BMF Boaters & Boat Owners Survey

A new report released on 18 September by the British Marine Federation (BMF) sponsored by MDL Marinas and the RYA details the usage, behaviour and purchasing dynamics of enthusiast boat owners and boaters, across 14 different activities.  This covers recreational boating and watersports for both private owned and hire/charter across inland and coastal waters.

The BMF Boaters & Boat Owners survey was sent online to an enthusiasts’ database and in total 3,645 questionnaires were received, ensuring reliable reporting by each core activity.   This new report complements the Watersports Participation report that has been conducted by the BMF and RYA for 10 years, with a consortium of partners including MCA, RNLI, BCU and MMO, which measures the size and profile of the entire boating population from casual to frequent usage. Within this new report is a depth of knowledge on the most regular boaters and also owners of boats and craft.  It will confirm current habits and behaviour within the changed environment of recent years.

More specifically the report includes the following:

• profiles of boating and watersports enthusiasts in the UK
• determines, by activity, general behaviour in terms of who does what, where, with whom and how often
• profiles ownership of boats and watercraft used and owned
• details where boats and watercraft are kept and how marinas are chosen
• determines purchasing habits of owners and future intentions
• profiles usage of hire/ charter activity in the UK and abroad and future intentions
• club membership and reasons for joining
• general attitudes towards boating, why people start and stop activities and other hobbies/activities which compete
• The 14 activities covered in the report for behaviour, ownership and hire/charter are: small sail boat / dinghy racing, small sail boat / dinghy activities, sail yacht racing, sail yacht cruising, power boating RIB / sportsboat activities, motor boating/cruising, canal boating, canoeing/kayaking, rowing/sculling, windsurfing, kitesurfing, water skiing, personal watercraft.

Karen Boss, British Marine Federation Senior Researcher:

“We are delighted to publish this comprehensive study on boaters / watercraft users and owners.  It covers the whole spectrum of 14 core activities to ensure it will provide our Members with information on their consumers.  We hope this report will enable a better and more detailed understanding of target audiences within the current marketplace to help inform future planning and marketing strategies.  Thanks go to our sponsors, MDL Marinas and RYA for their contribution to this project”. 

Survey designed, set up, managed and results analysed by RSM (in conjunction with BMF) http://www.rsm1.com/.