BOAT/US Releases Annual By-the-Numbers Report
Published on July 22, 2024
The job of the nation’s largest recreational boating advocacy, services and safety group, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), is to make boating better for America’s recreational boaters. The organization released its annual look at numbers behind the boating organization that has more than 725,000 dues-paying members.
BoatUS Membership:
732,233: Total number of BoatUS members nationwide
$25: BoatUS annual Basic Membership dues
26: The number of benefits and services included with BoatUS annual membership, including 24/7 towing dispatch, advocacy for boating issues, boating-safety education, BoatUS Magazine subscription and discounts on fuel, transient slips and travel
28: The number of helpful BoatUS App features that save boaters time and money, from requesting an on-water tow to finding member discounts at local marinas
$0: The cost for BoatUS members to get a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number, the unique nine-digit number that is assigned to vessels and programmed into DSC-VHF radios to help provide a swift rescue in an emergency ($25 for nonmembers)
1,248: BoatUS Partner Network businesses that provide discounts to BoatUS members for a range of services and goods including transient slips at marinas, fuel, guides, tackle shops and more
361: BoatUS Partner Network marinas across the United States that offer BoatUS members up to 10 cents off per gallon of fuel
41: The number of national savings partners including West Marine, The Moorings, Avis, Budget, Waterway Guide, Dockwa, SiriusXM Marine and more that offer BoatUS members exclusive discounts and special offers on goods and services
36: The number of years the BoatUS Boat Graphics and Lettering service has provided affordable, high quality boat names, registration numbers, hailing ports, striping and more – all made in our Springfield, Virginia, offices
BoatUS Magazine:
628,376: Circulation of BoatUS Magazine, the nation’s largest recreational boating publication
528: The number of pages BoatUS Magazine published last year, loaded with award-winning boating stories, features, reports, updates, news and information
78: The number of Boating Writers International (BWI) writing excellence awards bestowed on BoatUS Magazine writers since 1997
75,824: The number of hours boaters spent watching BoatUS videos on YouTube in 2023
41: The number of years BoatUS has been helping members avoid boating mistakes through boat-damage avoidance content
18: The number of BoatUS editors, contributors, publishing, art and design staff that work to produce each issue of BoatUS Magazine
On-Water, On-Road Towing and Assistance
321: The number of TowBoatUS towing port locations across North America
657: The number of towboats in the TowBoatUS towing fleet, the nation’s largest
$109 / $175: The cost of an annual BoatUS on-water Unlimited Freshwater / Saltwater Towing Membership (respectively), a savings of up to $74 when compared to a national competitor
54%: Requests for on-water assistance calls attributed to mechanical breakdown (e.g., engine, transmission, drives), the No. 1 cause for recreational boat breakdowns. Running aground accounted for 12% of calls (No. 2); 9% for battery/electrical issues and for suspected fuel issues tied for No. 3; and engine overheating, 5% (No. 4)
113,632: Annual boater requests made for on-water assistance with the BoatUS App, by cellphone or VHF radio to TowBoatUS 24-hour dispatch centers in Virginia and Florida, as well as local TowBoatUS companies
$1,060: The nationwide average cost paid out of pocket for on-water towing services provided to non-BoatUS members
$0: Amount BoatUS members paid for covered services with an Unlimited Towing Membership
44: TowBoatUS towing port locations in the Great Lakes region, from Clayton, New York, to Bayfield, Wisconsin
16: TowBoatUS towing port locations in California
5: TowBoatUS towing port locations on the Lower Colorado River in Nevada, California and Arizona
14: TowBoatUS Pacific Northwest towing port locations from Oregon to British Columbia, Canada.
17,456: Documented annual number of transmission gear shifts (F-N-R) made to twin 225 HP outboard motors mounted on a 27-foot, 24/7 TowBoatUS response vessel servicing Long Island Sound waters. This vessel is of a typical size and type for a coastal/seasonal TowBoatUS location
100: Miles that BoatUS Unlimited Trailer Assist will haul a boat trailer and its tow vehicle to the nearest repair shop or safe area with no out-of-pocket expense to the member (annual fee: $15)
9,312: Roadside-assistance companies across the United States and Canada that have the specialized equipment to handle boat trailer breakdowns and provide 24/7 service to BoatUS Unlimited Trailer Assist service members
44%: Requests for roadside Trailer Assist service to the BoatUS 24-hour dispatch centers attributed to flat tires/no spare, the No. 1 reason. Wheel bearing failure (21%) were second, followed by trailer axle (11%), trailer failure (6%) and tow vehicle failure (5%)
Government Advocacy:
1: National boat-owner organizations with a full-time government affairs staff (BoatUS)
35: Individual legislative and boating community issues, including U.S. Coast Guard funding, E15 ethanol fuel, boating-access issues, aids to navigation, funding for small harbors, recreational fishing, and boating-safety education, that BoatUS Government Affairs works on in an average month
255: Groups, organizations, government agencies, and legislative leaders BoatUS works with in an average year to support boaters’ interests
306,393: Email action alerts sent to BoatUS members in 2023 advising them of important issues they should be aware of and act on
249: Federal and state agency meetings, boating coalition meetings and events BoatUS Government Affairs staff attended to advocate for the interests of boat owners
27: Official letters sent to agencies and government officials to recognize and support recreational boat owner interests on a range of federal issues including fuel policy and local boating access
$21 million: The amount of Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) funds announced April 11, 2024, to local governments, port agencies, public/private marinas and boat clubs for the construction, renovation and maintenance of safe harborage for transient vessels over 26 feet in length, which BoatUS first championed through Congress in 1998
$32.4 billion: The economic impact of “boating/fishing,” the largest conventional activity for the nation, surpassing RVing, motorcycling, hunting and snow activities
Boating Safety and Clean Water:
2,750,311: Students who have taken the BoatUS Foundation’s free online Boating Safety Course to date, which provides the required boating safety certification for recreational boaters in 36 states
$10 million: The total of a four-year grant from NOAA’s Marine Debris Removal Program awarded to the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water to help to rid our nation’s coasts and Great Lakes of abandoned and derelict vessels
21: The number of locations around the country that offer affordable BoatUS Foundation On-Water Training courses taught under the watchful eye of U.S. Coast Guard-licensed instructors that offer practical on-water powerboat handling experience and boost confidence behind the helm
601: Locations across the United States where you can borrow child-sized life jackets for free from the BoatUS Foundation’s Kids Life Jacket Loaner Program
$1: The cost of the highly popular BoatUS Foundation nautical “Rules of the Road” sticker now available online, which, for more than 40 years, has helped boaters at the helm navigate with confidence
3,453: Marina staff trained through the free BoatUS Foundation “Spill Prevention Training for Marinas” online course
10: The average number of days an Emergency Position-Indicating Rescue Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is rented from the BoatUS Foundation EPIRB Rental Program
1,105: The total length in feet of all boats donated to the BoatUS Foundation Boat Donation Program last year. Average length of a donated boat was 26.7 feet
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