Leisure boats - Arena Fritidsbåt

INBDP – Arena Fritidsbåt
Leisure boats
November 2010
IN Office Germany
This document has been prepared by Innovation Norway’s office in Germany
Consultants at your disposal to answer any questions: Maja Tofteng
Tel: +49 40 22 94 15 0
Fax: +49 40 22 94 15 88

INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 2

Table of contents:
1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................6
1.1 BACKGROUND .....................................................................................6
1.2 GOAL ................................................................................................6
1.3 DEFINITION .......................................................................................6
1.4 METHODOLOGY AND COMMENTS..............................................................6
1.5 DISCLAIMER .......................................................................................7
2 COUNTRY BACKGROUND .....................................................................8
2.1 GEOGRAPHY .......................................................................................8
2.2 CLIMATE ............................................................................................8
2.3 POPULATION ......................................................................................9
2.3.1 TOTAL POPULATION............................................................................. 9
2.3.2 POPULATION AGE STRUCTURE................................................................. 9
2.3.3 COUNTRY MIDDLE CLASS.................................................................... 10
2.3.4 HOUSING STATISTICS........................................................................ 10
2.3.5 IMMIGRATION AND LANGUAGE .............................................................. 11
3 ECONOMY.......................................................................................... 12
3.1 GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT ................................................................ 12
3.2 GDP GROWTH................................................................................... 12
3.3 PURCHASING POWER PARITIES............................................................. 13
3.4 OTHER ECONOMIC FIGURES.................................................................. 13
4 GERMAN LEISURE BOAT INDUSTRY .................................................. 14
4.1 GERMAN BOAT PRODUCERS .................................................................. 14
4.2 COMPANY TURN OVER......................................................................... 15
4.3 EXPORT OF LEISURE BOATS.................................................................. 15
4.4 TARGET COUNTRIES FOR GERMAN EXPORT .............................................. 16
4.5 EXPORT TO NORWAY .......................................................................... 17
4.6 SUPPLYING INDUSTRIES ..................................................................... 18
4.7 GERMAN WATER SPORT MARKET TURN OVER ............................................ 19
4.8 EMPLOYMENT WITHIN THE GERMAN BOAT INDUSTRY ................................ 20
4.9 BRANCH ORGANIZATIONS.................................................................... 21
5 INDUSTRY VALUE CHAIN .................................................................. 22
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 3

6 THE LEISURE BOAT MARKET / END USER MARKET............................ 24
6.1 LEISURE BOATS ON THE GERMAN MARKET ............................................... 24
6.2 GERMAN BOAT SALES.......................................................................... 24
6.3 IMPORT OF LEISURE BOATS.................................................................. 25
6.4 SOURCE COUNTRY OF GERMAN IMPORT .................................................. 26
6.5 IMPORT FROM NORWAY ...................................................................... 27
6.6 THE SIZE OF USED LEISURE BOAT MARKET............................................... 28
6.7 END-USER ORGANIZATIONS ................................................................. 28
7 CONSUMER PREFERENCES ................................................................ 29
7.1 GENERAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR............................................................ 29
7.2 THE GERMAN BOAT OWNER.................................................................. 29
7.3 POPULAR BRANDS ON THE GERMAN MARKET............................................ 30
7.4 BOAT USAGE..................................................................................... 31
7.5 ANNUAL LEISURE BOAT EXPENSES ......................................................... 32
8 INFRASTRUCTURE............................................................................. 33
8.1 PREREQUISITES FOR MARINA LIFE ........................................................ 33
8.1.1 COMMERCIAL HARBORS...................................................................... 33
8.1.2 MARINAS / SMALL BOAT HARBORS ........................................................ 33
8.1.3 FUEL AVAILABILITY ........................................................................... 33
8.1.4 SEPTIC TANK EMPTYING...................................................................... 33
8.2 INFRASTRUCTURE MAPS ...................................................................... 33
9 OUTLOOK AND TRENDS..................................................................... 35
9.1 INDUSTRY TRENDS............................................................................. 35
9.2 CONSUMER TRENDS............................................................................ 35
9.3 INFRASTRUCTURE TRENDS ................................................................... 37
9.4 GERMAN BUSINESS CULTURE................................................................ 38
9.5 SPECIAL CULTURAL ASPECTS WITHIN THE LEISURE BOAT MARKET ................ 38
10 REGULATION & LEGISLATION ......................................................... 39
10.1 EU REGULATION.............................................................................. 39
10.2 CERTIFICATION............................................................................... 39
10.3 WARRANTY AND PRODUCT LIABILITY................................................... 39
10.4 IMPORT REGULATIONS...................................................................... 40
10.5 LICENSE PRODUCTION ...................................................................... 40
10.6 REGISTRATION AND SIGNATURE NUMBER ............................................. 40
10.7 INSURANCE .................................................................................... 41
10.8 VAT ............................................................................................. 41
10.9 RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF LEISURE BOATS ...................................... 41
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 4

10.10 SKIPPERS LICENSE......................................................................... 42
10.11 SAFETY........................................................................................ 43
10.12 HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT ............................................................ 44
11 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT............................................................ 45
11.1 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN GERMANY ......................................... 45
11.2 POLICY INITIATIVES FOR THE LEISURE BOAT INDUSTRY........................... 45
11.3 RESEACH PROJECT WITHIN THE WATER SPORT INDUSTRY......................... 45
11.4 OTHER SECTOR AND CLUSTER INITIATIVES............................................ 46
12 LINKS .............................................................................................. 47
12.1 MAGAZINES.................................................................................... 47
12.2 EXAMPLES OF PLATFORMS FOR BUYING & SELLING BOATS ........................ 47
12.3 HELP ON CHOOSING THE RIGHT BOAT................................................... 48
12.4 BOAT SHOW AND FAIRS.................................................................... 48
13 SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 49
14 SOURCES ......................................................................................... 52
15 APPENDIX ....................................................................................... 54
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 5

1 Introduction
Arena Fritidsbåt is a 3 year project (2009 – 2011), giving the leisure boat sector and
individual companies possibilities to increase their competitiveness through active
participation in the arena. All the arena members are players involved in value chains
focused on leisure boat production.
Arena Fritidsbåt has ordered an INBDP on leisure boats from Innovation Norway in
Finland, Germany, France, Spain and Turkey. This INBDP has started with Finland and
will now give the Norwegian leisure boat industry facts and knowledge about Germany,
France, Spain and Turkey.
1.1 Background
Carl Christian Röstad from Arena Fritidsbåt, Johannes Skaar from Innovation Norway in
Oslo and Anna Salmensaari from IN-Helsinki have since Röstad’s visit to Tekes in Finland
in February 2009, discussed the prerequisites and details of an INBDP within the leisure
boat sector. The discussion evoked into this project.
1.2 Goal
The objective of this report is to give Arena Fritidsbåt and the target group, the
Norwegian leisure boat industry, information about the German leisure boat market in
order to enable cooperation in the years to follow. Another goal for the Norwegian leisure
boat industry is to find new markets, new niches and new possibilities. The findings of
the report will be presented to the Arena Fritidsbåt management team, the branch
organization Norboat and all the arena members in November 2010.
1.3 Definition
Leisure boats is defined as “any floating device that is designed for and capable of
moving in water with a maximum length of up to 24 meters, and to be used outside
commercial activities”. This is based on the Norwegian legislation “LOV 1998-06-26 nr
47: Lov om fritids- og småbåter”.
The definition is almost in line with The European Commission and the EU's commitment
to maritime industries stating that “The recreational craft sector covers boats of 2.5 to 24
m hull length intended for leisure or sport”. As we can see boats smaller than 2.5 meter
are not covered by this definition. The European Commission definition corresponds to
the German “sportsboote” (Sportboote 94/25/EG). However, when reading into German
statistics and magazines, the terms “yacht” is commonly used, thus it might also cover
boats larger than 24 meter.
1.4 Methodology and comments
This study has been undertaken partly has a desk study, and partly by talking to relevant
experts in the leisure boat market.
The main resources referred to in the study are statistics and publications from Eurostat
(Statistical database from the European Commission), Destatis (Federal Statistical office
in Germany), Statista (commercial German statistical database), FVSF (Nonprofit reseach
organization for Sport and leisure boat industry, Forschungsvereinigung für die Sport-
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 6

und Freizeitschifffahrt e.V.) 1 and BVWW (Federal agency for water sport). Leisure boat
magazines, like the International Boat Industry (IBI) and Boote Magazine have also been
valuable sources of information.
We would like to express gratitude to Claus-Ehlert Meyer from DBSV (the German Boat
and Shipbuilding Association) and to Jürgen Tracht from BVWW (Federal agency for
water sport) for sharing their know how and welcoming us so warmly.
We have tried to the fullest to describe the structures of the German boat market, but
due to the lack of systematically collected statistics, the figures are attached with
uncertainty. Here are some comments in this regard;
Production side
Destatis (Federal Statistical office in Germany) publishes statistics on turn over for the
industry as a whole. It is challenging to break the figures down to certain segments and
companies for several reasons. Firstly, most German companies do not publish figures on
turn-over, production and export on a regular basis. 2 Secondly, the German leisure boat
industry consists of two large, but many small and micro sized companies. Many of the
small companies within the leisure boat industry undertake overlapping activities and are
often listed in industry databases as boat builder, retailer and marina. Thirdly, the
industry figures do not always separate between boats smaller and larger than 24 meter,
thus not separating between leisure boat and the significant German mega yacht
industry.
Consumption side
Germany has no national registry of leisure boats. However, the FVSF and BVWW
undertook together with the IboaT (German institute for boat tourism) a study of the
German leisure boat market in 2008. As a part of the study, FVSF sent out a written
mailing questionnaire survey to a random selection of 20 000 addresses from a database
of 500 000 water sport enthusiasts in Germany. 4 300 completed questionnaires (=
21.5%) were returned to the FVSF which then adjusted for age and boat sales to the
entire German population. The study is assumed to give a pretty good picture of the
situation at the time and is referred to as FVSF (2008).
Import and export
Destatis (Federal Statistical office in Germany) also collects figures on import and export,
but figures are likely to be underestimated as boat owners do not have to report import
and exports of boats under 15 meter. When comparing the Destatis figures on German
Norwegian trade they differ from that of SSB (Norwegian Statistical Bureau). The reason
for this can be lack of reporting, different reporting methodology and time lags. Seen
over a period of time, the figures can at best indicate a certain trend.
1.5 Disclaimer
This report is prepared to faciliate cooperation and market entry for the Norwegian
Industry. Innovation Norway does not take responsibility for any mistakes in the report.
Innovation Norway assumes that the industry players make their own, thorough
evaluations prior to making decisions. Innovation Norway disclaims any responsibility for
loss and other consequences resulting from decisions made on the basis of this report.
1 The full study can be purchased from http://www.bvww.org/forschung/forschungsprojekte/fit-sail.html
2 Only companies traded on the stock (AG, Aktien Gesellschaft) have to publish annual reports.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 7

2 Country Background
2.1 Geography
The territory of Germany covers approximately 350 000 km 2 , consisting mainly of land
and roughly 8 000 km 2 of water. It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and
the 62nd largest in the world (CIA Factbook, 2010).
According to European Commission (2010), 50 % of the German coast lies under a 5 m
elevation, compared to some 9 % of all coastal zones in Europe. Thus, Germany is
particularly vulnerable to severe storm surges and sea level rise, and affected by coastal
erosion. The German coast towards the North Sea is characterized by flat sandy beaches
and tidal changes of two to three meters twice a day. Dikes and dunes are built to
protect the coastline. The Baltic has no tides and storms tend to be less harmful than at
the North Sea side, but this coast is also affected by erosion. The Baltic Sea has a low
salt content and freezes easily in the winter.
Germany has a total waterway network with a length of about 10 000 km. The coastline
is about 3 500 km long, while the inland water network is about 7 350 km. For
comparison, Norway has a coast line of about 25 150 km and 1 580 km waterway
network (CIA Factbook, 2010). The longest waterways are Rhine, Elbe and Danube.
About 35 % of the inland network length is free-flowing, 41 % is regulated and 24 % are
artificial waterways (canals) (Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes, 2010).
German rivers and canals have a number of locks, raising and lowering boats between
stretches of water of different levels. Further, the country has many lakes, of which
Bodensee, Müritz and Chiemsee are the largest.
Table 1. Estimates of the length of the German coastline and water ways by
different sources
Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (2010)
Total Inland Waterways 7 350 km
EU Maritime (2010)
Total water area 8 482 km 2
Coastline 3 3 524 km
CIA World Fact book (2010)
Total Area 357 022 km 2
Coastline 2 389 km
2.2 Climate
Germany has a moderate oceanic/continental climate with frequent changes in weather
and primarily westerly winds. Winters in the north and northwest of the country are
relatively mild and summers are warm but not hot. The difference between winter and
summer is greater in the southern part. In July, the average temperature is around 18
degrees Celsius in the lowlands and 20 degrees Celsius in the valleys of the south (Facts
about Germany, 2010).
3 European Commission (2010); Calculation of coast length based on cartography of all continental and insular
coasts excluding islands less than 1 km2 and with a population less than 50 persons, inland shores, fjords etc
where the mouth is less than 1 km wide.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 8

Figure 1 Average temperature (left) and precipitation (right) during the
summer (june-aug)
Source; Deutsche Wetterdienst (2010)
2.3 Population
2.3.1 Total population
The total population of Germany was 82.002.356 in 2009. Between 2000 and 2009, the
population shrunk 0.3 % each year and three demographic trends can be observed; a
low birth rate (1.38 children per mother), increasing life expectancy and an ageing
society. In the future, the population is expected to decrease with about 1 % each year,
reaching 81.471.598 in 2020 and 70.759.309 in 2060 (Eurostat, 2010).
2.3.2 Population age structure
The size of adult age groups, measured in % age of the whole population, is presented in
Table 1 and serves as an indicator for the demographic changes. Within a relatively short
time span, the relative size of the younger age groups decline, whereas the older age
group increases.
Table 2. Population projections and size of age groups (%)
2000 2005 2009 2015* 2020* 2025*
Age 15-24 11,1 11,7 11,4 10,49 9,84 9,29
Age 25-49 38,0 36,7 35,7 31,61 29,79 29,34
Age 50-64 19,0 18,5 18,9 22,16 23,71 22,77
Age 65-79 12,7 14,3 15,4 15,57 15,70 16,80
Source: Eurostat (2010)
*Eurostat projection (based on projection as of 1 January each year, summarized for sex,
and year of age)
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 9

2.3.3 Country Middle Class
Definition and development of a country’s middle class (“Mittelschicht”) is of great
interest, however, it is also controversial and not always international comparable
because different calculation methods are used. According to the German Institute for
Economic Research (DIW), a single person household statistically belongs to the "middle
class" population group if it has an equivalent income 70-150 % of median household
real income. Households earning 90-110 % of the median are referred to as "average
earner".
According to press releases from German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in June
2010, the income polarization in Germany is increasing, meaning that while the rich are
getting richer, the poor have become poorer. In 2009 did 60 % of people in Germany
belong to the middle class, having a net income of € 860-1844. In 2000 did 66 % belong
to the middle class. The share of population belonging to the higher-income groups rose
from about 16 to 18 % between 2000 and 2009. The middleclass has gained slightly on
behalf of the high income class in 2009, probably as an effect of the financial crisis
(German Institute for Economic Research, 2010).
Figure 2. German income groups, development from 1993-2009 (from left; low,
medium, high)
Source; German Institute for Economic Research (2010)
2.3.4 Housing statistics
There are about 40 million dwelling units and 37 million households in Germany. The
total vacancy rate (share of empty dwellings) is 8.1 % on average. Germany's population
is living almost exclusively in residential buildings, i.e. buildings in which more than 50 %
of the total floor space is used for residential purposes (Destatis, 2010).
Table 3. German dwellings, 2006
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Specification
Germany
(in 1000)
Former territory
of the Federal
Republic excl.
Berlin (in 1000)
Dwelling units, total 39 791 30 882 8 909
of which in ...
Residential buildings 39 338 30 498 8 840
Residential homes 230 191 39
Other buildings with housing space 213 188 24
New Länder
and Berlin (in
1000)
Inhabited provisional accommodations 11 5 6
Source; Destatis (2010)
According to the latest census in 2006, a predominant proportion of households in
Germany occupy rented dwellings (57.4 %), whereas only 40.9 % is owner-occupied.
This proportion has been relatively stable for the past years and is still at a rather low
level compared to the rest of Europe. In comparison, almost 8 out 10 household in
Norway own their own dwelling (SSB, 2010).
We have not been able to find recent figures on second homes or holiday houses in
Germany. As we can see from Table 3, about 11 000 provisional accommodations are
inhabited, but the total number of holiday houses will be larger. According to Wikipedia4 ,
there are alone about 1 million garden houses (similar to “kolonihage”) in Germany.
2.3.5 Immigration and language
Around 82 million people live on German territory. Since the 1950s post-war boom, the
German economy has been dependant on immigrant workers, primarily from Turkey and
Italy. Germany has gradually developed from a country that accommodated guest
workers to a country with regulated immigration. Around 15 million people in Germany
have an “immigrant background” which includes seven million foreigners (ca. 9 % of the
population), 1.5 million foreigners who have taken German citizenship, and some 4.5
million repatriates (Destatis, 2010).
It is estimated that approximately 95 % of the population in Germany has German as
their mother language. The main foreign languages in Germany are Russian and Turkish,
followed by Polish, French and Spanish (Wikipedia 5 ).
4 http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleingarten
5 http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschland#Bev.C3.B6lkerung
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 11

3 Economy
Germany has a social market economy with an established welfare system and high
standard of living. The German economy is dominantly export orientated and “Made in
Germany” is a known as a seal of quality, representing innovation, quality and cuttingedge
technology. Even if the country is well known for the large technological and
industrial companies like Volkswagen, Daimler, Siemens, Porsche, Lufthansa and SAP, it
is the small and medium-sized enterprises that are the core of the German economy.
Tens of thousands of SMEs employ almost 70 % of the country's workforce (Facts about
Germany, 2010)
3.1 Gross domestic product 6
The German GDP for 2009 was 2 395 billion Euro (Seasonally and calendar adjusted
figures, Destatis, 2010). The country is, according to CIA Factbook, the 6th largest
economies in the world. GDP per capital was 27 300 Euro in 2009. Standards of living
and per capita income is still higher in the states of the former West Germany than in the
former East.
3.2 GDP growth
Germany has experienced a slow, but steady growth over the past decade until the
financial crisis in end of 2008 and beginning of 2009. Export fell some 18 % and GDP fell
4.7 % in 2009 compared to 2008 (Price and seasonally adjusted). However, the German
economy is recovering rapidly. According to a press release from the Federal Statistical
Office (Destatis, 2010) in august 2010, did the gross domestic product (GDP) rose by
2.2% during the second quarter of 2010 on the previous quarter (price, seasonal and
calendar adjustment). This it’s fastest quarterly growth in more than 20 years. Both
domestic and foreign demand made a positive contribution to growth.
Figure 3 Gross Domestic Product (price adjusted, chained linked)
Source; Destatis (2010)
6 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the domestic production of goods and services minus the
intermediate consumption of goods and services, and is a measure of the economic situation and development
of a country.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 12

The table below includes the German GDP growth for the last three years (Price &
seasonally adjusted) including estimates for 2010 and 2011. Estimates done later in the
year are slightly higher than the initial Eurostat estimate.
Table 4. Real GDP growth rate (%) 2007-2011
Source: 2007 2008 2009 2010* 2011*
Eurostat (Feb, 2010) 2,5 1,3 -4,9 1,2 1,6
Destatis / German Ministry of
Finance (March, 2010) 2,6 1,0 -4,9 1,2 1,7
OECD (May, 2010) 2,6 1,0 -4,9 1,9 2,1
Source: Deutsche Bundesbank (2010), Eurostat (2010), OECD (2010)
3.3 Purchasing power parities
Purchasing power parities (PPPs) are indicators of price level differences across countries.
PPPs tell us how many currency units a given quantity of goods and services costs in
different countries. The German price level is above EU-average (EU27 = 100). Between
2004 and 2008, the price level decreased, increased to 106.4 in 2009 compared to 103.8
in 2008 (Eurostat, 2010).
Table 5. Purchasing Power Standard (PPP)
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
EU (27 countries) 100 100 100 100 100 100
EU (15 countries) 105,4 104,8 104,8 104,8 104,4 104,9
Germany 104,7 103,3 102,6 101,9 103,8 106,4
Norway 135,2 140,7 139,8 137,7 138,9 137,1
Source; Eurostat (2010)
3.4 Other economic figures
Table 6. Inflation, Central Bank Interest rates and Unemployment rate
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Inflation rate (HICP7 - annual average,
Index basis 2005 = 100 )
1,8 1,9 1,8 2,3 2,8 0,2
Interest rate (ECB8 marginal lending rate at
the end of the year )
3,00 3,25 4,50 5,00 3,00 1,75
Unemployment rate (total) 10,5 11,7 10,8 9,0 7,8 8,2
Unemployment rate (Former West) 8,5 9,9 9,1 7,5 6,4 6,9
Unemployment rate (Former East)
Source; Eurostat (2010)
18,4 18,7 17,3 15,1 13,1 13,0
7 HICP Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices, The HICP is compiled by Eurostat and the national statistical
institutes in accordance with harmonised statistical methods, and aims to be representative of the
developments in the prices of all goods and services available for purchase within the euro area.
8 European Central Bank
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 13

4 German leisure boat industry
4.1 German boat producers
According to the Markus industry database 9 there are 295 “recreational ship yards” in
Germany, but this also includes shipyards producing mega yachts and navy ships, as well
as yards for which boat production is not the main activity. German leisure boat industry
is mostly known for Bavaria Yachtbau and HanseYacht which are considered to be the
second and third largest sailboat producers in the world (with French Benetau/Janneau
group as the largest) 10 and both are now also active in motorboat production. In addition,
Germany has a number of companies building sailboats in small lines or on custom made
basis. A few German companies also produce small dinghies, inflatable boats and kayaks.
Smaller shipyards often combine boat building activities with other activities such as
service and maintenance, storage and production of equipment and trailers. BVWW
(2010b) estimates that there some 40-60 active German leisure boat producers. The
table below includes some more examples of leisure boat producers in Germany.
Table 7. Example of German boat producers by category
Category Producer Brand
Sailing boats
Motorboats
Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH Cruiser, Vision
HanseYachts AG Hanse, Dehler (2009), Moody (2008)
Dorincourt Marine Productions GmbH Coenen Yachts & Boats
Nautic-Plast, ARP Yachtbau GmbH Hai
Bootswerft Henningsen & Steckmest Scalar Yacht
Bootswerft Christian Schneidereit Schneidereit
Sirius Werft Sirius
Bootsbau Rügen GmbH Vilm
Balticat Werft GmbH BaltiCat
Hellwig Boote GmbH & Co. KG Various
Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH Sport
HanseYachts AG Fjord (2007)
Dorincourt Marine Productions GmbH Coenen Yachts & Boats
Fiberline Fiberline Sportsboot GmbH
Bootswerft Henningsen & Steckmest Scalar-Speedster
Plan und Tat Elektro-/Solar boat, Houseboat
WIKING Schlauchbootwerft GmbH Wiking (inflatable boat)
Pischel Conrad Bootsbau Pischel Ribline (inflanatory, RIB)
Lava Marine GmbH RIB Festrumpfschlauchboot
Sport Lettmann GmbH Kanu/Kajak
Bavaria Yachtbau Boote Rowing boat/ Kanu/Kajak
Source; Internet e.g. www.bvww.de, www.pronautic.com
Others
9
Markus is a German, Austrian and Luxembourg company information and business intelligence database from
Bureau van Dijk, http://www.bvdinfo.com/home.aspx
10 According to Wikipedia http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanse_Yachts
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 14

4.2 Company turn over
When looking into specific leisure companies, we can see that two companies dominate
on the production side. Based on the 295 boat building companies we found in Markus,
13 of those seem to have leisure boats production as their prime activity (indicated in
Italic in Appendix 1). Bavaria Yachtbau is the largest company with an annual turn over
of € 275 million in 2007, followed by HanseYacht with €105 million. These two companies
have dominant position and represent more than 95 % of the industry turn over. Bavaria
Yachtbau and Hanseyacht is followed by KNIERIM Yachtbau GmbH (€6.5 million), Sirius-
Werft GmbH (€3.1 million), Lettmann (€2.8 million), Vilm-Yachts GmbH (€2.3 million
Euro) and Hellwig (€2.2 million Euro in 2008). We have not been able to find company
figures on turn over for 2008 and 2009.
Figure 4 The largest leisure boat producers on the map
Lettmann
Hellwig
Knierim Vilm
Sirius
Bavaria
4.3 Export of leisure boats
Hanse
The German economy is to a large extent driven by export. This is also the case for the
German leisure boat producers with export share of approximately 85 %. The figure
below includes the number of exported boats and the total export value of boats from
2000 to 2009. The figures are based on Destatis trade statistics, but BVWW have
adjusted the figures by excluding boats of more than 24 meters. Between 2000 and
2008, total value of export of sailboats grew from 118 million to 240 million Euros,
whereas total value of export of motorboats grew from 68 million to 220 million Euros.
Export statistics does not separate between new and used boats, and as mentioned in
the introduction, the total figure might be higher due to a lack of reporting. Traditionally,
Germany has produced and exported most sailboats, but, according to these figures, the
export of motorboats has risen dramatically. The number of motorboats grew more than
the total value of export, indicating that the average price per boat has declined.
According to industry report, the export of German boats fell about 60 percent in the first
half of 2009 compared to the first half of 2008(IBI, April – May 2010).
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 15

Figure 5. German export of motor and sailboats in 2000-2008 (adjusted for
boats over 24 meters)
Number of boats
3 500
3 000
2 500
2 000
1 500
1 000
500
-
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Number of exported motorboats Number of exported sailboats Value of exported motorboats Value of exported sailboats
Source; BVWW (2010) and Destatis (2010)
4.4 Target countries for German export
The table below lists the largest recipient’s countries of German boats in 2008 within four
categories of motor and sail boats with inboard engine. The figures include both new and
used boats, and can also include “sportboats” over 24 meters. The exact number and
share can vary from year to year, but the figures givers a certain feeling about
importance of the various trading partners. According to these figures, the 10 largest
target countries account for 70-80 % of total export in each category, but the share per
country varies for the different categories. For example does the Netherland account for
a relatively large share of import of small sailboats (16%) and small motorboats (27%),
but no or minor role for the medium sized boats. For larger sailboats, do Turkey,
Switzerland and Russia account for 40 % together. Interestingly, more than 100 medium
sized motorboats were exported to Norway.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 16
300
250
200
150
100
50
-
Value in million euro

Table 8. Top 10 target countries for export from Germany in 2008 (not adjusted
for boats larger over 24 meter)
Sailboats with inboard engine
(< 7,5 meter)
Sailboats with inboard engine
(>7,5 meter)
Numb Number Value
Numbe Number Value
Country er (#) (%) (1000 €) Country r (#) (%) (1000 €)
Turkey 48 18 % 177 France 261 16 % 26 031
Switzerland 36 13 % 557 Nederland 173 11 % 14 632
Russia 24 9 % 165 Italy 156 10 % 18 340
Portugal 18 7 % 54 Sweden 146 9 % 12 193
Ukraine 15 5 % 124 UK 125 8 % 11 010
Spain 12 4 % 70 Norway 123 8 % 9 481
Egypt 11 4 % 117 Denmark 68 4 % 4 356
Maldives 11 4 % 93 Croatia 66 4 % 8 384
UK 10 4 % 48 Switzerland 61 4 % 3 891
Romania 8 3 % 55 Spain 50 3 % 7 343
Total import 274 2 484 Total import 1595 153 592
10 largest
represent
193 70 %
Motorboats with inboard engine
(< 7,5 meter)
1 460
10 largest
represent
1229 77 % 115 661
Motorboats with inboard engine
(>7,5 meter)
Numb Number Value
Num
ber Number Value
Country er (#) (%) (1000 €) Country (#) (%) (1000 €)
Netherlands 377 27 % 5 237 Italy 211 20 % 20 869
Sweden 176 13 %
1 211
France 135 13 %
14 565
Finland 141 10 % 948 Norway 101 9 % 11 725
Poland 128 9 % 786 Croatia 100 9 % 14 645
Romania 67 5 % 843 Slovenia 72 7 % 5 610
Switzerland 51 4 % 1 441 Netherlands 64 6 % 5 449
France 44 3 % 466 Switzerland 50 5 % 6 176
UK 43 3 % 635 UK 39 4 % 3 451
Hungary 38 3 % 638 Sweden 24 2 % 2 077
Croatia 31 2 % 1 207 Finland 23 2 % 2 404
Total 1398
19 664
Total 1066
125 215
10 largest 1096 78 %
10 largest 819 77 %
represent
13 412 represent
86 971
Source; Destatis (2010)
4.5 Export to Norway
As we could read from the previous graph, Germany exports both larger sailboats and
larger motorboats to Norway. The total number imported boats are significantly higher if
we include boats in other categories as well. We have included figure for the previous
four years based on German trade statistics, but these figures are not adjusted for boats
of more than 24 meter. These figures do not match exactly with the Norwegian trade
statistics (see Appendix). The reason for this can be lack of reporting, different reporting
methodology and time lags. Nonetheless, the figures can indicate what type of boats that
are being exported to Norway and the (declining) trend over the past years.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 17

Table 9. German exports to Norway 2006-2009 (not adjusted for boats over 24
meters)
Boat Category 2006 2007 2008 2009
Sailboats for recreational, but for commercial purposes 48 108 116 9
Sailboats, with inboard engine 7,5m
Motorboats, with inboard engine, for recreational, but for
293 220 123 76
commercial purposes 9 5 1 3
Motorboats, with inboard engine 7,5m
Other boats incl. rowing boats and canoes 7,5m
excl. motor and sailboats with inboard motor and inflatable
12 32 13 6
boats 3 7 - -
Total
Source; Destatis (2010)
552 536 372 135
4.6 Supplying industries
Germany has a collection of companies supplying both the domestic and international
leisure boat industry with components, equipment and semi-products, as well as know
how within design and engineering. Many of the actors and products are rooted in the
automobile, aviation or shipping industry. For example, is Hella Marine (based in New
Zealand, part of Hella GmbH in Germany) a large player within LED lightning, ZF Marine
is a leading supplier of marine propulsion systems and Composite Technology & Material
offers a range composite materials. Other examples of German component and
equipment producers are Waeco International GmbH (Part of Swedish Domestic Group)
which produces everything from cooling equipment, toilettes, and kitchen supplies to
electronics. Further, Dimention Polyant is a world leader within sails cloths, VOSSCHEMIE
GmbH has developed a toxic-free and environmentally friendly ”Sharkskin”-coating for
underwater boat hulls and Bernhardt Apparatebau develops Secumar lifejackets.
Most engines used in German leisure boats are imported from Sweden or Japan.
However, German MTU produces engines for mega yachts and VW Marine has started to
develop engines and other equipment for leisure boats. VW Marine engines are for
example used in the Greenline 33 hybrid and Hydrolift Ardea 27 pro, and the company
has co-operated with Groupe Bénéteau and recently announced a partnership with
Cummins MerCruiser Diesel (CMD). 11 Further, the German Troqeedo has introduced the
Travel 1003, a foldable and flexible electrical engine with solar panel.
11 Presented on website; http://www.vw-marine.de/
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 18

Figure 6 Greenline Hybrid with VW engine 12
Photo: (C) Werft
In addition to companies offering hard ware, Germany is also the home to some
renowned design and engineering companies, for example judel/vrolijk, BMW Group
Designworks USA (Based in US, but part of the BMW Group) and Porsche Design.
4.7 German water sport market turn over
German Federal Statistics Office (Destatis) has estimated the total retail turn-over in the
water sport market in Germany to approximately 1.7 billion euros a year. The industry
experienced a slow, but steady growth from 1.7 billion Euros in 2001 reaching a top of
1.85 billion Euros in 2007 and 2008.
Figure 7. Turn over water sport industry, 2008
Used boats
334
19 %
New boats
229
12 %
Equipment
199
11 %
Source; Destatis (2010)
Diving
63
3 %
Surfing
45
2 %
Charter
135
7 % Services
163
9 %
Marina
152
8 %
Maintenance, rep.
243
13 %
Fuel and lubricants
275
16 %
12 http://www.seglermagazin.de/Greenline-33-Hybrid-neue-Ide.5034.0.html
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 19

Total turn over went down to 1.65 billion Euros in 2009. The market for new boats fell as
much as 33.5 % and the market for used boats 21.5 % in 2009 compared to 2008.
Figure 8. The annual turn-over in the German water sport market
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Used boats
Fuel and lubricants
Service, repair, maintenance
Source; Destatis (2010)
New boats
Equipment
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 20
Services
Interestingly, the turn over within marinas, charter and maintenance and service as well
as other water sports industries such as diving and surfing remained relatively stable or
even grew in 2009 compared to 2008. This might indicate that although the consumers
did not invest into new boats, they maintained and used their old ones, and that that the
interest in water sports in general is still strong.
Marinas
4.8 Employment within the German boat industry
According to Policy Research Corporation (2008) on “The role of maritime clusters to
enhance the strength and development of maritime sectors”, the total employment in
traditional maritime sectors in Germany was estimated to 197 000 people. The German
maritime employment is spread over the Northern coastal regions and at the location of
inland marine equipment manufacturers. Schleswig-Holstein is the region with highest
employment (41 000), followed by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (38 000) and Hamburg (27
000). Further, the inland regions of Bavaria Yachtbau, Baden-Württemberg and Nord-
Rhein Westfalen employ most marine equipment manufacturers. Of the 197 000 people,
about 23 600 were employed within shipbuilding (including recreational crafts), 3 000
within coastal tourism and 16 000 are part of the recreational boating industry (Boat
chartering and renting, marinas, inland boat basins, supporting services concerning the
construction of and trade in recreational vessels, boating-related training and trade
(Policy Research Corporation, 2008). Estimates for the leisure boat industry alone lie
between 22 000 and 26 900 people and largely characterized by very small enterprises
with a staff of less than 20 (European Commission, 2010).
Charter
Diving
2007
2008
2009
Surfing

4.9 Branch organizations
German Name Brach, activities Members
Der Deutsche Boots-
und
Schiffbauerverband
e.V. (DBSV)
Bundesverband
Wassersportwirtschaft
(BVWW)
Die Vereinigung
Deutscher Yacht-
Charterunternehmen
e.V. (VDC)
BKT,
Bundesvereinigung
Kanutouristik e.V.
DMYV, Deutscher
Motoryachtverband
e.V.
AKC, Arbeitskreis
Charterboot (AK des
BWVS)
BDB, Bundesverband
der Deutschen
Binnenschifffahrt e.V.
AKWA, Arbeitskreis
Wassersportanlagen
(AK des BWVS)
VDSV, Vereinigung
Deutscher Sporthäfen
(AK des BWVS)
Organization for companies within boat and
shipbuilding. Lobbying, consultancy services,
market information, research, training and
networking. DBSV issues “Bootwirtschaft”.
Organization for companies within Water sport.
Lobbying, consultancy services, market
information, research, training and networking.
Working on development of safety standards,
lobbying and servicing the Boat Charter
industry.
Promote kayak and canoe tourism
Umbrella organization within the motorboat
industry
Organization of providers of charter boats and
houseboats
Organization for companies related the
transport of goods and people on lakes and
rivers
Organization for developers of marinas, a
member of BVWW
Organization for owners and operators of
marina, a member of BVWW
Around 420
Members
More than 400
Members
organizations
Around 20
members
550 member
organizations
18 members
Approximately
30
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 21

5 Industry value chain
The German leisure boat value chain includes the various processes that are involved in
producing the boats, starting with raw materials and ending with the delivered product.
The German production of leisure boat depends on boat international and domestic
suppliers. Domestic production and supply industry were covered in chapter 4. We have
not been able to identify German companies acting as or using contractual manufacturer
as in Finland.
With regards to distribution, the large domestic producers have normally distributed their
boats via their importers, dealers and retailers (see Case 1), whereas the smaller boat
builders have direct contact with their end-customers (see Case 2). Imported boats seem
largely to be distributed via a European, national or a regional dealer who sells directly to
the end-users or indirectly via retailers (e.g. a ship yard or marina). HanseYacht is using
a new approach by which their low cost sailboat Varianta is sold via internet and has
opened a customer center in Greifswald in which they will sell directly to end-users in the
region.
CASE 1 – Bavaria Yachtbau (source; www.bavaria-yachtbau.com/)
Since 1978, Bavaria Yachtbau has manufactured more than 30 000 yachts and exported
over 85%. The production is currently split into 60% sailing yachts and 40% motorboats.
The shipyard employs approximately 650 workers and produces about 3 500 yachts
annually, ranging from 28 to 55 feet. Both yachts and furniture are produced by the
means of assembly lines, software and high-precision robots in combination with human
resources. Bavaria Yachtbau have or do cooperates with various international renowned
supplier and design agencies including Volvo Penta (engines), Elvstrom Sails, Lewmar
(anchors, winches, deck hatches etc), Rutgerson (deck and sail hardware) and Waeco.
Bavaria Yachtbau developed its previous Cruiser and motorboat line with J&J Design.
Since 2008 has Bavaria Yachtbau worked with Farr Yacht Design and BMW Group
Designworks USA, a subsidiary of the BMW Group.
Bavaria Yachtbau boats are sold by authorized trade partners only and boats are purely
produced by order from the customer via a dealer in Germany or on the international
market. They have not licensed out any production to other countries.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 22

Supplier X
Supplier Y
Supplier A
Supplier B
Supplier E
Supplier F
Motor
supplier
Equipment
Supplier
Component
Supplier
BOAT
PRODUCER
Designer
Importers
(abroad)
Dealers
CASE 2 – Sirius Werft (Source; www.sirius-werft.de)
Retailers
(abroad)
Dealers
Retailers
End
customers
(abroad)
End
customers
(abroad)
End
Customers
(domestic)
End
Customers
(domestic)
Sirius Werft, situated in Pölnin Schleswig-Holstein, is one of the “larger” small
shipbuilders. Sirius produces annually about 12 - 14 Sirius deck saloon yachts in
individual-orientated small series. In total, the company has delivered 604 ships in 38
years. The team includes boat builders, carpenters and technicians responsible for
development, manufacturing and installation.
The boats are sold directly to the end users allowing the purchaser to visits during the 3-
6 month building phases. This way the customer directly has the chance to influence the
individual design, equipment and development variants.
Supplier X
Supplier Y
Supplier Z
Supplier A
Supplier B
Supplier C
Supplier D
Supplier E
Motor
supplier
Electronics
supplier
Component
supplier A
BOAT
PRODUCER
End customers
(abroad)
End customers
(domestic)
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 23

6 The leisure boat market / end user market
6.1 Leisure boats on the German market
There are around 6 million people active within the water sport activities (diving, leisure
boats, water ski etc) in Germany. According to the FVSF 13 study from 2008, the private
leisure boat park is estimated to 500 000 boats. When including boat crew and chartered
boats, the total number of people enjoying leisure boats is estimated to 1.8 million
people (FVSF, 2008).
The figure of 500 000 does not include small boats like canoes, kayaks and small
inflatable boats etc., as well as charter boats and boats used for other purposes (e.g.
police). BVWW (2010b) estimates that there are around 2000 charter boats in Germany.
This includes some 1200 sail yachts and 800 motor yachts and house boats.
Of the 500 000 boats, about 60 % of the boats are motorized.
Figure 9. The distribution of privately owned boat types in Germany
Open sportboat
115 000
23 %
Motoryacht
190 000
38 %
Source; FVSF (2008)
Sailing yacht and
motorised sailboats
160 000
32 %
Dinghy, small sailboats
35 000
7 %
Most boats in Germany are of medium or small size. The average length for sailing boat
(small sailboats and sail yachts) is 7.50 m, where only 10 % are 11 meters or longer. For
motorboats (sports boat and motor yacht), the average length is 8.50 m and only 10 %
are 12 meters or longer (FVSF, 2008).
6.2 German boat sales
FVSF (2008) investigated the year of purchase, and found out that German boat sales
vary from year to year, but sales been relatively stabile around a mid range over the
past decade. The only exception is a sharp decline in sale of used motorboats. From 1998
13 FVSF (Nonprofit reseach organisation for Sport and leisureboat industry, Forschungsvereinigung für die
Sport- und Freizeitschifffahrt e.V.) and BVWW (Federal agency for water sport) undertook together with the
IboaT (German institute for boat tourism) a study of the German leisure boat market in 2008.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 24

to 2007, 7 500 used and 2 100 new sailboats were purchased on annual average. For
motorboats the average annual sales figures were 11 000 used and 3 800 new boats.
5 900 new boats were sold every year on average.
Figure 10. The German boat market 1998-2007 (number of boats)
18 000
16 000
14 000
12 000
10 000
8 000
6 000
4 000
2 000
-
Used Sailboat
New Sailboat
Used motorboat
New motorboat
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Source; FVSF (2008)
The study has not been updated for 2008 and 2009, but we have seen that the retail turn
over for new boats fell 33.5 % in 2009 compared to 2008 (Figure 8) and total value of
import fell about 40 % in the first half of 2009 compared to the first half of 2008.
6.3 Import of leisure boats
Figure 11 includes the import of new and used leisure boats to Germany from 2003 to
2009 based on the German Federal Statistic Agency (Destatis). The figures include used
and new sail and motorboats up to 24 meter. 4 848 motorboats were imported to
Germany with a total value of 180 million euros (37 130 Euro on average) in 2008.
Further 864 sailboats were imported with a total value of 41 million euros (47 600 Euro
on average). According to these figures, the actual number of boats imported has been
relatively steady for the past years prior to 2009, whereas the total value has grown (but
fluctuated) from year to year. However, it is a chance that these figures are
underrepresented due to lack of reporting. During 2009, import fell in the first half of
2009 fell about 40 percent compared to the first half of 2008.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 25

Figure 11. Imported leisure boats in number and thousand euros, 2000-2008
(adjusted for boats over 24 meters)
Number of boats
6 000
5 000
4 000
3 000
2 000
1 000
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Number of imported motorboats Number of imported sailboats Value of eimported motorboats Value of imported sailboats
Source; BVWW (2010) and Destatis (2010)
6.4 Source country of German import
The table below includes the source countries for German import of sail and motorboats
with inboard engines based on the trade statistics from Destatis (2010). The data do not
separate between old and new boats and is not adjusted for boats larger than 24 meter.
It is based on the country of “origin”, rather than company head quarter. France is an
important exporter to Germany with regards to larger sailboats, whereas China and
Poland are important producers of small sailboats. Interestingly, the American producers
are dominant for both small and larger sized motorboats; representing 73-74 % of the
import.
Table 10. Top 10 countries for German import in 2008 (not adjusted for boats
over 24 meters)
Sailboats with inboard engines
Less than 7.5 meter
Sailboats with inboard engines
More than 7.5 meter
Number Share Value Country Number Share Value
Country
of boats (%) (1000 €)
of boats (%) (1000 €)
China 192 33 % 240 France 139 44 % 17 811
Poland 175 30 % 633 Switzerland 50 16 % 2 531
Denmark 37 6 % 157 Sweden 33 10 % 6 229
Switzerland 26 5 % 325 US 27 8 % 919
Finland 20 3 % 617 Denmark 22 7 % 2 977
Singapore 19 3 % 83 Finland 11 3 % 2 040
Australia 17 3 % 113 Poland 9 3 % 492
France 15 3 % 260 Vietnam 7 2 % 535
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 26
250
200
150
100
50
-
Value in millon euro

US 14 2 % 232 Slovakia 6 2 % 530
Vietnam 8 1 % 264 Indonesia 3 1 % 32
Total import 576 3 782 Total import 318 35 424
10 largest
represent 523 91 % 2 924
10 largest
represent 307 97 % 34 096
Motorboats with inboard engines
Motorboats with inboard engines
Less than 7.5 meter
More than 7.5 meter
Value
Number
Number Share (1000
of Share Value
Country
of boats (%) €) Country boats (%) (1000 €)
US 2 733 73 % 36 138 US 986 74 % 42 586
Japan 358 10 % 1 607 Denmark 79 6 % 6 985
Denmark 271 7 % 6 588 Norway 37 3 % 4 505
Canada 73 2 % 811 Netherlands 34 3 % 6 504
Belgium 66 2 % 1 546 Poland 30 2 % 5 397
France 57 2 % 1 007 Italy 30 2 % 4 418
Poland 49 1 % 914 Switzerland 27 2 % 2 699
China 37 1 % 203 Sweden 25 2 % 5 679
Norway 23 1 % 445 France 18 1 % 2 426
Switzerland 21 1 % 834 UK 17 1 % 3 419
Total import 3762 51 654 Total import 1330 89 798
10 largest
10 largest
represent 3688 98 % 50 093 represent 1283 96 % 84 618
Source; Destatis (2010)
6.5 Import from Norway
The tables above include Norway within the top 10 source countries for motorboats in
2008. However, the total number of import from Norway is larger when including other
boat categories as well. Trade statistics from Destatis is presented below. The numbers
does not match exactly with the Norwegian trade statistics from SSB (see appendix). The
reason for this can be time lag, different reporting methodology and lack of reporting.
Nonetheless, the figures can indicate what type of boats that are being imported from
Norway. German import of motorboats has fallen since the top year in 2006.
Table 11 German imports from Norway (not adjusted for boats over 24 meters)
2006 2007 2008 2009
Sailboats for recreational, but for commersial purposes 4 5 - -
Sailboats, with inboard engine 7,5m
Motorboats, with inboard engine, for recreational, but for
2 1 - -
commersial purposes 3 2 - 1
Motorboats, with inboard engine 7,5m
Other boats incl. rowing boats and canoes 7,5m
excl. motor and sailboats with inboard motor and inflatable
53 181 140 105
boats - - - -
Total
Source; Destatis (2010)
135 244 200 147
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 27

6.6 The size of used leisure boat market
The German used boat market is larger than the new boat market in terms of turn over,
but has fallen about 21.5 % in 2009 compared to 2008 (Figure 8). According to an
industry study from IBI (April – May, 2010), the number of used boats on the second
hand market is growing, not only due to the financial crisis and influx of charter boats,
but also due to the demographic changes, as a large group of boat owners go into
pension and sell their boat. “Prices for small-to-medium sized boats on the second hand
market have dropped on average by around 25 %, whilst for larger models over 12 m,
have dropped more like 35 % for larger boats (over 12 meter)” Jürgen Tracht from
BVWW said to International Boat Industry in August 2010 (IBI September – August
2010). One can expect that even if the sales picks up as the economy improve, the
demographic development will continue to affect the second hand market.
6.7 End-user organizations
There are a large number of end-user or consumer organizations in Germany. Local
organizations are often members of a state organization which again is a member a
national (federal) umbrella organization. The web pages of the national umbrella
organizations often include a database or lists of member organizations.
Table 12. The largest umbrella organizations in Germany
Name Type
Deutsche Kanu-
Umbrella organization for canoe organization, with a total of
Verband
114.000 members from 1300 organizations
Deutscher motor
yacht
verband
Verband Deutscher
Sporttaucher
Deutscher
Segelverband
Deutscher
Ruderverband
ADAC (Allgemeiner
Deutscher Automobil-
Club e.V.)
Umbrella organization for motorboats organization, with totally
120 000 members from various organizations
Umbrella organization for more than 950 diving organizations in
Germany
(diving, dive centers, dive schools etc)
Umbrella organization for Sailing and surf clubs
Umbrella organization for organizations for rowing clubs
Germany's and Europe's largest automobile club, with more than
17 million members in June 2010. Offer products and services for
boat owners and others within water sports.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 28

7 Consumer preferences
7.1 General consumer behavior
Germany is a market of 82 million people with their own needs, culture, desires and
ability to pay. There is no “typical” German consumer, but one often hears that German
consumers are rather conservative and interested in technical equipments, and that
safety and quality are important. With budget retailers present in most consumer
markets, the price/performance ratio (“Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis”) seems to be the buzz
word. Despite a modest average income growth, Germany has many wealthy consumers
demanding up to date technology and the right brand. After a slow start, e-commerce
experiences an annual growth of 14 % (gfk group, 2010). Internet is not only used as a
sales channel, but is an extremely important source of information, price comparisons,
and market communication.
German household spend a about on third of their income of housing, water and
electricity, but figures will vary over time. Whereas the consumer price index has
remained relatively stable over the past years, energy prices are very volatile.
Figure 12. Consumption expenditures of German households in 2005 and
consumer price index up until March 2010
Source; Destatis (2010)
7.2 The German boat owner
In the studies on the German boat market, the FVSF (2008) found that about 2 % of the
male adult (30-85 year) population has their own boat, and that the majority of boat
owners have a net household income of more than 3 000. Average age of boat owner is
56, but more that than 50 % of the skippers were under the age of 30 when they bought
their first boat. The average German boat owner has 3 boats during its lifetime. The boat
owners are relatively “loyal” to the sport and rarely abandon this leisure activity before
the “age of retirement”. Motorboat owners rarely migrate to sailboats, but owners of
open motorboats as well as owners of sailboats often migrate to motor yachts when they
get older. Common for all boat types, is the relatively sharp decline after the age of 75
(FVSF, 2008).
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 29

Figure 13. The age structure of the German boat owners
Source: FVSF (2008)
Demographic changes are pertinent for the German economy. About 2 % of the male
adult population (of age 30-85) has their own boat. The share is higher for the age group
60-74 (ca 3 %) than for the group 30-44 (ca 1%). FVSF (2008) have found that if the
proportion of newcomer’s remains at 1%, the proportion of elderly boat owners will
increase sharply within the next 10 years, while the total number of boat owners will
decrease by around 50 % within the next 20 years. This development will lower the
number of boat owners (and potential consumers) potentially affecting the market for
both new and used boats, also outside Germany. Making leisure boating more attractive
for young families, woman, as well as for the older population, could offset this effect.
7.3 Popular brands on the German market
There are a great number of different brands on the German market, and many boat
owners also build their own boats. When looking in to the most popular boats on the
market between 1997 and 2007, we can see that the market for sailboats were to a large
extent is dominated by the German and France brands. French, American brands and
Norwegian brands hold strong positions on the motorboat market. When comparing the
most popular brands within new and used motorboats, we can se that the traditional
sailboat producers such as Jeanneau and Beneteau taken a larger share of new boat
sales. If we would have had more recent figures, it might also be that Bavaria would be
on the list. The strong position of American motorboats is also reflected in the import
(ref. chapter 6.4).
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 30

Table 13. Top 10 Brands sold on the German market, 1997-2007
New motorboats
Market share
(%)
Used motorboats
Market
share (%)
Jeanneau (FR) 8,50 Bayliner (Brunswick Boat, US) 11,70
SeaRay (Brunswick Boat US) 7,80 SeaRay (Brunswick Boat, US) 10,30
Quicksilver (Brunswick boat US) 6,80 Self built 5,60
Beneteau (FR) 6,00 Fjord (NO, now HanseYachts ) 4,30
Bayliner (Brunswick Boat, US) 5,50 Pedro (NL) 3,90
Nidelv (NO) 5,10 Regal (US) 3,10
Bella (FIN) 5,10 Coronet (DK) 2,70
Drago (AU) 4,10 Marex (NO) 2,70
Linssen (NL) 4,00 Nidelv (NO) 2,40
Stingray (US) 3,90 Wellcraft (US) 2,30
New sailboats
Market share
(%)
Used sailboats
Market
share (%)
Bavaria Yachtbau (GE) 17,60 Dehler (Now part of Hanse, GE) 15,30
HanseYachts (GE) 9,00 Neptun (US) 6,20
Jeanneau (FR) 7,50 Bavaria Yachtbau (GE) 4,90
Beneteau (FR) 7,00
Jeanneau (FR) 4,00
Dehler (GE – HanseYachts) 5,60 Self built 3,70
Dufour (FR) 4,30 Klepper (GE) 3,00
Etap (BE) 4,30 Hobie Cat (Hobart Alter, US) 2,40
Self built 3,70 Schöchl (AU) 2,30
Hallberg-Rassy (SE) 3,60 Waarship (NL) 2,20
Sailart (GE) 2,70 Dufour (FR) 2,20
Source; FVSF (2008)
7.4 Boat usage
In Germany, boating seems to be a partly a recreational or partly sport activity, which
mainly takes place during the summer. It is to a lesser extent a mean of transport. In the
study on structure on the German boat market, FVSF (2008) asked about the people on
board. On the question about the average number of adults on board, about 75 % says
that it normally consists of 2 adults. Also 75 % normally use the boat without children on
board (FVSF, 2008).
The use of leisure boats in Germany varies according to the geographical location.
Approximately 60 % of the leisure boat usage takes place on the inland waters, rivers
and canals (DSBV, 2010b). The following maps indicate the most popular areas for
leisure boat activities.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 31

Popular areas for the use of motor/sport boats (left) and sailboats (right)
Source: BTE-DWIF (2003)
Further, many Germans use their leisure boats outside Germany. From the total park of
500 000 boats, FVSF (2008) find that about 35 000 of the sailboats and 50 000 of the
motor yachts are used and stored in foreign countries/waters. The Netherlands is most
popular, followed by Croatia, France and Denmark. We do not have information if these
boats were bought in Germany, or directly in the foreign country.
7.5 Annual leisure boat expenses
There is a variety of expenditures related to the use of leisure boat, and boat owner’s
preference, usage and boat size. Based on the random selection of boat enthusiast, FVSF
(2008) found that 40% spend less than 1 000 € per year for maintenance and
equipment. 90% spend less than 3 000 € per year. DSBV (2010b) estimate the total cost
per year (storage, maintenance, service etc) to some 10 % of the purchasing price.
Boote-Magazine 14 investigated the average annual cost of three different leisure boats in
Germany. For a used Nidelv 26, the cost were estimated to 5 245 Euro a year.
NIDELV 26 in Euro
Insurance 468
Berth (Baltic Sea) 1 077
Winter storage 678
Cleaning 72
Spring preparation and commissioning 600
2 weeks vacation (berth, locks) 500
Preparation and coating 600
Service and maintenance 1 000
Fuel coast (50 hours) 250
Total 5 245
14 To be downloaded from http://www.bootemagazin.de/bto/boote_artikel/show.php3?id=2194&nodeid=1&&PHPSESSID=ec380b10ac098f4a72cb3771ae8e
0f02
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 32

8 Infrastructure
8.1 Prerequisites for marina life
8.1.1 Commercial Harbors
Germany has long maritime tradition and has some of Europe largest harbors. The
commercial harbors in Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven and Lübeck are the busy.
8.1.2 Marinas / Small Boat Harbors
There is a vast network of marinas and small boat harbors in Germany. Looking into
industry databases the total number of commercial marinas varies between 77 15 and
110 16 , but the total number adds up to a couple of thousand when including commercial
moorings, small boat harbors and local authority owned marinas. German small boat
harbors are often operated as a municipal/city facility or as a cooperative, sailing or
yacht club. Commercial marinas are often privately operated and associated with a boat
building company, a sailing school, or a hotel. The marinas varies greatly is size and
offers, from small harbors to larger marinas with several hundred spaces. The small
marinas normally include electricity and toilet facilities, whereas the larger one have an
extensive offer such as shops, washing possibilities, internet, shower, playground etc.
Some larger marinas even have restaurants, pools, sauna, tennis courts etc. Water sport
centers e.g. diving, charters, sailing courses, are often located at or close to the marinas.
Marinas and small boat harbours also often offer service and maintenance, as well as
winter storage possibilities.
According to FVSF (2008), about 320 000 of the 500 000 boats owners have a berth in
Germany. This figure is higher than official berth figure of 150 000, probably caused by a
large number of private berths and moorings, and by the fact that many of the small
boats are stored on a trailer and only occationally need a berth. BVWW (2010b) does not
see that there is lack of berths in Germany.
8.1.3 Fuel availability
Boote Magazine compiles a brochure on the fuel stations on an annual basis. The most
recent update from 2009 17 includes some 125 fuel stations throughout the country. In
2010 has the Dortmund-based company, PROGAS opened their first LPG filling station for
refueling of boats. According to their press release 18 , liquefied propane, butane and their
mixtures are non-toxic and burn virtually residue free. In addition, the alternative fuel
protects the engine thus reducing the cost of repairs and maintenance. The company
plan to open more LPG filling stations.
8.1.4 Septic tank emptying
Septic tank pumps are standard at larger harbors and marinas throughout the country.
8.2 Infrastructure maps
Publishing companies, unions and organizations offers maps on German waters and
water sport infrastructure. Water Tourism Guide (WTG) offers a comprehensive online
15 www.bvww.org
16 www.profinautic.com
17 Can be downloaded (at cost) from http://www.bootemagazin.de/bto/boote_artikel/show.php3?id=1953&nodeid=201&
18 Press release 08.07.2010 http://www.progas.de/401.html
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 33

information system for water sports in Germany, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. The
WTG 19 includes interactive maps and water area information, as well as a trade directory
of water sports market. As an example, the south west area of Berlin is illustrated in
Figure 14. Marinas are indicated in green circle with an anchor, locks in orange circle and
fuel station in blue circle.
Figure 14. Interactive map over Berlin area
Source: www.toernplaner.net
19 Available at http://www.toernplaner.net/
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 34

9 Outlook and trends
9.1 Industry trends
Bavaria Yachtbau and HanseYacth are examples of the modernisation and
industrialisation in the German leisure boat industry. This started several years ago,
and the economic down turn has forced further restructuring and consolidation. The
private equity firms behind Bavaria Yachtbau have restructured the debt and
HanseYachts has used the crisis to extend its portfolio with the German sailboat brand
Dehler (2009).
When reading into the country report on Germany in IBI (April – May, 2010) and the
Economic Situation report from BVWW (2010), both from the early summer of 2010,
actors in the German leisure boat industry seem to agree that the industry has hit the
bottom and that they are more optimistic about the future. The most recent DBSV
member “Konjunktur barometer” (August 2010) confirms that the outlook is somewhat
better than last years (figure in parentheses). 30.1 % of the members believe in growth,
with the supply industry in front (54.1 %). The members are more optimistic with
regards to the domestic market than to the export market. The members point to new
contracts (47.9%), personnel (23%), liquidity (21.9%) and area/location (7.3%) as the
most important factors for future growth (DBSV, 2010).
BVWW (2010) advocates horizontal integration and being a “one-stop”-shop for
retail, service and maintenance companies, and we can already see some effects of this
in which marinas extend their service offer (e.g. wireless internet, storage, shopping
facilities), and thereby minimize their risk, utilizing the resources efficiently and
increasing customer satisfaction.
9.2 Consumer trends
Industrialization of the leisure boat industry has brought an improvement in the priceperformance
ratio for the past years, and the financial crisis has probably made
consumers even more price conscious. Smaller and cheaper boats seem to be in great
demand. HanseYachts Ltd introduced a low-cost Dehler Varianta, a sailboat of 5.5 meter
costing less than 10 000 Euro. 20 Bavaria Yachtbau will also focus on the development of
other SPORT models in the segment of small to medium sized motorboats 21 and have
introduced the Bavaria Cruiser 32 to meet the family segment. 22
20 Read more about the Varianta at Seilas.no. http://www.seilas.no/wip4/detail.epl?id=459263
21 “Success of SPORT range drives new model push at BAVARIA”, http://www.bavaria-yachtbau.com/en/motor-
boats.html
22
http://www.boot.de/cipp/md_boot/custom/pub/content,oid,25061/lang,1/ticket,g_u_e_s_t/local_lang,1/~/Bav
aria_Cruiser_32_-_Ideal_f%C3%BCr_Familien%3C_01.10%3E.html
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 35

Bavaria SPORT Range Bavaria Cruiser 32 Dehler Varianta 18
Photo from : www.bavaria-yachtbau.com and www.varianta.info
The various industry magazines showcase technology and products that are energy
efficient and environmental friendly. The most popular solutions seem to be those
that are offered at a reasonable cost offer and that give something more than just
“better environmental consciousness”. Examples of such solutions are LED lightning,
hybrid-engines, ecological material and electrical solar panel.
Keeping the existing boat owners longer and attracting new groups is necessary to offset
the demographic changes in Germany. The FVSF “Fit for sail” research project examined
the physical and mental effects of sailing on older people, and how the industry can
adapt its products to the needs of older sailors. ComfoDrive, a 3-axis joystick to control
boat movements in all directions, is the first concrete outcome from the Fit & Sail Project.
Easy maneuverable boats and boat equipment could not only attract elderly people,
but also less experienced users and families.
Boat chartering has generally taken place at the Baltic Sea (primarily yacht and
sailboats), but the inland waters in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin / Brandenburg
is getting more and more popular (for example for houseboats). Improved infrastructure,
the introduction of charter licences and general growth in domestic tourism, are all
factors likely to have contributed to this development. BVWW (2010b) expects are
further growth in boat chartering given the political interest in improving access to inland
waters.
Houseboats in Germany
Photo: wwww.kuhnle-tours.de
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 36

9.3 Infrastructure trends
Various infrastructure projects, particularly in the former East Germany have improved
the access to inland waterways. This includes for example construction of more
leisure boat harbors in the East, renovation and extension of operation of the marinas
and boat locks. Public infrastructure project are under the responsibility of the
Bundesländer, but the Ministry of Transport is also working on a strategy to further
improve the access to inland waterways in Germany.
A variety of initiatives have been introduced to better communication and
transparency, including certificates, labels, marketing campaigns and use of internet
and social media. The interactive map on www.toernplaner.net (chapter 8.2), Gelbe
Welle and The Blue Flag are examples of such initiatives. Gelbe Welle is a federal unified
welcoming sign and information system for water sport users in Germany. The Blue Flag
works towards sustainable development at beaches and marinas through publicly
awarding sites that meet strict criteria dealing with safety, water quality, and
environment. The points and numbers in blue on map show the Blue Flag marinas in
Germany (red are used are Blue Flag beaches).
Figure 15 The Blue flag
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 37

9 Cultural aspects
9.4 German business culture 23
Germany is a large country and business culture and etiquette varies between the
different industries, age group and regions. However, in general, is German business
etiquette more formal than in Norway. Germans praise politeness, punctuality, planning
and preparedness. Politeness and punctuality is a sign of respect and credibility, and
planning and preparedness are meant to reduce risk, increase efficiency and
communicate expectation on the different parties. Decision making tends to take longer
time than in Norway as Germans like to evaluate eventualities and risks. On the other
side, German partners act as planned and rarely cancel an agreement. Presence in the
market and establishment of long term business relations are important for success in
Germany.
The dress code is understated and relatively formal and conservative. A firm handshake
is the traditional greeting form both before and after a meeting (also with children). In
contrast to Norway, Germans address people with the person’s title (Herr, Frau, Dr. etc)
and their surname. Germans normally do this until they are invited to use first name.
This is a sign of respect and is even maintained for personal relationships for a long time.
Facts and figures to back up statements are important in business meetings as well as in
marketing campaigns.
Table 14: General German business characteristics
1 2 3 4 5
Business culture in general formal x Informal
Communication formal x Informal
Non verbal communication formal x Informal
Time and planning rigid x non rigid
Business protocol & etiquette rigid x non rigid
Marketing moderate x aggressive
Source; Innovation Norway
9.5 Special cultural aspects within the leisure boat market
As we will present in the following chapters, the German leisure boat market is fairly
regulated (chapter 10). There are relatively strict requirements for driving and renting
boats, and many products on the market seem to focus safety and security. Still, it is not
uncommon to hear that there actually is a lack of focus on safety.
23 This section is based world business culture (2010), as well as the reflections of IN Hamburgs staff.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 38

10 Regulation & legislation
10.1 EU regulation
The EU has harmonized national legislations in the Member States for leisure boats
intended for sports and leisure purposes of hull length between 2.5 and 24 meters. The
European legal framework (Directive 94/25/EC, as amended by Directive 2003/44/EC)
aims to improve market conditions in the sector, and to specify conditions to protect the
environment and consumer health.
Exhaust emission limits (for carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and
particulates) are specified depending on whether the boat is propelled by a two-stroke or
four-stroke petrol engine or by a diesel engine. This Directive, which combines the
promotion of competitiveness with the protection of the environment and the citizen
through harmonized legislation and removal of trade barriers, was gradually introduced
and has been fully in force since 31 December 2006.
The Directive also requires boat and engine manufacturers to keep a technical file on all
relevant data, and to officially declare the compliance of their product using a Declaration
of Conformity (DoC), to affix the CE marking to it, and to inform users about safe use
and maintenance through a builder’s plate and owner’s manual.
The amendment concerns not only boat and engine manufacturers, but also resellers,
docks, yards and other parties within the recreational craft sector, who buy boats from
non-EU countries. The directive does not concern boats built for own use (European
Commission, 2010)
The person or company producing or importing leisure boat is responsible for the boat
fulfilling all requirements. These concerns not only jet skis and engines, but also steering,
fuel engines, fuel tubes and hatches. The responsibility can be transferred to an
authorized representative if the boat is bought from a non EU-country. The person or
company responsible for the product fulfilling the requirements shall sign an assurance
on correspondence which is to be attached to the product. Furthermore boats, jet skis
and engines need an owner’s manual. Certain equipment needs installation guidelines.
10.2 Certification
A CE marked boat shows that it is produced according to regulations defined in the
recreational craft directive. Since June 1998, only boats that follow the regulation of the
recreational craft directive can be produced and sold in the EU. Although CE marking
actually does not guarantee quality, it can still be classified as a quality mark. Because
the CE mark is an assurance made by the producer, the authorities supervise that the CE
mark holds good.
Boats that are built in an EU member state before June 16, 1998, do not have to be CE
marked. All other boats imported from other countries, e.g. the US and built after 1950,
have to be CE marked.
10.3 Warranty and product liability
The European Union Directive 1999/44/EC determines the minimum standards or
warranty for commercial sale to private consumers. A minimum of two year guarantee
applies for the sale of all consumer goods everywhere in the EU (Directive 1999/44/EC).
The warranty claims made against the seller, not the manufacturer of the product.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 39

The claims on warranty are also covered by German law. The § 434 and §435 of the
Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGG) determine, for example, what a deficiency is (factual or
legal deficiency). A defect exists i.e. when the good does not have the agreed quality, is
not suitable for ordinary use, or too little is delivered.
In case of a defect, there are a number of rights of the buyers, but also for the seller.
First, there is a so-called priority of subsequent performance (§ 439 BGB). The contractor
should be given the opportunity for repair or replace the good. If he refuses this, or if the
subsequent performance fails several times, the buyer may reduce the purchase price
(BGB § 441), cancel the contract (§ 437 BGB No.2) or claim compensation (§ 437 BGB
No.3).
The German Federal Court has found that, unless the seller/dealer and customer have
agreed otherwise, the seller has to repair deficiencies of the boat where the boat actually
is. In the case of the Federal Court decision of 2006 (case no X ZR 97/06), a customer
had bought a boat with defects. The seller insisted that the boat was brought to him, but
the court decided that the seller has to repair it at the berth (Stiftungwarentest,
08/2008).
Product liability is included in the Federal German Product Liability Law
(Produkthaftungsgesetz of 1998) and includes damage to life, health, property and other
legal interests that are caused by the failure of the good. These claims are directed to the
manufacturer or producer.
We have not been able to find information on the main consumer complaints and
guarantee demands in Germany.
10.4 Import regulations
When importing a boat, the boat can be subject to demands on CE marking. These
demands also concern boats that are being used for other purposes. The person using a
boat for the first time or brings it to the German market, is responsible for the boat filling
all requirements, e.g. when
• the boat is being imported from a third country, from a non EU member state
• a boat has been excepted because it has been classified as racing boat, a boat for
experimental use or it has been in commercial use
• The boat has been built for one’s own use and is being sold within 5 years from
the first day of use.
The responsibility to be taken for the imported boat fulfilling its requirements is the same
as the responsibility the producer of a new boat has to take. Boats that once have been
CE marked do not have to be re-certified just because they are reimported.
Leisure boats cannot get through customs if they lack CE marking or required
documentation. The importer has to be able to show that the requirements for CE
marking are fulfilled before customs procedures can be finished.
10.5 License production
We have not been able to identify any barriers for license production in Germany.
10.6 Registration and signature number
There is no federal unified registry for leisure boats in Germany, and boat can be
registered with a local authority, ADAC (a German automobile association), boat
association or sport unions. Boats over 15 m must be registered in the official shipping-
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 40

egister. All boats must be marked on the side and behind with name and signature or
registration number. Due to a growing number of boat theft and the lack of a common
registry, the federal police and insurance companies introduced “Boat pass” in 2008. The
Pass is a template document that the boat owners fill in. It includes the name of the
boat, specifications, features and characteristics as non-standard equipment and
damage, information that is important for the police when looking for the boat after a
theft. Boat owner can get the pass from their insurance company, boat association or
police.
10.7 Insurance
There is no insurance duty for leisure boats (as it is for cars). Every user is liable and
responsible for all damage caused by him in connection with the possession or use of
pleasure craft. Under German Law, there is no ceiling on the level of damages an
individual could have awarded against them for an act they committed. It is therefore
strongly recommended that each boat owner to have third party liability insurance.
10.8 VAT
The standard value added tax rate for products and services in Germany is 19%, but
there is a reduced rate of 7% for food and agricultural products. Sales between private
persons on used boats are VAT-free, but an import tax of 19 % (or reduced rate of 7 %)
applies to import from non-EU countries.
10.9 Restrictions on the use of leisure boats
Basically, German lakes and rivers are open to all, but the use of leisure boats is to some
extent regulated. The regulations include requirements (e.g. Recreational craft must give
way to starboard in a timely manner to vehicles that display a blue flashing light if they
encounter them, cross their paths, or pass them, and use radar and radiotelephone in
case of poor visibility) and restrictions (e.g. speed limits, prohibition of traveling at night
time on certain waterways and prohibition on traveling on the fairway of the backwaters
and shallow water regions on certain waterways) based on special features of individual
waterways. In addition, skippers must (in general) have a steering license (chapter
10.10).
The main regulations are24 ;
- Regulation concerning the carrying of pleasure boats on the inland waterways apart
from the Rhine, Moselle and Danube (Verordnung über das Führen von Sportbooten auf
den Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen, SportbootFüV-Bin) of 22. März 1989
- Regulation on the water skiing on inland waterways (Verordnung über das
Wasserskifahren
February 1990
auf den Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen, Wasserskiverordnung) of 01.
- Regulation on driving with personal jet skies on the inland waterways (Verordnung über
das Fahren mit Wassermotorrädern auf den Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen,
Wassermotorräder-Verordnung) of 31. Mai 1995
- Regulation on the identification of traveling on inland waterways (Verordnung über die
Kennzeichnung von auf Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen verkehrenden, kKleinfahrzeugen,
KlFzKV-BinSch) of 21. February 1995
24 Regulations can be downloaded from http://www.elwis.de/ and http://www.bmvbs.de/. Most aspects are
summaried in the brochure “Safety at the water” (BMVBS, 2008) available at
http://www.bmvbs.de/publikation-,302.1913/Sicherheit-auf-dem-Wasser-Leit.htm (in German).
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 41

- Regulation on navigating the waterways in certain conservation areas (Verordnung über
das Befahren der Bundeswasserstraßen in bestimmten Naturschutz- gebieten,
Naturschutzbefahrensverordnung – NSGBefV) of 08. Dezember 1998
- Recreational Craft Hiring Regulations25 regulate the commercial hiring of recreational
craft and their utilization on inland waterways. It says that anyone who wishes to hire
out a recreational craft of less than 20 meters in length on inland waterways requires a
boat certificate for each boat that is to be hired out. Further, the boat driver must be in
possession of the certificate of competency required for the relevant boat size. For travel
on some inland waterways it is possible for the hiring company to issue the so-called
charter certificate (see section 10.10).
10.10 Skippers license
Germany has a quite intricate skipper license system. In general, all skippers in Germany
should hold a license, whereas drivers of motorboat with power of more than 3.68 kW
(5 PS) must hold an official license.
If an official skipper’s license is not required in the boat driver’s country of residence, an
inland waterways certificate of competency from a water sports association in the boat
driver’s country of residence is in general considered to be sufficient.
The Motorboat license for inland waterways (Sportbootführerschein Binnen,
„SBF Binnen“) is recommended for all boat drivers when entering the inland waterways
(channels and rivers). The license is obligatory for skippers of boat with a motor power of
more than 3.68 kW (5 PS) and up to 15 meter.
The Motorboat license for coastal water (Sportbootführerschein See, „SBF See“)
is recommended for all boat drivers along the coast. Skippers of boat with power of more
than 3.68 kW (5 PS) need to hold a license when steering a boat within 3 nautical miles
from shore. In opposite to the SBF Binnen, there is no limitation of the hull length.
The preparation for SBF Binnen and SBF Sea includes both theory and practice, and a
final test. These licenses are independent of each other, and one of the licenses does not
include the others, however, they can be undertaken in combination. Deutschen Segler-
Verbandes e. V. (DSV) and Deutschen Motoryachtverbandes e. V. (DMYV) coordinate
license procedures, while the training and testing takes place in local clubs and
organizations. The Federal Ministry of Transport sets the requirement for the test, but not
for the actual theory and training, so cost and time can vary. A quick search on the
internet indicates a total price for theory, training and test to somewhere between 200-
400 Euro for each of the permits. The Federal Ministry of Transport is currently making
some changes to the testing procedure. The first tests for skipper’s permits according to
the new requirements are scheduled for late 2010 (BMVBS, 2010).
In addition to the two official licenses, there are some licenses that act as proof of certain
level of training and experience. These are in some sense voluntary, but they are
normally required for when renting boats (chartering). Further, some of the licenses are
required for certain geographical areas and for skippers of crafts used for commercial or
educational purposes.
Recreational craft license for coastal areas (Sportküstenschifferschein, „SKS“)
is a voluntary license for users of motorboats and sailboats in coastal sea up to 12
nautical miles. „SBF See“ is a prerequisite for the „SKS“ and the preparation includes
theory and practice more advanced than for the „SBF See“. This license is equivalent to
the „ Coastal Skipper“.
25 See more details on http://www.bmvbs.de/-,2078.964410/Inland-Water-Transport-Recreat.htm
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 42

Craft license for open sea (Sportseeschifferschein, “SSS”) is a postgraduate
certificate, and training and testing is tailored to the driving of motor yachts and sail in
coastal marine waters, that is all waters to 30 nautical miles and the entire Baltic Sea,
and North Sea, English Channel, Bristol Channel, Irish and Scottish Sea, Mediterranean
and Black Sea. This license is voluntary for recreational crafts, but obligatory to steer
sport boats used for training or for commercial purposes in the coastal area up to 12 nm
with a maximum of 12 man crew, and traditional ships with 15 to 25 m hull length and
over 25-man crew in coastal drive up to 12 nautical miles from coast.
Craft license for high sea (Sporthochseeschifferschein, „SHS“) is the official
certificate and a postgraduate certificate to drive boats, training ships and tradition “with
the engine or with engine and sail” in the global travel (all oceans). The SHS is voluntary
for recreational crafts, but mandatory for the commercial use of pleasure boats and
educational boats.
Sailing license for inland water and coastal areas: There are various levels of
courses that prepare one for sailing on the lakes and along the coast, all from basic skills
to advanced level for entry into competition.
Other regional license: For recreational crafts of 15 meter to 25 meter, one needs the
sport skipper certificate (Class E) for certain regions, e.g. the Rhine Patent and Bodensee
patent.
Charter license: When chartering a boat in Germany, one normally needs a license
suited to the boat and usage. Federal Ministry of Transport is currently testing the use of
a charter license in waterways in selected lakes and rivers for license-free charter boat
traffic. For house and leisure boats, a so-called “charter license” is issued by the charter
boat operator after a thorough instruction as to the handling of the boat and the relevant
area for navigation, is sufficient. The license applies to the inland water designated and
only for the duration of the charter. It only applies to recreational craft with a length of
less than 15 meters, whose maximum speed in still water is limited to 12 kilometers per
hour and certified for a maximum of 12 persons.
Radiotelephone operator’s certificates (Long Range Certificate – LRC („Allgemeines
Funkbetriebszeugnis“) or the Short Range Certificate – SRC („Beschränkt Gültiges
Funkbetriebszeugnis“) are required for skippers having a marine radio communication
system.
The license system ensures a certain minimum competence and experience from the
drivers, but is also a barrier for newcomers and under constant debate within the
industry. A simplified charter license system in certain regions has attracted many
families on the water, and further reform of the license system can open up for more
newcomers.
10.11 Safety
“Safety at water” (BMVBS, 2008) summaries the most important safety measures for
water sport enthusiasts.
It includes the obligation to help people in need.
It also says that any water sports enthusiasts should be able to swim. For all nonswimmers
and children, the rule is to wear lifejackets before entering the boat.
Further, the boat must be reliable, i.e. safe and suitable built and equipped according to
route and length of trip. Necessary equipments will depend on the route, but in general,
it is required to carry nautical equipment (e.g. compass or navigator) and safety
equipment for distress situation (e.g. safety west for every person on board). The
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 43

ochure also includes a list of recommended equipment such as fire extinguisher,
anchor, lamp, first aid kit etc.
10.12 Health and Environment
Septic tank
Based on the International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships
and MARPOL 73/78 (on marine pollution) there is in general, a ban on emptying of
waster water, however, exemptions exists for leisure boats, for ships with a cleaning
system and for ships more than 12 see miles from shore. Based on the EU leisure boat
regulation, all boats with a WC should have septic tank that can be emptied at dedicated
locations. Slightly different regulations apply to Baltic Sea, North Sea, Federal Waterways
and Inland lakes (DMYV, 2010).
Conservation areas
Some of the German water ways and coast are parts of nature conservation areas.
Regulation on navigating the waterways in certain conservation areas (Verordnung über
das Befahren der Bundeswasserstraßen in bestimmten Naturschutz- gebieten,
Naturschutzbefahrensverordnung – NSGBefV) from 1998, regulate this traffic. In general,
the regulation states that the user of leisure boats need to respect the wild life, by
keeping distance and minimizing engine usage.
Speed limits at sea
Speed limits are normally given in kilometer per hour and vary greatly throughout the
country. For engine-powered recreational craft the general maximum permissible speeds
on lakes and lake-like expanses of water 25 kilometers per hour. The limit is normally 9
km per hour on canals and 12 km per hour on rivers.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 44

11 Research & development
11.1 Research and Development in Germany
Germany is a major investor in research and development with 61.5 billion Euros (2.54
percent of GDP) in 2007. Research and development is undertaken in universities,
universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen), non-university institutes, companies
and Federal as well as Länder Institutions. More than two thirds of the total funding is
provided by industry, of which the automotive sector dominates with 38% of the industry
spending, followed by the electrical engineering sector (19%), the chemical industry
(14%) and mechanical engineering (11%). 26 There are also funds and programs on a
regional and international level. The EU Research Framework Programme (RFP) is the
largest funding programme for research projects in the world. In addition to the EU’s
Research Framework Programme, COST 27 and EUREKA 28 serve to promote European
research cooperation.
11.2 Policy initiatives for the leisure boat industry
The German leisure boat industry is not major industry like for example the automobile
or maritime industry. However, the industry unions and organizations within the water
sport field work to demonstrate the importance of the water sport, both as an important
industry and a part of the domestic tourism sector. 29 The German Bundestag proposed, in
2003, several measures that the Federal Government could implement to increase the
attractiveness of water tourism and water sports. The Bundestag found, in particular,
that water sport is a popular recreational activity with further growth potential, but that
there were barriers related the licenses procedure, lack of industry knowledge and
insufficient marketing. As a response to the appeal from the Bundestag, did the Federal
Ministry of Economics and Labor, Hamburg Messe GmbH, the German Tourism
Association give The Association of BTE / dwif a mandate to conduct a study and a to
develop a strategy for further development of water tourism in and for Germany in 2003.
One of the conclusions was to simplify the steering license procedure and to improve the
communication on water sport possibilities to the public. Then, in 2004, did Federal
Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs start a pilot project on “charter
licenses”. The ministry also supported the introduction of “Gelbe Welle” to further
promote the water sport industry. The Ministry are now reforming the license
examination procedures for „SBF Binnen” and „SBF See” to be effective from end of
2010 (ref. chapter 10.10) (BMVBS, 2010), and the Ministry is currently working on a
strategy to further improve the access to inland water. These efforts have had, and
hopefully, will continue to have a positive impact on the water sport market.
11.3 Reseach project within the water sport industry
In addition to the research undertaken by the leisure boat companies and companies in
the related industries, the Research Association for Sport and Leisure boat activities e.V.
(Forschungsvereinigung für die Sport- und Freizeitschifffahrt e.V., FVSF) promotes and
implement leisure boat related research projects in cooperation with qualified research
26 For more information, see www.high-tech-strategy.de and www.research-in-germany.de
27 COST is a framework programme in EU for the coordination of scientific-technical research at governmental
level. Since the beginning of 1971, the participation in COST has grown beyond EU member state and includes
organizations from 56 countries in total.
28 Eureka is an intergovernmental initiative supporting European innovation. Since its inception in 1985,
substantial public and private funding has been mobilized to support research and development.
29 Watersport is included in the German Federal Government Policy Guidelines on Tourism, BMWI (2008)
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 45

organizations. The FVSF is a nonprofit association of small and medium-sized companies
in the field of the leisure boat industry. From their webpage, we can read that FVSF
research projects include;
Fit & Sail (2009-2010)
Project goal: medical observation, recording and analysis of physical and mental burdens
to develop recommendations on design and equipment for sailing yachts.
Structures of the German boat market (2008)
Project goal: extraction of robust basic data on the boot market and the boat owners in
Germany to development forecasts for the future development of the industry in light of
the specific demographic of the boat owners in Germany.
Equipment with distress-saving appliances (2009)
Project goal: identifying data on the equipment of boats and yachts with distress-saving
appliances in Germany.
Norm data (2010)
Project objective: Creation of a systematized and interpreted collection of tables and
graphs to develop target buyers of boats and yachts.
Diving in the future (2009)
Project Objective: Identification of nationwide data on the diving market
11.4 Other sector and cluster initiatives
The various industry organization represent the actors in the leisure boat industry with
the DBSV and BVWW as the two most important. In addition, is there several cluster
initiatives that focus on maritime industry. The three largest ones are;
Center of Maritime Technologies
The Center of Maritime Technologies e.V. (CMT) is a nonprofit organization, aimed to
strengthen research, development and innovation in the maritime sector by encouraging
cooperation between the maritime actors, between industry and academia and within the
framework of the European research area. CMT has 80 members from the areas of
shipyards, supply industry, shipping, maritime services, science and public authorities.
The Maritime Alliance Ostseeregion
The Maritime Alliance is an open network of companies in the maritime industry along
the Baltic Sea. The network has about 50 members and the thematic focus is on highly
complex marine system products and system services
The Maritime Cluster Schleswig-Holstein
The Maritime Cluster Schleswig-Holstein is the maritime industry network for Schleswig-
Holstein with the core competencies of promoting innovation, providing support and
assisting with internationalization for small and medium-sized companies.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 46

12 Links
12.1 Magazines
Germany has a broad offer of water sport magazines in both printed and online editions.
The table below lists some of the most prominent.
Name Circulation/
Frequency
Link Publisher
Anker Wassersport http://www.ankermagazin.de/
Blauwasser, Leben
unter Segeln
www.palstek.de
Boote Exclusive www.superyacht.de From
Verlag
Delius Klasing
Boote Jahrbuch www.bootejahrbuch.com
BOOTE-magazin 12 issues a year http://www.bootemagazin.de/
From Delius Klasing
Verlag
Boots Börse 56,000
/ 12 issues per
year
From SVG Verlag
Bootshandel-
www.bootshandel-
Magazin
magazin.de
Bootsmarkt
International
www.delius-klasing.de
Charter Horizonte 20,000 / 1 issue http://www.charterhorizon From SVG Verlag
per year
te.de/
Der Blaue Peter 16,000 / 4 issues http://www.der-blaue- From SVG Verlag
per year
peter.de/
RVS Deutsche 6,000 / 1 issue
From SVG Verlag
Seeregatten
per year
Segler-Zeitung 28,500 /
12 issues per
year
From SVG Verlag
Skipper www.skippermagazin.de Abonnement
Sportschipper 8,000 /
http://www.sport-
From SVG Verlag
12 issue per
year
schipper.de/
WasserSport 18,000 / 12 issue
per year
From SVG Verlag
Wassersport 10,000 / 4 issue www.wassersport-
Wirtschaft
per year
wirtschaft.de
Yacht http://www.yacht.de From
Verlag
Delius Klasing
Source, internet search, IBI (2010)
12.2 Examples of platforms for buying & selling boats
On the internet
• http://www.boot24.com/
• http://www.bootsmarkt.de/
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 47

• http://www.netboat.de/
• http://www.boote-zu-verkaufen.de/de/
• http://www.motorbootmatch.de/
• http://www.boote.de/
Magazines and newpapers
• Boote: Separate “Boote Markt” section in the magazine
• Bootshandel; Separate “Boots Markt” section in the magazine
12.3 Help on choosing the right boat
The magazines, boat shows as well as internet sites test new models and give the boat
users help on choosing the right boat, equipment, motors etc. One example is the
website: http://www.bootstest24.de/
For example has BVWW published a brochure “Informationen zum Bootskauf” 30 .
12.4 Boat Show and Fairs
There is a range of small and large boat fairs in Germany. The trade shows play an
important role in product marketing in Germany. The largest fair is BOOT in Düsseldorf.
Exhibiting at fairs can bring direct sales, provide insights on trends and developments,
build contact to distributors, as well as an inexpensive way to test the consumer interest.
There are a number of regional boat shows and events, but some of the larger trade fairs
in Germany are;
Fair Next date Visitors
2009
Boot Düsseldorf
- international boat show, held
annually in Düsseldorf
Hanseboot
- International Boat Show held
annually in Hamburg
Interboot
- International water sport
exhibition held annually in
Friedrichshafen
SMM
– Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine
Technology, International Trade Fair
Hamburg
22.01.2011 –
30.01.2011
29.10.2011 –
06.11.2011
17.09.2011 –
25.09.2011
04.09.2012 –
07.09.2012
Source: Trade Fair database http://www.auma.de
230 786 (15 %
professionals)
87 973 (15 %
professionals)
93 800 (7 %
professionals)
53 006 (91 %
professionals)
Exhibitors
2009
1 577
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 48
656
512
1 968
30 This can be downloaded from http://www.bvww.org/index.php?id=92&L=jesjqpracucib (in German)

13 Summary
An international leisure boat industry
The German recreational boat industry also includes producers of leisure boat and mega
yacht, as well as producers of components, equipment and semi-products, some which
originally steam from the automobile, shipping and aviation industry. In total 40-60
companies produce leisure boat and around 85 % of production is exported. The country
has long history for both custom-made and serial-production of sailboats, whereas
motorboat production has increased over the past decade. HanseYachts and Bavaria
Yachtbau are by far the largest producers, but quite a few small or micro sized boat
builders offer engineering competence and individuality. Between 2000 and 2008, total
value of export of sailboats grew from 118 million to 240 million Euros, whereas total
value of export of motorboats grew from 68 million to 220 million Euros. Exports of
motor and sailboats were down around 60 % in the first half of 2009 compared to the
first half of 2008. In 2010, the industry seems to have a moderate positive outlook on
the future.
A water sport market with a annual retail turn over of 1.7 billion Euro
Germany has more than 6 million people active within the water sports (diving, leisure
boats, water ski etc). The total retail turn-over in the water sport market in Germany is
approximately 1.7 billion Euros a year.
Figure: Retail turn over in the German water sport market in 2008 (in Billion Euro, %
share of total water sport market)
Used boats
334
19 %
New boats
229
12 %
Equipment
199
11 %
Diving
63
3 %
Surfing
45
2 %
Private leisure boat park of 500 000 boats
Charter
135
7 % Services
163
9 %
Marina
152
8 %
Maintenance, rep.
243
13 %
Fuel and lubricants
275
16 %
The private leisure boat park is estimated to some 500 000 boats, excluding boats like
canoes, kayaks and inflatable’s. Boats used for charter, by unions and for practical
matters (e.g. police, marinas) are neither included. The total number of people enjoying
leisure boats is estimated to 1.8 million people when including boat crew and chartered
boats. About 60 % of the 500 000 boats are motorized, and most boats in Germany are
of medium size.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 49

Boat sales
An estimated 24 400 boats are sold on annual average in Germany (1998-2007). The
figure consists of 11 000 used and 3 800 new motorboats, and 7 500 used and 2 100
new sailboats. Sale within all categories varies for year to year, but fluctuates around a
relatively stable midline (except from the sale of used motorboats which is declining).
There are a great number of boat brands on sold on the German market. German and
French brands have in the past dominated the market for sailboats, whereas American
and Norwegian brands have been popular amongst the motorboat enthusiasts. Import of
motorboats totaled to 180 million euros in 2008, whereas the total value of imported
sailboats was 41 million euros. Import went down 2009 (about 40 %), but not as much
as the export (about 60%).
German boat usage
The German boat usage differs to some extent from that in Norway. Firstly, Germany has
a water network consisting of 3 500 km coastline and 7 350 km inland waterways. The
North Sea is characterized by rough conditions with storm surges, erosion and tidal
changes of two to three meters. The Baltic Sea is calmer, has low salt content and often
freezes during the winter. In fact, more than 60 % of boating activities in Germany takes
place on the inland waters. Secondly, leisure boats in Germany are mainly used as sport
(sailing, water skies, diving etc.) and recreational activity (over one or more days) during
the summer, and less as a mean of transport. Thirdly, German leisure boat usage is
relatively regulated and there is an intricate steering license system.
German business culture
German business culture is more formal than in Norway. Succeeding in Germany
generally requires quality products, good price-performance ratio and market presence,
as well as respect and understanding of the local market and consumer behavior. The
trade shows such as BOOT and Hanseboot play an important role and exhibiting at fairs
can bring direct sales, provide insights on trends and developments, build contact to
distributors, as well as an inexpensive way to test the consumer interest.
Opportunities for the Norwegian industry
The German market offer many opportunities for the Norwegian leisure boat industry;
• The German economy is recovering rapidly and unemployment is lower than for
long. Boat sales might recover quicker in Germany than other markets as sales
are primarily driven by private demand. More than 60 % of the German boats are
motorboats, but there are only a few German motorboat producers. Norwegian
players have been active in Germany for years and can benefit from experience or
network on the German market.
• There seem to be a growing demand for smaller and cheaper boats. However,
with a growing share of high income earners, exclusive boats segment might also
develop positively. Many German high-income earners also store or use their
boats in other countries.
• The German market also offers opportunities for the Norwegian equipment and
component industry. Navigation, safety and anti-theft equipment are popular, but
there also seem to be a demand for solutions that are easy-to-use sustainable,
energy efficient and “retrofitable” making old boats as “good as new”.
• The demographic trends pose a long term challenge, but also opportunities for the
leisure boat industry. For example is there a growing need for boats and
equipment suited senior users. Given that the demographic trend is more
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 50

“advanced” in Germany than in other countries, the market could serve as a
testing ground for new products.
• The German leisure boat industry includes boat producers, innovation milieus and
suppliers that could be interesting partners for the Norwegian companies.
European industry cooperation also in terms of marketing and research can
strengthen the European boat builders, provide access the international markets
and prepare for increased competition on the home markets.
Innovation Norway as the door opener to the German market
Innovation Norway Hamburg has a qualified team ready to assist Norwegian companies
that want to expand their business in the German market. We can help to undertake
market analysis, find strategic partners, participate at meetings and trade fairs, as well
as offer practical assistance and be a “door-opener” in Germany. We have knowledge of
the local market, laws and regulations, economy and cultural differences. Through the
work on this report, we have gained knowledge and network that can be valuable for
Norwegian companies that seek German partners or want to go deeper into some of the
issues here touched upon.
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 51

14 Sources
Bavaria Yachtbau (2010); Visited homepage of Bavaria Yachtbau, http://www.Bavaria Yachtbauyachtbau.com/
BMVBS (2008): Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung (BMVBS)Safety at the water,
regulations and tips for water sports ( „Sicherheit auf dem Wasser”)
BMVBS (2010): Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung (BMVBS), The
Federal Ministry of Transport, building and urban development,
http://www.bmvbs.de/en/Transport/Waterborne-transport-,2078/Watersports.htm
BMWI (2008): Tourismuspolitischer Bericht der Bundesregierung (in english: German Federal
Government Policy Guidelines on Tourism)
BTE-DWIF (2003); Study on water sport tourism in Germany
“GrundlagenuntersuchungWassertourismus in Deutschland”, undertaken by BTE
Tourismusmanagement, Regionalentwicklung and dwif – Consulting GmbH
Burda Community Network GmbH from (2008): “Typologie der Wünsche”,
http://www.tdwi.com/index.html, published at Statista.de
BVWW (2010): Bundesverband Wassersportwirtschaft e.V, “Daten und Fakten zur Lage der
maritimen Wirtschaft in Deutschland”.
BVWW (2010b); Information and opinion of Jürgen Tracht, manager of BVWW, provided during
meeting in Cologne 06.08.2010
Boot (2010); “Final press release (31.01.10): boot Düsseldorf 2010 is encouraging” from
webpage www.boot.de
BVWW (2010b); Press report “Aktuelle wirtschaftliche Lage”, 14. Januar 2010
CIA World Factbook (2010), Country information on “Germany”, URL:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fi.html
Destatis (2010); Statistics downloaded from Federal Statistical Office of Germany at
http://www.destatis.de/ accessed during the Summer 2010, including
• Economy; Publication ”German Economy”, Federal Statistical Office 1 st quarter 2010
• Housing ;
http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Navigation/Statistics/Ba
uenWohnen/BauenWohnen.psml
• Population;
http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Navigation/Statistics/Be
voelkerung/Bevoelkerung,templateId=renderPrint.psml__nnn=true
• Education;
http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Navigation/Statistics/Bil
dungForschungKultur/BildungForschungKultur.psml
• Economic recovery, pressrelease 2010-08-13
http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/press/pr/2010/08/PE10_
_284__811,templateId=renderPrint.psml
Deutsche Wetterdienst (2010); General Inforamtion and map to downloaded from
http://www.dwd.de/
DBSV (2010): Konjunkturbarometer des Deutschen Boots- und Schiffbauer-Verbandes für das
Jahr 2010, available at http://www.dbsv.de/, 17. August 2010
DBSV (2010b): Information and opinion of Meyer, Claus-Ehlert manager of Deutschen Boots-
und Schiffbauer-Verbandes, provided during meeting in Hamburg 24.10.10
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 52

DMYV (2010); Deutscher Motoryachtverband e-v, “Ableitung von Bootsabwasser, Einbau von
fäkaltanks- wo gilt was?”, availabel at www.dmyv.de/fileadmin/downloads/Bootsabwasser.pdf
Gfk group (2010), Pressrelease March 3, 2010 “Internet shopping continues to gain ground in
Germany”
European Commission (2010), Maritime affairs in the Member States – Germany, including the
sheet, fact and figures about Germany, accessed May 2010,
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/memberstates/germany_en.html,
Eurostat (2010), http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/search_database
accessed March-May 2010,
Forschungsvereinigung für die Sport- und Freizeitschifffahrt e.V., FVSF (2008): “Structures in
the German Boat Market 2008”, english and german summary presentation, available at
http://www.bvww.org/index.php?id=46
German Institute for Economic Research (2008); “Schrumpfende Mittelschicht – Anzeichen einer
dauerhaften Polarisierung der verfügbaren Einkommen?”. Press release from 5. March 2008.
German Institute for Economic Research (2010); Einkommensentwicklung in Deutschland: Die
Mittelschicht verliert, press release from 15. june 2010
IBI (April – May, 2010): International Boat Industry, published by IPC Inspire, part of IPC Media
Group of Companies.
IBI (August – September, 2010): International Boat Industry, published by IPC Inspire, part of
IPC Media Group of Companies.
OECD (2010): Germany – Economic Outlook 87 Country Summary, available at
http://www.oecd.org/document/52/0,3343,en_33873108_33873402_45268596_1_1_1_1,00.ht
ml accessed July 2010
Policy Research Corporation (2008): The role of Maritime Clusters to enhance the strength and
development of maritime sectors Country report –Germany, 13 November 2008
Stiftungwarentest (08/2008) “Boot mit Mängeln: Reparatur vor Ort”,
http://www.test.de/themen/steuern-recht/meldung/Boot-mit-Maengeln-Reparatur-vor-Ort-
1693000-2693000/
Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV) (2010), information about the german
waterways found at http://www.wsv.de/wasserstrassen/index.html accessed during August
2010
Weltsprache (2010): The most spoken languages in the world. published at
http://www.weltsprachen.net/
World Business Culture (2010); Germany, http://worldbusinessculture.com/
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 53

15 Appendix
Appendix 1 The 50 largest boat builders in Germany
The table below includes the 50 largest (in terms of turn over) out of the 295 boat and
ship producers (i.e. also shipyards focusing on construction of mega yachts, navy ships
and container ships), as given by the German industry database Markus. The list only
includes those companies where figures for 2007 are available, and it includes turn over
from all activities within the companies (e.g. service, storage, boat building)
Companies in italic are those we have identified as having leisure boat building as the
main activity.
Turnover
Number of
employees
Company name City th EUR 2007 Last avail. yr
Fr. Lürssen Werft GmbH & Co.KG Bremen 320 000 620
Bavaria Yachtbau Gesellschaft mit
beschränkter Haftung
Giebelstadt 275 024 550
Kröger Werft GmbH & Co. KG Schacht-
Audorf
110 262 310
HanseYachts AG Greifswald 105 228 697
Fr. Fassmer GmbH & Co. KG Berne 90 465 356
Nobiskrug GmbH Rendsburg 66 687 430
Peters Schiffbau GmbH Wewelsfleth 28 292 93
TAMSEN YACHTS GmbH Hamburg 22 000 2
Kommanditgesellschaft Norderwerft
G.m.b.H. & Co.
Hamburg 14 680 83
Rainer Kösling GmbH Dormagen 14 457 1
Metrica Interior Objekteinrichtungen GmbH
& Co. KG
Senden 10 929 112
BootCenter Konstanz GmbH & Co. KG Konstanz 10 000 7
Spree Marine GmbH Berlin 9 300 5
KNIERIM Yachtbau GmbH Kiel 6 500 37
HanseYachts (Deutschland) Vertriebs GmbH Greifswald
& Co. KG
6 300 5
Farmont Yachts GmbH & Co.
Kommanditgesellschaft
Düsseldorf 4 900 6
Cosalt GmbH Hamburg 4 172 38
Bruno Dabelstein Stahlund
Maschinenbaugesellschaft mbH
Hamburg 4 000 25
PRIJON GmbH Vertrieb und Herstellung von
Sportgeräten
Rosenheim 4 000 35
Theodor Buschmann (GmbH & Co.) Hamburg 3 750 43
Yachticon A. Nagel GmbH Norderstedt 3 500 8
Sirius-Werft GmbH Plön 3 117 37
MIDDLE EAST-EUROPE-LINK TRADING
GmbH
Papenburg 2 800 4
Lettmann-GmbH Moers 2 800 22
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 54

SPORT-BOOT-CENTER WOHLER GmbH & Co.
Kommanditgesellschaft
Übach-
Palenberg
2 600 5
Kuhnle Werft GmbH Rechlin 2 400 20
Vilm-Yachts GmbH Putbus 2 227 15
Hellwig Boote GmbH & Co. KG Erkelenz 2 200* 14
Söhnel-Werft, Alfred Söhnel e. K. Berlin 2 000 6
Werft Hooksiel Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Wangerland 1 900
Haftung & Co.
18
Yachtwerft Glückstadt GmbH Glückstadt 1 800 20
H + B technics GmbH & Co. KG Münster 1 740 8
BuK Boots- und Kunststoffbau GmbH Lübesse 1 720 33
"Bootsbau Rügen" GmbH Putbus 1 592 15
Yachtwerft Klemens GmbH Großenbrode 1 534 16
Klepper Faltbootwerft AG. Rosenheim 1 528 21
Bootswerft Winkler GmbH & Co. KG Bremen 1 500 15
H. Bültjer Bootswerft GmbH & Co. KG Jemgum 1 500 20
Boots- & Yachtwerft GmbH Rostock Rostock 1 500 10
BBG Bootsbau Berlin GmbH Berlin 1 500 15
Paßenheim-Rubber-Engineering Klehma e.K. Willich 1 500 10
Fiberglastechnik Lehmann + Sohn GmbH Neu
Wulmstorf
1 500 20
Fiberline Sportboot GmbH Flachslanden 1 500 7
Marina Brodersby Service Center GmbH Brodersby 1 471 26
Paap + Sohn Schiffs- und Yachtservice oHG Rostock 1 414 14
Deters Yacht- und Bootswerft GmbH Berne 1 400 17
Siemer Jachtservice Hunte-Ems GmbH Barßel 1 400 11
BWC Illmensee GmbH Bootswerft und
Kunststoffverarbeitung
Illmensee 1 400 25
Kunststoff Schult & Sohn GmbH Brüsewitz 1 400 7
* Figure is from 2008.
Source; Markus (2010)
Appendix 2 German export to Norway 2006-2009, based on original figures
from Destatis and SSB in original language
Statistik Sentral byrå
2006 2007 2008 2009
Seilbåter, med eller uten hjelpemotor, av lengde under 7,5
meter
Seilbåter, med eller uten hjelpemotor, av lengde 7,5 meter og
3 5 7 4
over
Motorbåter (unnt de med utenbordsmotor) av plast, herunder
362 371 327 104
glassfiberarmert
Motorbåter (unnt de med utenbordsmotor) ikke av plast eller
168 206 104 52
glassfiberarmert
Lystbåter og andre båter for fornøyelse eller sport, for
20 3 7 1
utenbordsmotor og av plast, lenge under 5,5 meter
Lystbåter og andre båter for fornøyelse eller sport, for
7 2 3 11
utenbordsmotor og av plast, lengde over 5,5 meter 32 7 11 3
Lystbåter og andre båter for fornøyelse eller sport, for 0 0 2 0
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 55

utenbordsmotor, av andet materialet enn plast
Total 592 594 461 175
Destatis
2006 2007 2008 2009
Segelboote für die Seeschifffahrt 48 108 116 9
Segelboote, Länge 7,5m 293 220 123 76
Motorboote, ohne Außenbordmotor, Seeschifffahrt 9 5 1 3
Motorboote, ohne Außenbordmotor, Länge 7,5m 135 137 101 29
Andere Boote > 100kg, Länge 100kg, Länge >7,5m 3 7 - -
Total 552 536 372 135
Appendix 3 German import from Norway 2006-2009, based on original figures
from Destatis and SSB in original language
Statistisk sentral byrå
2006 2007 2008 2009
Seilbåter, med eller uten hjelpemotor, av lengde under 7,5
meter
Seilbåter, med eller uten hjelpemotor, av lengde 7,5 meter og
1 0 0 3
over
Motorbåter (unnt de med utenbordsmotor) av plast, herunder
0 2 0 2
glassfiberarmert
Motorbåter (unnt de med utenbordsmotor) ikke av plast eller
33 37 39 44
glassfiberarmert
Lystbåter og andre båter for fornøyelse eller sport, for
1 1 0 1
utenbordsmotor og av plast, lenge under 5,5 meter
Lystbåter og andre båter for fornøyelse eller sport, for
7 28 58 13
utenbordsmotor og av plast, lengde over 5,5 meter
Lystbåter og andre båter for fornøyelse eller sport, for
26 23 3 3
utenbordsmotor, av andet materialet enn plast 0 1 14 17
Total stykk 68 92 114 83
Destatis
Segelboote für die Seeschifffahrt 4 5 - -
Segelboote, Länge 7,5m 2 1 - -
Motorboote, ohne Außenbordmotor, Seeschifffahrt 3 2 - 1
Motorboote, ohne Außenbordmotor, Länge 7,5m 36 29 37 19
Andere Boote > 100kg, Länge 100kg, Länge >7,5m - - - -
Total 135 244 200 147
INBDP 2010 Leisure boats Germany 56