Library Index :: Recreation and Leisure in America :: Outdoor Recreation - The Lure Of The Outdoors, Who Engages In Outdoor Activities?, Visiting The Great Outdoors, Wildlife As Recreation

Outdoor Recreation - Boating

Many Americans enjoy boating. The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) estimated in its 2003 Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract that in 2003 seventy-two million Americans participated in recreational boating and almost 17.5 million boats were in use. Close to thirteen million Americans were registered boaters in 2002, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Michigan (1,000,337), Florida (922,597), California (896,090), Minnesota (834,974), Texas (624,390), and Wisconsin (619,924) led in the number of registered boaters.

The NMMA estimated that in 2003, Americans owned about 8.4 million outboard motorboats, 1.8 million sterndrive boats, 1.7 million inboard motorboats, 1.6 million sailboats, 1.4 million personal watercraft, and approximately 2.5 million miscellaneous craft, such as canoes and rowboats. (See Table 3.10.) According to the NMMA, Americans spent about $30 billion on boating in 2003, up from $21.7 billion in 1998.

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