2006 - I/O's were 22 % of the market selling 66K units and 2015 were only 7 % of the market selling 12K units.

story below

http://mydigimag.rrd.com/display_art...d_issue=288008

Nice share Bup..

You see it happening especially with the Pontoon boats out here in the Delta.
But to read it really brings it to light

And then there is what Ellis has dubbed the “California effect.” It used to be the leading state for sterndrive sales — by a lot. In 2005 10,000 sterndrive boats were sold in California, Ellis says. Last year, the number was 425. That’s a 95.75 percent decline in a decade. (Because all of the data for the year have not come in, Ellis says the count could tick up to 450.)

The effect extends to all of the Western states. In 2005 13,500 sterndrive boats were sold in California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Utah. Last year, residents of those states purchased a combined 750. “If we could get rid of the Western half it wouldn’t look so bad,” Ellis says. “It would still be bad, but it wouldn’t be so bad.”


.......ouch

Back in the early 2000s you could buy a boat,motor.,and trailer for less than an engine and out drive today.
Some wages have kept up but not many. Most people in the middle like me have been caught in the swirl downward for a while.

I know my boat is old but, it looks like a dinosaur compared to all,the pontoons. When I pull up,to our beach 10 years ago you would see all v hulls now 80% are pontoons, they come a long way. A guy at our dock has twin 300 on his pontoon.

How does forward facing stuff work in the performance world?

Look at the OSO classifides. Not long ago there would be over 1,000 boats listed, about half that now.

Outboards are taking over the world. HP's are going up, weight is going down and the space saved is immeasurable.

To each his own. Outboards look and sound like **** in my opinion. Give me some rumbling ass thru hulls.

People just aren't buying that many new boats these days. 10 years ago, my engine sales were about 75% new, turn key engines for new boats and about 25% were rebuilds/upgrades,etc. Now, we do about 95% rebuilds/upgrades and very few new, complete, turn key engines were the customer started with nothing. Just about every customer we have had in the last several years had an engine that we start with and turn into what they want. Now some of these upgrades are substantial, but they are still rebuilds that are going in an existing boat. It's been quite a while since I have built an all new, complete engine for a new boat.
Eddie