Staff Pick: This is one of the news stories our staff is reading this week.

While cruise ship industry profits and stock values sank faster than a rock in water during the pandemic, Michigan’s recreational boating industry not only remained afloat, but thrived with near-record sales.

In Michigan, there are close to 775,000 recreational boat registrations, and those numbers continue to grow.

Social restrictions and precautions helped contribute to the boom for boat dealers and manufacturers. According to 2020 statistics, the recreational boat industry hit a 13-year high in sales.

Sales of wake boats, ski boats, fishing boats, pontoon boats, luxury cruisers and sailboats increased over 6% during the 2020 season. In 2021, those sales numbers increased again, and industry experts expect those numbers to continue to rise through 2022 and beyond.

The strong boating industry sales were buoyed by pandemic-related issues and the necessity for recreational activities that incorporate social distancing.

Tiffany Graham of SkipperBud’s noted that pontoon boat sales — as well as wake boats, ski boats and personal watercraft — all have improved significantly over the past two years.

“Boating is naturally a social distancing activity,” Graham said during ShowSpan’s 2022 Grand Rapids Boat Show. “It’s a family-and-friends activity. With the state of affairs over the past couple of years, people have grown to value their time and how they spend time with others.

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