ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 8, 1996 TAG: 9601110010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: BARBARA LLOYD THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Viking Yacht Co. reacted in 1991 to a shrinking powerboat market by closing one of its two manufacturing plants. But the company, now reinvigorated, is showing off a new line of sport cruising yachts at the New York National Boat Show.
Boat manufacturers generally are riding the same wave of prosperity. The cyclical downturn that sent marine sales plummeting in 1989 began its climb back in 1993. The newest statistics from the National Marine Manufacturers Association, an industry trade group, indicate that the market has chalked up a third consecutive year with double-digit increases in overall sales. For 1995, the upswing was 22 percent.
There is expected to be a competitive climate at the 86th edition of the New York show, which opened Saturday and continues through Sunday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in midtown Manhattan.
``For this year [1995], compared to 1990 - the best year we've ever had - we're ahead by 12 to 15 percent,'' said Tom Carroll, president of Viking Sport Cruisers. The firm's Sport Cruiser 45 is on display, and retails for about $560,000.
But it's not just the big yachts that are selling. Greg Proteau, a trade group spokesman, said of the 650,000 boats sold in 1995, nearly 100,000 were canoes. Another 200,000 were personal watercraft - small jet boats with names such as Sea-Doo, Jet Ski and Waverunner.
The $1.1 billion in jet-boat sales reflects a 41 percent growth since 1994. While controversial in the boating industry, because of driver-competency issues, personal watercraft represented one-third of all new boats sold in 1995. Numerous models are on display in New York, at an average price of $5,722.
On a broader level, boat show organizers are offering plenty of incentives to boost attendance. One show-stopper is likely to be the Aquastrada Delta, a prototype of a new amphibious vehicle that reaches speeds of 100 mph on land, and 50 mph on water. The first retail version of the car/boat is expected to be available in 18 months for about $150,000.
Women in particular are being targeted as consumers this year. ``People are trying to get the industry to recognize the buying power of women,'' said Wanda Kenton Smith, a marine executive and founder of International Women in Boating, a Chicago-based advocacy group. ``Some salesmen don't give a woman the time of day because they don't recognize her as a buyer. We are trying to bring these people out of the ice age.''
More than 1,000 boats are on display, about 85 percent of them powerboat models and the other 15 percent sailboats. Marine accessories, outboard engines and new electronic equipment also are on exhibit.
The Southwest Virginia Boat Show is scheduled the first weekend in March at the Roanoke Civic Center.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: The $1.1 billion in jet-boat sales reflects a 41% growthby CNBsince 1994. While controversial in the boating industry because of
driver-competency issues, personal watercraft represented one-third
of all new boats sold in 1995. color.