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General Information about Boating in Ohio
  • An estimated 3 million Ohioans go boating each year, or nearly 1 in 4 Ohioans. Almost half of all Ohio residents (48 percent) have participated in recreational boating at least once in their lifetime, according to an Ohio State University study.
  • The average size of a boat in Ohio is 19 feet long and is 17 years old. (OSU)
  • The average Ohio boat owner is 52 years old with an annual household income of $81,700 and 26½ years of boating experience. Boat ownership by women increased from 2.6% in 2001 to 4% in 2004 and to 7% in 2007. (OSU)
  • One in every four Ohio boat owners (26%) are retired persons. Two of every three boat owners (68%) are employed fulltime. (OSU)
  • Ohio boaters spend half their boating time fishing. (OSU study).
  • The average Ohio boat owning household in 2007 owned 2.13 boats per household and enjoyed 32½ boating days yearly.
  • Fewer than 1 in 5 Ohio boaters wore a life jacket when boating in 2007.
  • Boating-related fatalities for the period of 2004-2007 declined 48 percent from the period of 2000-2003, and have declined approximately 85 percent overall since record keeping began in 1966, according to Div. of Watercraft.
  • One in five Ohio boaters say they have taken an approved boating safety education course within the past five years. However, fewer than one in five boaters surveyed at boat shows in 2005 correctly knew that children less than 10 years of age are required by law to wear a life jacket of proper size aboard any vessel less than 18 feet long when it is in operation.

Economic Impact

  • Recreational boating generates an estimated at $3.5 billion yearly and supports more than 26,000 jobs, according to a Great Lakes Commission study released in July, 2007.
  • Boat and boat motor sales in Ohio in 2007 generated $16.2 million in state sales taxes. New watercraft registrations totaled 24,244 in 2007 compared to 22,343 in 2006 and 23,266 in 2005, which includes alternative registrations (i.e. those used on hand-powered vessels), according to Div. of Watercraft.
  • More than $5.2 million is paid annually in watercraft registration fees. Boaters paid more than $15 million in state marine fuel taxes during 2007, according to the Ohio Dept. of Taxation.
  • There are more than 500 marinas and boat dealerships, and more than 55,000 docks and rack storage spaces in Ohio. There are more than 75 boat builders, trailer, accessory and engine manufacturers in Ohio. (OSU study)

Registered Boats

  • Over the past decade, the overall increase in registered watercraft (3.9%) has outpaced the increase in Ohio’s population (2.7%), according to Census Bureau and Division of Watercraft statistics. However, while Ohio added approximately 15,500 registered watercraft 1997-2007, Ohio also grew by approximately 300,000 residents.
  • Ohio ranked 9th nationally in 2007 with 415,562 registered recreational watercraft, according to the Division of Watercraft. These boats make up the following general categories:
    • Powerboats (not including PWC): 278,669 (67.1%)
    • Hand Powered: 81,590 (20.7%)  ...includes 70,279 canoes/kayaks (16.9%)
    • PWC (jet skis, wave runners, etc.): 44,665 (10.7%)
    • Sailboats (no auxiliary power): 8,427(2%)

National Facts

  • Nationally, an estimated 73 million people enjoyed recreational boating in 2006, which represents an increase from 71.3 million boating participants in 2005. A record total of 18 million recreational boats in the U.S. (registered and non-registered) were in use in 2006, nearly half of which were outboard motor boats, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
  • A total of 12.7 million recreational watercraft were registered in the U.S. in 2006, in addition to an estimated 5 million non-registered watercraft. The top ten states for registered watercraft in 2006 included Florida, California, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, New York, South Carolina, Ohio, and Illinois. (Florida replaced California as the No. 1 state for registered watercraft in 2005.), according to U.S. Coast Guard statistics.

Great Lakes Facts

  • Among the 4.3 million registered watercraft in the eight-state Great Lakes region, an estimated 911,000 boats are operated primarily on the five Great Lakes and its incumbent waterways such as Sandusky Bay, Maumee Bay and Lake St. Clair, according to a 2007 Great Lakes Commission study.
  • Types of boats most frequently used on the Great Lakes include fiberglass runabouts measuring 16 to 24 feet long, aluminum powerboats less than 16 feet long and aluminum fishing boats 16 to 24 feet long. (GLC study).
  • Among the top expenditure items were boat purchases, equipment and repairs, insurance, marine fuel, restaurants, groceries, motor vehicle fuel and lodging. (GLC study).
  • Marinas and shoreline communities serving Great Lakes boaters are the focal points of generating boating industry related economic benefits for the Great Lakes region. (GLC study).