.2 23.8 20.0 32.4 26.4 21.2 20.4 26.4 27.5 16.4 8.4 10.5 21.7 38.2 39.7 29.5 43.4 34.2 32.3 29.7 25.3 10.6 15.6 32.0 16.6 28.3 23.3 26.2 24.7 27.2 24.2 15.3 6.4 7.6 21.6 20.2 23.8 23.4 25.7 28.9 23.3 18.6 13.2 8.1 12.8 21.4 Participation While Boat on Water (%) 22.5 30.2 24.8 28.3 26.5 26.9 24.1 16.5 7.6 11.1 23.4 19.5 32.4 26.2 20.4 19.6 26.3 27.3 14.2 7.1 10.4 21.2 38.1 38.9 29.0 43.4 34.1 31.9 28.8 24.1 10.0 15.3 31.6 16.4 28.2 22.7 25.5 24.6 26.7 23.2 15.2 6.2 7.5 21.2 20.1 23.3 23.3 25.3 28.2 22.8 18.3 12.9 7.7 12.8 21.1 Participation While Boat Docked (%) 4.6 8.0 6.6 7.1 8.3 7.8 8.1 5.1 3.4 3.9 6.6 5.9 6.8 6.9 5.1 5.3 7.3 7.7 5.2 4.7 7.1 6.2 5.1 8.3 6.3 11.1 9.5 6.7 10.0 5.4 3.8 3.4 7.4 4.3 8.3 6.8 6.3 8.5 9.4 8.5 5.9 2.4 3.1 6.8 3.8 7.9 6.4 6.1 9.4 6.4 6.0 3.3 3.4 2.1 5.8 Boating Participation by Type of Boat About half (51.1%) of the 73.6 million people who boated in 2011 did so at least once on a power boats, 23.9% in canoes, 25.3% in kayaks, and 20.8% on pontoon boats. Figure 6: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 by Type of Boat Used 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Sailboat PWC Pontoon Boat Canoe Kayak Row/ Power Inflatable Boat Boat Table 28: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions by Type of Boat Used Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 Percentage of Individual Boating Participants by Type of Boat Used Regions Number (000) United States 73,560 Percent (%) 100.0 Power Boat (%) Sailboat (%) 51.1 10.6 PWC (%) Canoe (%) 16.8 23.9 Kayak (%) 25.3 Pontoon Boat (%) 20.8 Row/ Inflatable Boat (%) 27.7 Northeast 12,021 16.3 51.0 11.8 13.1 32.1 37.2 13.1 26.3 Midwest 21,419 29.1 41.3 6.0 19.3 28.0 18.3 32.3 31.1 South 24,727 33.6 54.8 11.9 19.1 22.4 24.9 20.8 23.9 West 15,393 20.9 56.9 13.5 13.0 15.1 25.9 12.0 30.7 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 35 Individual Participation in Recreational Boating Activities People participate in boating in many ways. Socializing (reported by 75.3% of individual boating participants), cruising (70.3%), sightseeing (65.7%), fishing or crabbing (48.5%), and swimming or diving (46.7%) were the most popular boating activities across the nation. There was not strong regional variance: however, waterskiing, wakeboarding, and tubing was more popular in the Midwest (35.8%) than the national average; and rowing was more popular in the Northeast (27.1%), as was paddling (35.4%). Figure 7: Individual Participation in Specific Recreational Boating Activities in 2011 Hunting Racing Whitewater boating Scuba diving, snorkeling Sailing Rowing Paddling Waterskiing Sunbathing Swimming, diving Fishing, crabbing Sightseeing, nature observation Cruising Socializing 0% 36 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Table 29: Individual Participation in Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. Regions by Boating Activity Boating Activity Percentage1 of Individual Boating Participants by U.S. Region Midwest (%) Northeast (%) South (%) West (%) United States (%) Cruising 71.9 72.9 68.8 68.2 70.3 Socializing 73.1 78.7 73.8 75.1 75.3 Fishing or crabbing 41.8 47.7 57.3 40.4 48.5 <1 3.1 4.1 2.4 2.9 35.4 25.2 28.3 30.8 29.2 Hunting Water paddling Racing 5.1 2.2 2.3 5.1 3.3 Rowing 27.1 18.2 17.1 23.6 20.5 Scuba diving or snorkeling 8.8 3.9 12.2 12.1 9.4 Sightseeing or nature observation 69.9 64.2 64.7 65.8 65.7 Sunbathing 34.0 37.4 34.1 33.7 34.9 Swimming or diving 44.2 48.2 49.4 43.3 46.9 Waterskiing, wakeboarding, or tubing 22.0 35.8 32.2 29.4 30.9 Whitewater boating Sailing 1 5.1 2.6 7.8 10.0 6.4 12.9 6.6 11.7 12.3 10.6 Percentages add up to more than 100%, because individuals could participate in more than one boating activity. Boating Ownership Household Boat Ownership in the United States Of the 116.7 million households in the United States, 17% owned one or more recreational boats (an average of 1.1 boats per boat-owning household) in 2011, for a total of approximately 22.2 million boats. The boat ownership rate averaged 190 per 1,000 households for the country as a whole, or about 72 boats per 1,000 U.S. residents. The Midwest region had the highest boat ownership rate, at 239 boats per 1,000 households and 94 boats per 1,000 residents. Figure 8: Boat Ownership per 1,000 Households in 2011 in U.S. Regions 250 200 150 100 50 0 Northeast Midwest South West United States 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 37 The West region had the lowest boat ownership, with rates of 146 boats per 1,000 households and 52 boats per 1,000 residents. The number of boats owned per 1,000 boating households was highest in the South, at 712. States with the highest household boat ownership rates include Alaska (39.4% of households), Maine (37.8%), Vermont (35.4%), and Minnesota (34.0%). The District of Columbia had the lowest rate (6.7%), followed by California (11.3%) and New Mexico (11.4%). 38 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 30: Rates of Boat Ownership, and Distribution of Boating Households by U.S. Region and Type of Boat Owned Households in the U.S. (2010 U.S. Census) Household Boat Ownership Rate (%) Regions Number (000) United States Percent (%) Percentage of Boating Households by Type of Boat Owned1 Average Number of Boats Per Boating Household Power Boat (%) Sailboat (%) PWC (%) Canoe (%) Kayak (%) Pontoon Boat (%) Row/ Inflatable Boat (%) 100.0 17.0 1.1 51.0 3.7 8.5 12.6 19.7 4.3 8.8 21,215 18.2 16.5 1.0 42.3 6.0 6.9 18.3 30.6 2.7 8.1 Midwest 26,216 22.5 19.7 1.2 53.9 3.0 8.9 14.8 14.9 6.8 8.7 South 43,610 37.4 16.5 1.2 56.3 2.9 8.9 10.4 17.6 4.7 6.5 West 1 116,716 Northeast 25,675 22.0 15.5 1.0 45.2 3.9 8.9 8.8 19.9 1.8 13.8 Percentages of boating households add up to more than 100%, because households can own more than one boat Table 31: Number and Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the U.S. Regions by Households and Residents Number of Boats (000) Region United States Number of Boats Per 1000 Households Number of Boats Per 1000 Boating Households1 Number of Boats Per 1000 U.S. Residents Number of Boats Per 1000 Boaters 22,217 190 649 72 302 Northeast 3,606 170 609 65 300 Midwest 6,258 239 689 94 292 South 1 8,603 197 712 75 348 West 3,750 146 528 52 244 A boating household is a household with a member who participated in any recreational boating activity in 2011. Table 32: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the U.S. Regions by Boat Type Recreational Boats by U. S. Region Boat Type Boats in Northeast Number (000) Boats in Midwest Percent (%) Number (000) Boats in South Percent (%) Number (000) Boats in the U.S. Boats in West Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) All Boats 3,606 100.0 6,258 100.0 8,603 100.0 3,750 100.0 22,217 100.0 Power Boat 1,324 36.7 3,045 48.6 4,175 48.5 1,576 42.0 10,119 45.5 Sailboat 193 5.4 171 2.7 243 2.8 127 3.4 733 3.3 PWC 177 4.9 436 7.0 709 8.2 368 9.8 1,689 7.6 Canoe 537 14.9 770 12.3 902 10.5 296 7.9 2,505 11.3 Kayak 1,028 28.5 770 12.3 1,405 16.3 695 18.5 3,898 17.5 Pontoon Boat 64 1.8 423 6.8 316 3.7 51 1.4 854 3.8 Row/Inflatable Boat 229 6.4 432 6.9 538 6.3 548 14.6 1,747 7.9 53 1.5 213 3.4 315 3.7 90 2.4 671 3.0 Other Boat 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 39 Table 33: Rate of Boat Ownership, and Distribution of Boat-Owning Households in 2011 in the States in the Northeast Region by Type of Boat Owned Households in Northeast Region (2010 U.S. Census) Northeast States Number (000) Northeast Region Percent (%) Household Boat Ownership Rate (%) Average Number of Boats Per BoatOwning Household 16.5 1.0 37.8 5.5 5.0 15.3 29.3 1.8 6.5 Percentage of Boat-Owning Households by Type of Boat Owned1 Power Boat (%) Sailboat (%) PWC (%) Canoe (%) Kayak (%) Pontoon Boat (%) Row/ Inflatable Boat (%) 21,215 100.0 1,371 6.5 16.6 1.2 37.7 4.2 6.1 16.0 29.2 1.6 4.5 557 2.6 37.8 1.1 36.0 4.6 2.3 24.5 41.7 1.1 6.5 Massachusetts 2,547 12.0 17.4 1.3 40.2 6.9 4.0 13.2 37.8 1.0 6.1 New Hampshire 519 2.4 32.7 1.2 33.0 5.0 2.9 21.6 41.0 2.0 7.2 New Jersey 3,214 15.2 13.3 1.0 40.9 7.7 6.6 9.7 26.3 1.0 5.5 New York 7,318 34.5 14.5 1.0 39.8 5.6 4.2 12.8 25.5 3.5 6.8 Pennsylvania 5,019 23.7 15.6 1.0 35.0 4.1 7.2 18.1 23.9 0.9 7.4 Rhode Island 414 1.9 22.0 1.1 34.9 7.0 3.4 14.8 33.6 1.1 5.2 Vermont 256 1.2 35.4 1.4 27.9 4.1 2.5 23.2 39.9 1.0 7.7 Connecticut Maine 1 Percentages of boat-owning households add up to more than 100%, because households can own more than one boat Table 34: Rate of Boat Ownership, and Distribution of Boat-Owning Households in 2011 in the States in the Midwest Region by Type of Boat Owned Households in Midwest Region (2010 U.S. Census) Midwest States Number (000) Midwest Region Percent (%) Household Boat Ownership Rate (%) Average Number of Boats Per BoatOwning Household Percentage of Boat-Owning Households by Type of Boat Owned1 Power Boat (%) Sailboat (%) PWC (%) Canoe (%) Kayak (%) Pontoon Boat (%) Row/ Inflatable Boat (%) 26,216 100.0 19.7 1.2 57.7 3.3 8.4 14.9 14.9 8.2 8.4 Illinois 4,837 18.5 13.0 1.1 52.4 2.9 6.8 13.7 15.4 4.8 10.6 Indiana 2,502 9.5 16.7 1.2 52.9 4.3 9.4 13.6 12.4 9.4 11.1 Iowa 1,222 4.7 19.4 1.3 59.1 1.8 7.2 12.9 12.4 6.0 6.1 Kansas 1,112 4.2 14.5 1.2 56.5 4.1 12.7 8.9 10.0 4.7 9.0 Michigan 3,873 14.8 26.0 1.2 57.4 4.4 8.4 14.2 22.9 12.3 9.7 Minnesota 2,087 8.0 34.0 1.5 65.6 2.7 8.2 19.8 13.7 10.0 6.4 Missouri 2,376 9.1 17.5 1.3 57.4 2.4 10.7 12.8 9.2 9.1 6.6 Nebraska 721 2.8 14.9 1.0 64.3 2.0 7.5 9.5 7.8 3.0 10.0 North Dakota 281 1.1 24.5 1.4 73.4 2.4 8.9 10.6 9.2 6.4 6.0 4,603 17.6 15.2 1.0 51.3 3.6 10.1 14.7 11.9 6.3 6.5 322 1.2 22.1 1.0 65.8 1.7 8.7 9.2 14.4 4.0 6.1 2,280 8.7 28.2 1.5 60.6 3.0 5.9 18.5 15.7 6.9 8.6 Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin 1 40 Percentages of boat-owning households add up to more than 100%, because households can own more than one boat 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 35: Rate of Boat Ownership, and Distribution of Boat-Owning Households in 2011 in the States in the South Region by Type of Boat Owned Households in South Region (2010 U.S. Census) South States Number (000) South Region Percent (%) Household Boat Ownership Rate (%) Average Number of Boats Per BoatOwning Household Percentage of Boat-Owning Households by Type of Boat Owned1 Power Boat (%) Sailboat (%) PWC (%) Canoe (%) Kayak (%) Pontoon Boat (%) Row/ Inflatable Boat (%) 43,610 100.0 16.5 1.2 57.9 3.4 9.8 12.5 18.4 4.4 7.4 Alabama 1,884 4.3 18.5 1.1 70.8 2.1 19.6 13.7 10.5 7.0 7.4 Arkansas 1,147 2.6 23.7 1.3 62.9 1.2 8.5 12.7 10.1 5.7 9.6 Delaware 342 0.8 16.9 1.3 54.3 4.9 6.8 12.1 23.0 4.3 10.1 District of Columbia 267 0.6 6.7 1.0 41.6 14.2 9.2 13.4 32.5 1.4 4.1 Florida 7,421 17.0 19.3 1.2 59.9 4.0 8.2 11.7 23.5 2.4 7.5 Georgia 3,586 8.2 14.4 1.7 58.5 3.2 8.9 13.9 17.3 5.2 7.1 Kentucky 1,720 3.9 15.9 1.1 54.4 1.5 8.8 17.0 10.9 6.9 7.7 Louisiana 1,728 4.0 21.7 1.2 71.1 1.9 8.8 9.2 11.0 2.8 6.9 Maryland 2,156 4.9 16.0 1.0 43.1 8.1 11.4 16.2 35.1 1.2 6.0 Mississippi 1,116 2.6 17.2 1.5 68.0 2.0 8.4 9.0 8.9 2.8 9.1 North Carolina 3,745 8.6 16.8 1.2 51.5 3.4 9.5 12.4 26.0 4.0 8.5 Oklahoma 1,460 3.3 13.8 1.2 63.3 1.6 10.1 8.4 9.1 5.5 8.2 South Carolina 1,801 4.1 19.4 1.8 66.9 2.4 8.3 9.8 16.4 5.7 5.1 Tennessee 2,494 5.7 18.3 1.1 60.1 2.2 10.2 11.1 13.3 8.0 4.0 Texas 8,923 20.5 13.1 1.0 54.9 3.3 11.0 9.0 15.8 5.5 7.7 Virginia 3,056 7.0 15.0 1.2 48.7 6.0 8.4 22.7 22.4 2.6 7.3 764 1.8 16.1 1.2 31.9 0.7 10.3 23.0 18.8 3.4 16.8 West Virginia 1 Percentages of boat-owning households add up to more than 100%, because households can own more than one boat Table 36: Rate of Boat Ownership, and Distribution of Boat-Owning Households in 2011 in the States in the West Region by Type of Boat Owned Households in West Region (2010 U.S. Census) West States Number (000) West Region Alaska Percent (%) Household Boat Ownership Rate (%) Average Number of Boats Per BoatOwning Household Percentage of Boat-Owning Households by Type of Boat Owned1 Power Boat (%) Sailboat (%) PWC (%) Canoe (%) Kayak (%) Pontoon Boat (%) Row/ Inflatable Boat (%) 25,675 100.0 15.5 1.0 39.7 3.2 9.3 7.4 17.5 1.3 13.8 258 1.0 39.4 1.0 51.6 1.1 6.6 13.3 15.7 0.5 13.8 2,381 9.3 11.8 1.0 38.0 2.0 8.9 7.3 15.3 5.1 14.3 California 12,577 49.0 11.3 1.0 39.8 4.7 12.0 4.1 21.3 0.8 10.6 Colorado 1,973 7.7 15.6 1.0 35.7 2.8 8.7 11.1 18.8 1.6 9.5 Hawaii 455 1.8 14.5 1.0 34.8 3.2 7.1 7.4 30.9 0.8 4.9 Idaho 579 2.3 27.1 1.1 39.3 1.8 5.3 10.0 14.3 1.5 17.8 Montana 410 1.6 32.2 1.3 41.6 1.6 9.4 13.2 12.9 1.4 20.4 1,006 3.9 12.4 1.0 43.0 2.1 12.7 3.8 11.1 2.5 10.8 791 3.1 11.4 1.0 40.6 2.1 13.0 9.8 8.5 3.0 12.4 1,519 5.9 26.1 1.0 38.2 3.5 6.2 9.2 10.7 0.8 19.5 878 3.4 18.2 1.0 40.8 1.4 10.6 9.2 14.0 <1 11.2 2,620 10.2 26.1 1.0 40.4 2.5 6.0 8.8 18.3 0.9 18.6 227 0.9 22.3 1.2 36.6 0.6 7.3 13.2 9.0 1.4 15.9 Arizona Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming 1 Percentages of boat-owning households add up to more than 100%, because households can own more than one boat 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 41 Days and Hours of Recreational Boats' Use Across the entire country, the majority (65.5%) of recreational boats were used in 2011. While the proportion of boat types used in any given year and overall proportion of boats used from year to year varies (due to the economy, weather, or water levels), previous national studies indicate that the overall proportion of boats used has remained relatively constant over the last 20 years. The average boat was used for about 17 days in 2011. This is fewer days than reported in some previous studies, but often these studies surveyed fewer boat owners and mostly those who owned registered vessels. In this study, great effort was made to include the owners of non-registered vessels. Vessels that are more likely to be nonregistered (e.g., due to their type, size or propulsion) were generally used less often. On an average use day, the average boat was on the water for 4.5 hours, with an average of 2.4 persons aboard the boat when it was used. It is estimated that the boats owned by households logged almost 3 billion person-hours in 2011. When frequency and duration of use are factored in, along with number of boats, power boats were by far the most used type of boat. Over two-thirds, or 2.05 billion, of boating person-hours were spent on power boats. The survey results also verified the changing popularity of different recreational boats. Recreational paddling is now very popular, as measured by participation rates, numbers of boats and boating person-hours. About 29% of the recreational boats owned in the country were canoes and kayaks. Half of all canoes and over twothirds of kayaks were used in 2011, with boaters logging nearly a quarter of a billion hours in them. About 69% of personal watercraft (PWCs) were used in 2011, for an average of 16.3 days, and boating participants spent over 130 million hours on PWCs. A very high proportion (83.4%) of pontoon boats were used in 2011, and their owners used them more days (21.8) on average than any other type of boat. Boaters spent about 301 million hours on them. Figure 9: Boating Person-Hours (in Millions) in 2011 by Boat Type 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 Power Boat 42 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Sailboat PWC Canoe Kayak Pontoon Boat Row/ Inflatable Other Boat About half of sailboats were used in 2011, for 19.2 days on average, and boaters logged about 70.9 million person-hours on them. Canoes were the least used (50.1%), and for the smallest average number of days (8.8). They were also out on the water for one of the smallest average number of hours - 3.9. Figure 10: Rate of Recreational Boat Use in 2011 by Boat Type Row/Inflatable Other Boat Pontoon Boat Kayak Canoe PWC Sailboat Power Boat 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 43 Boat Use in Different Regions The Northeast was the region with the highest average percentage of boats used, at 69.1%. The smallest percentage of boats used was in the West, at 61.1%. Not unexpectedly, the average number of use days was highest in the South (17.5 days per year), and lowest in the West at 14.2 days per year. Figure 11: Percentage of Boating Person-Hours in U.S. Regions Hours of Boating Participation Northeast 13% Midwest 29% South 42% West 16% 44 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 37: Days and Hours of Recreational Boating in 2011 in the U.S. by Boat Type Boat Type Number of Boats in the U.S. (000) Boats Used (%) Average Number of Use Days Per Year Average Number of Hours on Water Per Use Day Average Number of People Aboard Per Use Day Boating Person-Hours1 (000) All Boats 22,217 65.5 16.7 4.5 2.4 2,972,999 Power Boat 10,119 70.3 19.3 5.1 2.9 2,053,042 Sailboat 733 50.4 19.2 4.2 2.3 70,906 PWC 1,689 69.3 16.3 3.9 1.8 130,686 Canoe 2,505 50.1 8.8 3.9 2.1 90,350 Kayak 3,898 69.3 12.8 3.4 1.1 133,125 854 83.4 21.8 4.5 4.3 301,209 2,418 50.7 14.7 4.8 2.3 193,682 Pontoon Boat Row/Inflatable/Other Boat 1 The boating person-hour represents the time the average recreational boating participant spent on a boat while it was on the water. About 42% of all the boating person-hours took place in the South region. Almost 70% of all boats in the Northeast were used in 2011, and the Northeast region represented 13% of all boating person-hours in the U.S. Over 856 million boating person-hours were spent in the Midwest, which represents 29% of all boating hours in the U.S., while boaters in the West region logged 16% of all boating person-hours. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 45 Table 38: Days and Hours of Recreational Boating in 2011 in the Northeast Region by Boat Type Boat Type Number of Boats in Northeast Region (000) Boats Used (%) Average Number of Use Days Per Year Average Number of Hours on Water Per Use Day Average Number of People Aboard Per Use Day Boating Person-Hours1 (000) All Boats 3,606 69.1 17.0 3.7 2.2 396,435 Power Boat 1,324 76.2 20.6 4.3 3.0 267,098 Sailboat 193 54.6 21.7 3.6 2.2 18,367 PWC 177 78.3 17.0 3.9 1.8 16,215 Canoe 537 52.9 9.6 3.8 2.1 22,050 Kayak 1,028 72.6 13.4 2.9 1.1 32,278 64 92.3 24.6 4.0 3.7 21,238 283 52.3 18.5 3.6 2.0 19,190 Pontoon Boat Row/Inflatable/Other Boat 1 The boating person-hour represents the time the average recreational boating participant spent on a boat while it was on the water. Table 39: Days and Hours of Recreational Boating in 2011 in the Midwest Region by Boat Type Boat Type Number of Boats in Midwest Region (000) Boats Used (%) Average Number of Use Days Per Year Average Number of Hours on Water Per Use Day Average Number of People Aboard Per Use Day Boating Person-Hours1 (000) All Boats 6,258 66.0 16.7 4.4 2.6 856,563 Power Boat 70.4 18.1 4.8 2.9 533,223 171 51.4 14.1 3.9 2.1 10,138 PWC 436 69.5 18.4 3.5 1.8 34,407 Canoe 770 45.9 8.9 4.0 2.1 26,217 Kayak 770 70.6 13.1 3.4 1.1 26,774 Pontoon Boat 423 87.9 22.8 4.4 4.6 169,336 Row/Inflatable/Other Boat 1 3,045 Sailboat 644 50.8 14.8 4.8 2.4 56,469 The boating person-hour represents the time the average recreational boating participant spent on a boat while it was on the water. Table 40: Days and Hours of Recreational Boating in 2011 in the South Region by Boat Type Boat Type Number of Boats in South Region (000) Boats Used (%) Average Number of Use Days Per Year Average Number of Hours on Water Per Use Day Average Number of People Aboard Per Use Day Boating Person-Hours1 (000) All Boats 17.5 4.8 2.3 1,243,137 4,175 69.5 20.4 5.5 2.8 896,267 Sailboat 243 44.0 21.2 4.6 2.4 24,880 PWC 709 71.1 16.4 4.0 1.8 59,116 Canoe 902 52.7 8.9 4.0 2.0 33,671 Kayak 1,405 69.9 13.1 3.8 1.1 55,841 Pontoon Boat 316 77.2 20.5 4.7 4.1 96,426 Row/Inflatable/Other Boat 46 65.6 Power Boat 1 8,603 853 50.0 16.6 5.0 2.2 76,936 The boating person-hour represents the time the average recreational boating participant spent on a boat while it was on the water. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 41: Days and Hours of Recreational Boating in 2011 in the West Region by Boat Type Boat Type Number of Boats in West Region (000) Boats Used (%) Average Number of Use Days Per Year Average Number of Hours on Water Per Use Day Average Number of People Aboard Per Use Day Boating Person-Hours1 (000) All Boats 3,750 61.1 14.2 4.9 2.6 476,864 Power Boat 1,576 67.2 17.6 5.7 3.4 356,455 Sailboat 127 55.1 18.5 5.0 2.6 17,521 PWC 368 61.2 13.1 4.2 1.7 20,948 Canoe 296 48.3 7.1 3.7 2.2 8,412 Kayak 695 61.9 10.8 3.4 1.2 18,231 51 72.6 17.1 5.1 4.4 14,210 638 51.0 10.4 5.0 2.4 41,087 Pontoon Boat Row/Inflatable/Other Boat 1 The boating person-hour represents the time the average recreational boating participant spent on a boat while it was on the water. Boat Owner Safety Training and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation Across all types of boats, 42.6% of owners reported having completed a boating safety course. That ranged from a low of 34.7% for owners of rowboats/ inflatable boats, to a high of 61.7% for owners of sailboats. For the most prevalent boat type (power boat), safety course completion was just under the average, at 40.7%. At the regional level, the Northeast region had the highest percentage of owners who completed a boating safety course (52.5%) and the Midwest region had the lowest, 36.1% of boat owners. Across all boat types, a majority (63.4%) of boat owners rated themselves as very experienced. Owners in the South were most likely to rate themselves very experienced (67.8%), while boat owners in the West were least likely to self-rate as very experienced (55.7%). 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 47 Figure 12: Owner Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 Across All Boat Types Very Experienced 63% Somewhat Experienced 28% Somewhat Inexperienced 5% Very Inexperienced 3% Unknown 1% Table 42: Boat Owner's Boating Safety Education and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 in the U.S. by Boat Type Boat Type U.S. Owners with a Boating Safety Course (%) Owner's Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 Very Experienced (%) Somewhat Experienced (%) Somewhat Inexperienced (%) Very Inexperienced (%) Unknown (%) All Boats1 27.7 5.0 3.5 <1 40.7 70.6 21.5 4.4 3.0 <1 Sailboat 61.7 63.5 25.8 5.2 4.9 <1 PWC 47.5 70.5 24.3 3.0 1.9 <1 Canoe 42.6 54.3 35.8 6.3 3.3 <1 Kayak 47.0 51.5 38.5 5.7 4.2 <1 Pontoon Boat 35.3 69.6 23.8 3.6 2.5 <1 Row/Inflatable Boat 48 63.4 Powerboat 1 42.6 34.7 51.1 34.2 7.7 6.7 <1 Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 43: Boat Owner's Boating Safety Education and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 in the Northeast Region by Boat Type Boat Type Northeast Region's Owners with a Boating Safety Course (%) Owner's Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 Very Experienced (%) Somewhat Experienced (%) Somewhat Inexperienced (%) Very Inexperienced (%) Unknown (%) All Boats1 62.0 29.5 4.6 3.5 <1 Powerboat 60.7 72.1 22.3 2.7 2.3 <1 Sailboat 55.3 63.5 28.1 4.2 3.7 <1 PWC 78.4 76.7 16.6 4.8 1.5 <1 Canoe 42.6 54.9 36.9 4.8 3.4 <1 Kayak 46.2 52.9 36.9 6.8 3.2 <1 Pontoon Boat 59.9 74.0 20.2 1.2 3.5 1.0 Row/Inflatable Boat 1 52.5 33.4 45.3 34.0 6.3 13.9 <1 Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total. Table 44: Boat Owner's Boating Safety Education and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 in the Midwest Region by Boat Type Boat Type Midwest Region's Owners with a Boating Safety Course (%) Owner's Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 Very Experienced (%) Somewhat Experienced (%) Somewhat Inexperienced (%) Very Inexperienced (%) Unknown (%) All Boats1 62.7 27.3 6.0 3.6 <1 Powerboat 32.3 68.6 22.3 5.4 3.3 <1 Sailboat 58.5 58.3 27.0 8.1 4.9 1.5 PWC 43.3 69.6 26.0 2.3 1.7 <1 Canoe 34.8 53.9 34.7 8.5 2.4 <1 Kayak 46.7 48.5 39.8 6.2 5.4 <1 Pontoon Boat 34.4 67.3 24.4 5.3 2.6 <1 Row/Inflatable Boat 1 36.1 32.4 52.1 31.9 8.8 7.2 <1 Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 49 Table 45: Boat Owner's Boating Safety Education and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 in the South Region by Boat Type Boat Type South Region's Owners with a Boating Safety Course (%) Owner's Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 Very Experienced (%) Somewhat Experienced (%) Somewhat Inexperienced (%) Very Inexperienced (%) Unknown (%) All Boats1 67.8 24.8 3.8 3.3 <1 Powerboat 38.9 73.8 19.4 3.4 2.9 <1 Sailboat 67.6 70.4 21.5 2.5 5.4 <1 PWC 45.5 73.0 22.7 3.1 1.0 <1 Canoe 48.0 57.1 33.8 4.9 4.0 <1 Kayak 46.5 56.0 35.5 4.1 4.3 <1 Pontoon Boat 31.1 72.1 23.2 1.6 2.5 <1 Row/Inflatable Boat 1 41.9 33.4 59.6 29.3 6.2 4.8 <1 Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total. Table 46: Boat Owner's Boating Safety Education and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 in the West Region by Boat Type Boat Type West Region's Owners with a Boating Safety Course (%) Owner's Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 Very Experienced (%) Somewhat Experienced (%) Somewhat Inexperienced (%) Very Inexperienced (%) Unknown (%) All Boats1 55.7 33.4 6.7 3.9 <1 Powerboat 45.2 64.5 25.1 6.7 3.5 <1 Sailboat 64.4 57.0 29.1 8.0 5.8 <1 PWC 41.7 63.9 29.1 2.5 4.2 <1 Canoe 46.3 45.4 42.6 7.4 3.2 1.3 Kayak 49.7 43.8 45.6 6.6 4.0 <1 Pontoon Boat 37.4 66.9 27.1 5.3 <1 <1 Row/Inflatable Boat 1 45.3 38.2 44.4 41.0 9.0 5.2 <1 Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total. Table 47: Primary Operator's Boating Safety Education and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 in the U.S. Regions Regions Primary Operators with a Boating Safety Course (%) Primary Operator's Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 Very Experienced (%) Somewhat Experienced (%) Somewhat Inexperienced (%) Very Inexperienced (%) Unknown (%) United States 72.2 24.5 2.3 <1 <1 Northeast 56.4 68.0 27.8 2.6 1.2 <1 Midwest 38.4 72.5 23.8 2.6 <1 <1 South 43.5 76.3 21.1 1.8 <1 <1 West 50 45.3 50.3 65.8 30.5 2.6 <1 <1 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 48: Non-Primary Operator's Boating Safety Education and Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 in the U.S. Regions Regions Non-Primary Operator with a Boating Safety Course (%) Non-Primary Operator's Self-Assessed Experience Level in Boat Operation in 2011 Very Experienced (%) Somewhat Experienced (%) Somewhat Inexperienced (%) Very Inexperienced (%) Unknown (%) United States 33.0 31.2 39.5 14.8 13.6 <1 Northeast 39.8 41.9 35.1 11.2 11.3 <1 Midwest 28.1 28.3 39.5 17.6 13.7 <1 South 35.0 31.1 40.6 12.1 15.1 1.0 West 30.7 26.1 41.8 18.5 12.9 <1 Boat Ownership by Type Boats are very diverse in terms of types, sizes, propulsion, and the materials from which they are made (wood, fiberglass, aluminum, etc.). Figure 13: Distribution of Households in 2011 by Type of Recreational Boat Owned 60% At the national level, 51% of boat-owning households owned power boats, 3.7% owned sailboats, 8.5% owned personal watercraft (PWCs), 12.6% owned canoes, 19.7% owned percent kayaks, 4.3% owned pontoon boats, and 8.8% owned row boats or inflatable boats. 50% 40% The distribution of all boats owned by households across the United States was similar, with power boats representing 45.5% of all boats; sailboats about 3.3%; PWCs 7.6%, canoes about 11.3%, kayaks 17.5%, pontoon boats 3.8%, row/inflatable boats 7.9%, and other boats 3%. 30% 20% The Northeast had the lowest percentage of power boats (36.7%) and PWCs (4.9%) in comparison with other regions, and had the highest percentage of canoes and kayaks (43.4%) and sailboats (5.4%). 10% The Midwest and the South had the highest proportions of power boats at 48.6% and 48.5% respectively. 0% Row/ Pontoon Inflatable Boat Other Boat Kayak Canoe PWC Sailboat Power Boat 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 51 Boat Size About 48% of recreational boats owned in the U.S. were less than 16 feet long, and about 85% were less than 26 feet in length. Small boats were particularly common in the Northeast, with more than half (56.5%) being less than 16 feet in length. This explains, in part, the high percentage of boats in this region that were not registered. Boats 40 feet or longer constituted a very small share of all recreational boats in the U.S., less than half of one percent. Figure 14: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 by Boat Type Figure 15: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 by Boat Size Power Boat 46% Kayak 17% Under 16 feet 48% Sailboat 3% Pontoon Boat 4% 16-25 feet 37% PWC 8% Row/Inflatable Boat 8% 28-39 feet 3% Canoe 11% Other Boat 3% Unknown 12% Note: The share of recreational boats 40 feet or longer was below 0.5%. 52 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 49: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the United States by Boat Type and Size Recreational Boats in the U.S. by Boat Size Boat Type Under 16 ft Number (000) All Boats 16 ft to 25 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 26 ft to 39 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 40 ft to 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) Over 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) All Boats Unknown Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) 10,636 100.0 8,262 100.0 684 100.0 ... ... ... ... 2,536 100.0 22,217 100.0 3,250 30.6 5,840 70.7 463 67.7 ... ... ... ... 495 19.5 10,119 45.5 336 3.2 262 3.2 94 13.7 25 25 ... ... 16 0.6 733 3.3 PWC 1,194 11.2 134 1.6 ... ... ... ... ... ... 362 14.3 1,689 7.6 Canoe 1,276 12.0 908 11.0 ... ... ... ... ... ... 319 12.6 2,505 11.3 Kayak 3,155 29.7 389 4.7 ... ... ... ... ... ... 354 14.0 3,898 17.5 Power Boat Sailboat Pontoon Boat Row/Inflatable Boat Other Boat ... 42 0.4 614 7.4 119 17.4 ... ... ... ... 77 3.0 854 3.8 1,383 13.0 115 1.4 ... ... ... ... ... ... 243 9.6 1,747 7.9 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 671 26.4 671 3.0 These numbers and percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these types and sizes of boats. Table 50: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the Northeast Region by Boat Type and Size Recreational Boats in the Northeast Region by Boat Size Boat Type Under 16 ft Number (000) All Boats Power Boat Sailboat 16 ft to 25 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 26 ft to 39 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 40 ft to 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) Over 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) All Boats Unknown Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) 2,036 100 1,086 100 143 100 ... ... ... ... 319 100 3,606 100 473 23.2 705 64.9 104 72.6 13 ... ... ... 27 8.3 1,324 36.7 96 4.7 61 5.6 26 17.9 5 ... ... ... 5 1.6 193 5.4 PWC 158 7.8 6 0.5 ... ... ... ... ... ... 13 4.1 177 4.9 Canoe 288 14.1 172 15.8 ... ... ... ... ... ... 76 24 537 14.9 Kayak 824 40.5 92 8.5 ... ... ... ... ... ... 112 35 1,028 28.5 6 0.3 40 3.7 8 5.3 ... ... ... ... 10 3.1 64 1.8 191 9.4 10 0.9 6 4 ... ... ... ... 23 7.2 229 6.4 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 53 16.7 53 1.5 Pontoon Boat Row/Inflatable Boat Other Boat ... These numbers and percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these types and sizes of boats. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 53 Table 51: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the Midwest Region by Boat Type and Size Recreational Boats in the Midwest Region by Boat Size Boat Type Under 16 ft Number (000) 16 ft to 25 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 26 ft to 39 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 40 ft to 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) Over 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) All Boats Unknown Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) All Boats 2,724 100 2,645 100 165 100 ... ... ... ... 713 100 6,258 100 Power Boat 1,025 37.6 1,768 66.9 94 56.9 ... ... ... ... 148 20.8 3,045 48.6 80 2.9 70 2.6 14 8.6 2 ... ... ... 5 0.6 171 2.7 PWC 275 10.1 55 2.1 ... ... ... ... ... ... 106 14.9 436 7 Canoe 335 12.3 341 12.9 ... ... ... ... ... ... 94 13.2 770 12.3 Kayak 640 23.5 71 2.7 ... ... ... ... ... ... 59 8.3 770 12.3 16 0.6 311 11.8 56 34.2 ... ... ... ... 39 5.5 423 6.8 354 13 29 1.1 ... ... ... ... ... ... 48 6.8 432 6.9 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 213 29.9 213 3.4 Sailboat Pontoon Boat Row/Inflatable Boat Other Boat ... These numbers and percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these types and sizes of boats. Table 52: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the South Region by Boat Type and Size Recreational Boats in the South Region by Boat Size Boat Type Under 16 ft Number (000) 16 ft to 25 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 26 ft to 39 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 40 ft to 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) Over 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) All Boats Unknown Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) All Boats 4,005 100 3,213 100 269 100 ... ... ... ... 1,077 100 8,603 100 Power Boat 1,334 33.3 2,375 73.9 192 71.4 ... ... ... ... 247 22.9 4,175 48.5 Sailboat 109 2.7 92 2.9 30 11.3 10 ... ... ... ... ... 243 2.8 PWC 476 11.9 53 1.6 ... ... ... ... ... ... 180 16.7 709 8.2 Canoe 498 12.4 282 8.8 ... ... ... ... ... ... 122 11.3 902 10.5 Kayak 1,160 29 133 4.1 ... ... ... ... ... ... 112 10.4 1,405 16.3 15 0.4 234 7.3 46 17.1 ... ... ... ... 20 1.9 316 3.7 413 10.3 43 1.4 ... ... ... ... ... ... 82 7.6 538 6.3 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 315 29.2 315 3.7 Pontoon Boat Row/Inflatable Boat Other Boat ... 54 These numbers and percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these types and sizes of boats. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Table 53: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the West Region by Boat Type and Size Recreational Boats in the West Region by Boat Size Boat Type Under 16 ft Number (000) All Boats 16 ft to 25 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 26 ft to 39 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 40 ft to 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) Over 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) All Boats Unknown Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) 1,870 100 1,318 100 107 100 ... ... ... ... 427 100 3,750 100 418 22.4 992 75.2 74 68.7 16 16.2687 ... ... 73 17.2 1,576 42 51 2.7 39 3 24 22 8 7.7737 ... ... 5 1.2 127 3.4 PWC 285 15.2 21 1.6 ... ... ... ... ... ... 63 14.6 368 9.8 Canoe 156 8.3 113 8.6 ... ... ... ... ... ... 27 6.3 296 7.9 Kayak 530 28.3 93 7 ... ... ... ... ... ... 72 16.8 695 18.5 Power Boat Sailboat Pontoon Boat Row/Inflatable Boat 5 0.3 29 2.2 9 8.8 ... ... ... ... 7 1.7 51 1.4 425 22.7 32 2.4 ... ... ... ... ... ... 90 21.1 548 14.6 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 90 21 90 2.4 Other Boat ... These numbers and percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these types and sizes of boats. Boat Registration State boat registration requirements (e.g., size, types of boats that must be registered) differ widely from state to state. Registration requires a title, the payment of a fee, and the issuance of a registration number and decal that must be affixed to the vessel. In most states, all recreational boats over a certain size and those powered by a motor or engine of some sort are required to be registered. In some states, only boats with mechanical propulsion must be registered, but in states such as Ohio all boats must be registered. Nearly 12.75 million, or 57% of the estimated total number of recreational boats in 2011, were registered. It is estimated that about 9.5 million of the recreational boats owned in the country were not registered. About 44% of the boats in the Northeast were registered in 2011. In comparison, two-thirds of boats owned in the Midwest region were registered. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 55 Figure 16: Recreational Boat Registration Status in 2011 in U.S. Regions 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% Unregistered Boats 40% Registered Boats 30% 20% 10% 0% Northeast Midwest South West United States Table 54: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the U.S. Regions by Registration Status Regions United States Registered Boats1 (000) Non-registered Boats2 (000) All Boats (000) 12,749 9,468 22,217 Northeast 1,592 2,014 3,606 Midwest 4,211 2,047 6,258 South 5,059 3,544 8,603 West 1,887 1,863 3,750 1 2 56 For registered boats, the region represents the region of registration. The state of residence was used when respondents did not know the state of registration or the owner refused to reveal it. For unregistered boats, the region represents the state of residence of boat owners. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Motorized/Mechanically-Propelled Boats It is estimated that approximately 62% of all recreational boats that were owned, whether registered or non-registered, whether in-use or not, had an engine or motor of some type, including auxiliary power, while 38% had no motor or engine and were manually propelled, or propelled by sail powered only. About 14% of recreational boats with known engine size (horsepower) were powered by engines with 10 horsepower or less, and more than 27% of boats with known horsepower were propelled by engines with up to 25 horsepower. Nearly 40% of boats were powered by engines with horsepower ranging between 76 and 250. About 10% of the boats with known engine size had over 250 horsepower. Outboard engines represented almost two-thirds (65.1%) of known engine types on motorized recreational boats, and inboard engines, nearly 22% of known engine types on motorized boats, including PWCs. Inboard/Outboard engines were least prevalent and accounted for 13.3% of known engine types that powered boats. Figure 17: Motorized Recreational Boats in 2011 by Engine Type Figure 18: Motorized Recreational Boats in 2011 by Engine Horsepower Inboard 22% Up to 10 hp 14% Outboard 65% 11-25 hp 13% Inboard/Outboard 13% 26-75 hp 24% 76-150 hp 26% 151-250 hp 13% Over 250 hp 10% Note: Motorized recreational boats with unknown or not reported engine type are excluded. Note: Motorized recreational boats with unknown or not reported engine horsepower are excluded. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 57 Table 55: Estimated Distribution of Recreational Boats with Motor/Engine in 2011 in the United States Recreational Boats in the U.S. Power Boat Sailboat1 PWC Canoe Kayak Rowboat/ Inflatable Boat Pontoon Boat All Boats2 Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) All Boats 10,119 100.0 733 100.0 1,689 100.0 2,505 100.0 3,898 100.0 854 100.0 1,747 100.0 21,546 100.0 Motorized Boats3 10,119 100.0 147 20.0 1,689 100.0 112 4.5 35 0.9 854 100.0 487 27.9 13,443 62.4 0 0.0 586 80.0 0 0.0 2,393 95.5 3,863 99.1 0 0.0 1,260 72.1 8,103 37.6 Non-Motorized 1 The number of sailboats with engines was estimated using the results from the survey in conjunction with national registration statistics for 2011. The registration statistics included the numbers of registered sailboats with inboard and auxiliary engines. 2 Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total estimate. 3 The number of motorized boats represents recreational boats owned by households, including those that were registered and non-registered in 2011, and those that were used and not used in 2011. Survey respondents were asked whether the boat that they owned had a motor. Table 56: Estimated Distribution of Motorized Recreational Boats in 2011 in the United States by Boat and Engine Type Motorized Recreational Boats in the U.S. Engine Type Power Boat Sailboat PWC1 Pontoon Boat All Boats2 Percent (%) Percent (%) Percent (%) Percent (%) Percent (%) Reported Engine Types 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Inboard 9.8 37.5 100.0 1.9 21.6 Outboard 73.1 61.1 0.0 94.4 65.1 Inboard/Outboard 17.1 1.4 0.0 3.6 13.3 3 1 The engines in PWCs are re-classified as inboard engines regardless of how they were categorized by respondents. Some states also classify PWC engines as inboard only, and other states, as inboard-outboard. 2 Motorized canoes, kayaks, row/inflatable boats with a known engine type are included in this total estimate. 3 Motorized recreational boats with unknown or not reported engine type are excluded from this estimate. Table 57: Estimated Distribution of Motorized Recreational Boats in 2011 in the United States by Boat Type and Engine Size Motorized Recreational Boats in the U.S. Boat Engine Horsepower Canoe Sailboat PWC Percent (%) Reported Engine Horsepower2 Power Boat Percent (%) Percent (%) Kayak Pontoon Boat Rowboat/ Inflatable Boat All Boats1 Percent (%) Percent (%) Percent (%) Percent (%) Percent (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Up to 10 hp 13.1 55.4 6.6 86.2 100.0 5.0 77.1 14.2 11 to 25 hp 14.4 19.8 5.3 13.8 0.0 7.4 11.7 13.1 26 to 75 hp 21.6 21.2 22.1 0.0 0.0 55.6 7.7 23.7 76 to 150 hp 25.5 ... 42.0 0.0 0.0 27.8 ... 26.2 151 to 250 hp 14.0 ... 17.9 0.0 0.0 2.5 ... 12.9 Over 250 hp 1 100.0 11.4 ... 6.2 0.0 0.0 1.9 ... 9.8 Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total estimate. Motorized recreational boats with unknown or not reported engine horsepower are excluded from this estimate. ... These percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these types boats and engine sizes. 2 58 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Boat Fuel Type Boat Hull Composition Gasoline was by far the most prevalent fuel type, used by an estimated 94.7% of motorized boats across the U.S. Electricity powered 3% of recreational boats, while diesel fuel was used by nearly 2% of motorized boats. Boat hulls are comprised of many materials, but fiberglass (about 44.5% of boats) and aluminum (about 27.5%) were most common. Plastic/Poly hulls accounted for another 11.9% of boats, with carbon fiber, rubber, vinyl, and wood each comprising less than 3% of boat hulls. Table 58: Estimated Distribution of Motorized Recreational Boats in 2011 in the United States by Boat and Fuel Type United States by Boat and Fuel Type Engine Type Sailboat PWC Pontoon Boat All Boats1 Percent (%) Reported Fuel Types2 Power Boat Percent (%) Percent (%) Percent (%) Percent (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Diesel 1.7 32.5 ... ... 1.8 Electric 2.0 3.2 2.4 2.5 3.0 Gasoline 95.9 64.3 94.6 96.3 94.7 ... ... 2.5 ... ... Other 1 Motorized canoes, kayaks, row/inflatable boats with a known fuel type are included in this total estimate. Motorized recreational boats with unknown or not reported fuel type(s) are excluded from this estimate. ... These percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these boat and fuel types. 2 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 59 Table 59: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the United States by Boat Type and Hull Material Recreational Boats in the U.S. Hull Material Power Boat Sailboat PWC Canoe Kayak Row/ Inflatable Boat Pontoon Boat All Boats1 Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) 10,119 100.0 733 100.0 1,689 100.0 2,505 100.0 3,898 100.0 854 100.0 1,747 100.0 21,546 100.0 102 1.0 55 7.6 ... ... 85 3.4 ... ... 31 3.6 59 3.3 381 1.8 Aluminum 3,701 36.6 20 2.8 140 8.3 722 28.8 ... ... 696 81.5 634 36.3 5,921 27.5 Fiberglass 5,625 55.6 596 81.3 1,234 73.0 968 38.6 935 24.0 61 7.2 170 9.7 9,589 44.5 Plastic/Poly ... ... 12 1.7 59 3.5 310 12.4 2,041 52.4 ... ... 111 6.4 2,579 12.0 Rubber ... ... ... ... 28 1.7 ... ... 101 2.6 ... ... 248 14.2 436 2.0 Vinyl ... ... ... ... ... ... 63 2.5 260 6.7 ... ... 192 11.0 569 2.6 Carbon Fiber ... ... ... ... ... ... 61 2.4 85 2.2 ... ... 24 1.4 247 1.1 Steel ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 11 1.3 ... ... ... ... Rigid Hull Inflatable ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 43 1.1 ... ... 67 3.8 ... ... Canvas ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 26 1.5 ... ... Other ... ... 21 2.9 27 1.6 87 3.5 73 1.9 ... ... ... ... 242 1.1 393 3.9 20 2.7 137 8.1 176 7.0 286 7.3 41 4.8 194 11.1 1,248 5.8 All Boats Wood Unknown Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total estimate. ... These numbers and percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these boat types and hull materials. 1 Table 60: Distribution of Recreational Boats in 2011 in the United States by Boat Size and Hull Material Recreational Boats in the U.S. by Boat Size Boat Type Under 16 ft Number (000) All Boats Wood Aluminum 16 ft to 25 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 26 ft to 39 ft Percent (%) Number (000) 40 ft to 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) Over 65 ft Percent (%) Number (000) All Boats Unknown Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) Number (000) Percent (%) 10,116 100.0 8,168 100.0 651 100.0 94 100.0 9 100.0 2,508 100.0 21,546 100.0 185 1.8 146 1.8 13 1.9 11 12.1 0 3.1 26 1.0 381 1.8 2,771 27.4 2,556 31.3 71 10.9 6 6.0 5 53.4 513 20.4 5,921 27.5 Fiberglass 3,425 33.9 4,643 56.8 535 82.2 70 74.7 3 30.9 912 36.4 9,589 44.5 Plastic/Poly 2,016 19.9 361 4.4 ... ... ... ... ... ... 202 8.0 2,579 12.0 Rubber 360 3.6 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 2.0 436 2.0 Vinyl 498 4.9 ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 6.8 34 1.3 569 2.6 Carbon Fiber 143 1.4 ... ... 9 1.4 ... ... ... ... 26 1.0 247 1.1 Steel Rigid Hull Inflatable Canvas ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 4.9 1 5.8 ... ... ... ... 158 1.6 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Other 147 1.4 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 242 1.1 Unknown 341 3.4 192 2.4 13 2.0 2 1.8 ... ... 700 27.9 1,248 5.8 Recreational boats categorized as "other" boat type are excluded from this total estimate. ... These numbers and percentages are not reported because of the low numbers of responses for these boat sizes and hull materials. Zero represents a number of boats that is smaller than 1,000. 1 60 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey Conclusions T: The survey revealed that, regardless of the lingering troubles with the economy and continuing fluctuations in energy prices, recreational boating continued to be one of the nation's most popular outdoor recreational activities as well as an important generator of income and employment. Men and women, adults and children residing in all regions of the country enjoy boating. Based on the survey data, it is estimated that about 73.6 million persons boated in 2011. Boating participants logged nearly 3 billion hours aboard recreational boats during the year. About 2.05 billion of these hours were on board various types and sizes of power boats. About 17% of U.S. households owned an estimated 22.2 million boats, and the majority of these boats were used in 2011. The survey verified the great diversity of recreational boats in terms of types, sizes, mode of power (e.g., sail, motors, manuallypropelled) and hull materials. It is estimated that 62% of recreational boats were powered by an engine of some type; 38% had no mechanical propulsion and were manually propelled, or 62 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey powered by sail only. Nearly half of all recreational vessels were less than 16 feet in length. These small boats are involved in a higher proportion of boating accidents, injuries, and fatalities. About 57% of the recreational boats owned by households were registered in 2011. The other 43%, many of them canoes, kayaks, and other manuallypropelled vessels, as well as inflatables and small sailboats are not required by most states to be registered. Since government-provided boating services (law enforcement, search and rescue, public education, etc.) and facilities (boat ramps, parking areas, docks, restrooms, pump-outs, etc.) are funded through different combinations of boating-related fuel taxes and registration fees, there is concern that if the relative proportion of registered boats continues to decrease, funding for the maintenance and upkeep of the entire boating system will decline. This includes diminished funding for dredging, boating access, law enforcement and search and rescue. The results also verified the changing popularity of different recreational boats. Recreational paddling is now very popular, as measured in terms of the number of participants, boats, and exposure hours. Approximately 29% of the recreational boats that were owned by U.S. households were canoes and kayaks, and half of all canoes and two-thirds of kayaks were used in 2011. Boaters logged nearly a quarter of a billion hours in kayaks and canoes. The changing demographics of the boaters and the population in general are reflected in the increasing popularity (i.e., numbers owned, use rates) of pontoon boats. A very high proportion (83.4%) of pontoon boats were used in 2011, and their owners used them for more days on average than owners of other types of boats. person-hours reliably. These estimates are similar in many ways to the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Commission's estimate of vehicle miles traveled. The table below includes ratios of boating-related deaths and casualties per 100 million person-hours for the major types of recreational boats. Among other uses, these ratios will be employed to track boat use trends and to assess more realistically performance of efforts to reduce boating accidents involving injuries and deaths. Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, will be required to do more with less by implementing more effective performance management practices, including the clear expression of performance objectives and the valid and reliable measurement of progress toward those objectives. The survey produced necessary information to estimate boating Table 61. Boating Casualty Numbers and Ratios Per 100 Million Exposure Hours for 2011 Boat Type All Boats Power Boat Boating Person - Hoursa (Exposure Hours) Deaths Injuries Deaths/100M Exposure Hours Casualties Casualties/100M Exposure Hours 2,973 758 3,081 3,839 25.5 129.1 2,053 425 1,933 2,358 20.7 114.8 PWC 131 44 764 808 33.7 618.3 Pontoon Boat 301 32 87 119 10.6 39.5 Canoe 90 66 60 126 73.0 139.4 Kayak 133 68 56 124 51.1 93.1 71 28 77 105 39.4 148.1 Row, Inflatable Boatd 194 82 79 161 42.3 83.1 Unknown Boat Type - 13 25 38 - - b Sailboatc Numbers in millions. Power boat type does not include PWCs or pontoon boats. It does include airboats, cabin motorboats, houseboats, and open motorboats. c Sailboat type includes auxiliary sailboats, sailboats (only), and sailboats (unknown). d Row, Inflatable type includes inflatable boats, rowboats, and other (unspecified) boat types. a b 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 63 The information on the amount that boat owners spend to store and maintain their boats (boat spending) as well as the amount that they spend on boating trips (e.g., fuel, meals) is being used to develop a national tool for estimating the economic significance and impact of different types and sizes of boats. This model will be freely available to document the economic importance associated with developing boating facilities (e.g., marinas, boat launches) and maintaining them (e.g., dredging), as well as changing volumes of boating. The National Recreational Boating Survey was conducted again in 2012 and at the beginning of 2013. Two different surveys have been designed to collect data needed to measure boats and boaters in the United States. A new, multi-mode monthly trip survey was administered to the panel of recreational, registered and non-registered, boat owners recruited as part of the 2011 surveys. This monthly trip survey, which was conducted by telephone and web application in 2012, collected detailed information about exposure hours, trip-related spending, safety behaviors, and negative events that may have occurred during 64 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey the trip. The monthly trip survey using a panel sample, rather than a once-a-year survey, was considered a more efficient way to collect accurate data about the number and duration of actual trips taken on recreational boats. Approximately 15,500 panel members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico completed almost 35,000 surveys during the course of 2012. This is one of the most comprehensive surveys on boating trips ever conducted. The second NRBS survey, a population-based Participant survey of U.S. residents regarding their 2012 boating participation, was conducted during the first quarter of 2013. This survey collected data similar to that collected about boating participation in 2011. In conclusion, this survey provides the National Recreational Boating Safety Program with important, current, and reliable information to evaluate and plan its programs better. Continuing to conduct the survey every two years will provide a more accurate means of identifying and responding to boating trends. The 2011 and 2012 surveys will be carefully assessed to identify possible ways to improve the reliability and validity of the survey methods (e.g., instruments, sampling). Additional reports on special topics will be produced from the data generated from the survey and made available on the U.S. Coast Guard's Boating Safety Resource Center web site. Moreover, the Recreational Marine Research Center at Michigan State University will analyze how much boaters spend on boats (e.g., on boat fuel, storage, repairs) and during their boating trips, and will use this data to develop web-based recreational boating economic impact models. 2011 National Recreational Boating Survey 65 2100 Second St. SW Stop 7581 Washington, DC 20593-7581