Canoe and Kayak Market Trends in Recent Years
The (U.S.) National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is offering to download a preview of the abstract of its 2006 statistical report for download free of charge on this page: http://nmma.org/facts/boatingstats/2006/files/orderform.asp
According to this report the 2006 US market for canoes was a little over 100,000 units sold, at an average price of nearly $550 per unit.
The market for kayaks was over 350,000 units sold at an average price lower than $500.
The total 2006 market for canoes and kayaks was $233,000,000.
If I understand this report correctly the data take into account neither inflatable nor used canoes and kayaks, and they reflect a relatively stable market both in price and number of units sold in recent years.
A rigid entry level kayak costs between $300 and $500 while a touring, whitewater or fishing kayak can cost over $1,000.
It becomes clear from this report that entry level (a.k.a. ‘recreational’) kayaks constitute the bulk of the market in terms of units sold, since the average kayak price is within the price range of this category.
What else is it possible to deduct from this report?
Obviously, entry level kayaks differ from traditional designs mainly by their length to width ratio (L/W, or L/B). They are shorter and wider than traditional kayaks, namely slower and stabler.
This means that the overwhelming majority of U.S. paddlers are willing to sacrifice speed for stability, and that paddlers who practice the Eskimo Roll and put their trust in it as the main means of recovery are a rarity (by that I mean even less than a minority).
Entry level is in fact the norm, and contrarily to what touring manufacturers used to believe paddlers stay at that level and don’t ‘progress’ to the traditional, narrow designs. Progress is therefore represented by the stable designs, while tradition is represented by the (you’ve probably guessed it already) traditional designs…
And last but not least, it doesn’t take statistical reports to see that kayak fishing is the most active and fastest growing market in paddle sports and activities. Most kayak manufacturers have noticed this trend and offer a wide variety of extra wide kayaks (up to 42″, that’s over one meter), because fishing requires more stability than any other kayak related application.
In the same spirit, traditional paddling magazines and websites are increasingly preoccupied with kayak fishing and feature more advertisements for fishing kayaks than ever.
Yoav
January 18th, 2008 at
Any idea what the numbers are for kayak fishing
January 18th, 2008 at
Compared to fishing from motorboats kayak fishing is still a marginal market, both in participation and dollar terms. It’s hard to measure its full extent since any kayak outfitted with a rod holder automatically becomes a ‘fishing kayak’, and most fishing kayak models on the market are basically that: wider and stabler recreational kayaks outfitted with fishing accessories.
Kayak fishing is mainly a sunshine belt phenomenon, and its epicenter is in Florida. The other two states where you’ll find many kayak fishermen are Texas and California. The further you go north the less kayak fishing catches people’s imagination, until the phenomenon almost disappears in the coldest states and in Canada.
It doesn’t seem like traditional SOT and sit-in kayaks are positioned to replace canoes and other small, human powered watercraft traditionally used for fishing - at least outside the sunshine belt, because even sit-in kayaks don’t offer their passengers adequate protection from the elements.
BTW, there is no doubt the sit-on-top (SOT) is more popular among fishermen than the sit-in kayak design is, at least in the warmer states.
January 19th, 2008 at
Last year there were close to three hundred participants in the Jax kayak fishing classic tournament. It’s the biggest in the country — TBT
January 19th, 2008 at
Being the biggest kayak fishing tournament in the USA undoubtedly makes it the biggest of its kind worldwide.
Mike Kogan has done an admirable job in the way he organized the Jacksonville kayak fishing club, the website and the tournament.
Yoav
January 21st, 2008 at
looks like standup kayak fishing is more mainstream today than it used to be. you can see more people fishing with outriggers at least in ads
January 21st, 2008 at
What the ads don’t say is that sooner or later your fishing lines are likely to get caught in the outriggers, even if you’re careful enough to cast away from them.
July 3rd, 2008 at
I am going to write an article on kayaks and focused on kayak fishing popularity. Seems to be really in vogue with the gas prices, green movement, and “LL Bean” enthusiasts. My sister-in-law just invested in her 10′ kayak from her experiences in canoeing…and she is 50 years old…not the outdoors type? There is a local fishing tournament with a kayak division….
Seems to be growing in popularity…..
plm