What’s new in boats; Boat Show at Dome this weekend

By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer

The Great Upstate Boat Show takes place this weekend at Afrim’s Sports Dome in Queensbury at 326 Upper Sherman Avenue in Queensbury.

Admission is $13 for adults, free for children 12 and under. They can be purchased on the show’s website at www.thegreatupstateboatshow.com.

Event days and hours are:

Friday, March 28, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sunday, March 30, 10 a.m-6 p.m.

There’s a free soft opening on Thursday, March 27, 4 to 8 p.m.

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The Chronicle checked some local boat dealerships to see how things are going heading into the season.

The two that got back to us by press time were Boats By George in Lake George and F.R. Smith & Sons in Bolton Landing.

Boats by George General Manager Adam Pensel said that nationwide, boat sales were down roughly 8-10% last year, but “we were fortunate to be able to buck that trend.”

In fact, he said they had a record year in 2024 that sales this year are slightly ahead of the same time period last year.

“It’s a challenge,” Mr. Pensel said. “Interest rates remain a prohibitive factor, especially for the entry-level boaters.”

“There was a boom of boat sales during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic, because outdoor activities were one of the few things people could do.”

It since cooled off. “So pretty much every year since 2021 we’ve seen reductions in sales nationwide. Part of that has to do with inflation, part of it has to do with a rise in interest rates,” said Mr. Pensel.

“The slowdown is primarily being driven, as far as we can tell, in more the entry-level segment than it is in the mid and high tier areas. It’s mostly that $90,000 to $110,000 and up class of boat that’s selling well. The things that are $80,000 and below are not doing as great right now.”

But he said there’s reason for optimism.

“The rate of decline is slowing,” Mr. Pensel said. “So hopefully we’re starting to get to a point where maybe we’re going to feel out that bottom a little bit here in the next year or two, and maybe we can get on a reverse course trajectory back up where people want to reinvest in their recreational hobbies.”

He recalled, “COVID was the hottest market I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. It was unbelievable. So many of our customers that are seasonal, because they were all working remote, just came up here two months sooner. We had people knocking down our doors to get their boats out of storage, buy a boat, get on the water, get going, because what else could you do at that point in time?”

Mr. Pensel said, “We’re pretty close to hitting COVID numbers in unit volume right now.” He said the boats selling best so far this season are sterndrives between 22 and 29 feet.

“The Cobalt line does incredibly well for us,” Mr. Pensel said. “Chris-Craft, our other line, developed a new line of boats called The Sportster Series that competes in that segment. That boat’s starting to gain some traction as well.”

“The watersports segment is very interesting — there’s just so many competitors in that now,” he said. “We have four different brands on the showroom floor that are making a surf capable boat. There’s a lot of compelling options there” —and incredible growth in the surf boat segment.

“Pontoon boats are steady. Not great, but steady,” Mr. Pensel said. Also, he said, “We’re noticing a lot of customers really reinvesting in their current boats.”

When asked what’s new in boats this year, Mr. Pensel pointed to innovation in maneuvering and control characteristics.

He talked about technology on Yamahas that allows users to simply press a button that enables thrusts to keep the boat pinned against the dock without even needing to tie it up, making it easy for people to board and deboard.

He added, “We have pontoon boats that have thrusters on all four corners now that make it a lot easier for docking and getting the boat into your slip. That’s been a challenge for people in the past because they can be carried by the wind so easily.”

Mr. Pensel noted that some boats are now equipped with night vision cameras that allow drivers to see on the dashboard what’s on the lake in front of them after dark.

F.R. Smith & Sons Marina General Manager Scott Olson told The Chronicle, “Our service and storage business is booming,” but that sales are a little slow so far this year.

“We’re a little bit behind where we were last year, but there’s plenty of bargains to be had now,” he said.

“Everybody is very, very price conscious now. Everybody’s focused on that.”

Still, he said, “We’re ready for another great year. We’re excited about the season. I truly enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun.”

“This business is very cyclical,” Mr. Olson said. “In the summer it’s super busy. In the fall, we’re trying to get everything tidied up. In the winter, it’s a long winter’s rest kind of thing. And by spring, you’re ready to see people start showing up again. You’re anxious to start showing up for work seven days a week again.”

He said, “COVID created an interesting blip in the market for us. We’re lucky, because a lot of people struggled during COVID, whereas we struggled to keep up during COVID. The manufacturers were not able to put out as many boats, so the boats that were available were very easy to sell.”

“During that period of time, everybody just wanted to be out on the lake,” he said. “That’s all they wanted to do.”

Now, he says, for buyers of boats at lower price points, “it’s a little bit more difficult” because of higher interest rates over the last few years.

“That means that the manufacturer has got to work a little harder, we have to work a little harder, and the banks get a little bit more,” he said. “But it all works out in the end — we just have to put a little more effort into it.”

Mr. Olson said F.R. Smith & Son’s sweet spot in terms of boat sales is 25 to 27 foot bowriders. “The customers that we tend to sell to, those are the boats that they’re trying to replace,” he said.

Like Mr. Pensel at Boats by George Mr. Olson cited the growing surf boat segment.

He said it went from only higher-end ski boat lines carrying surf boats to “now all the manufacturers have surf boats…

“People want them. It’s a fun sport. It’s a lot easier for people to do if they have the right equipment than wakeboarding or skiing because the boat’s going slower, you can talk to the person who’s actually surfing from inside the boat.

“There’s a lot of advantages to surfing for people who enjoy doing it,” Mr. Olson  said. “It’s a good workout and it’s a lot of fun. People that used to slalom ski or wakeboard, they’re surfing now. That’s what everybody’s doing.”