Leisure boats - Arena Fritidsbåt

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