Future Of Recreational Boating

The Future of The Future of Recreational BoatingRecreational BoatingOr, will the future float your Or, will the future float your boat??????boat??????

By Geoffrey GodbeyBy Geoffrey Godbey

Categories of AnalysisCategories of Analysis

DemographicDemographic SocialSocial TemporalTemporal TransportationTransportation EnvironmentalEnvironmental

Temporal IssuesTemporal Issues Most free time comes on week days, not week

ends, and it comes in small chunks of one hour here, 45 minutes there. Ideal for TV viewing or internet but not boating

Shorter attention spans--what were we talking about???

Done by dinner mentality for outdoor recreation

Americans take short vacations, 1 in 4 has no paid vacation

SocialSocial

Drunken boating an increasing problem, Drunken boating an increasing problem, as is use of a variety of drugs on as is use of a variety of drugs on the waterthe water

SocialSocial

Image of recreational boaters takes a huge shot from TV law enforcement programs.

Boaters portrayed as spoiled ignorant drunks who could get the same benefit onshore in a bar

While boating is a form While boating is a form of Outdoor Recreationof Outdoor Recreation

It suffers from the image of the Yacht

Most admired boats are the least used--canoe, kayak, sail boat

Experience EconomyExperience Economy

People crave memorable experience and People crave memorable experience and will pay for them. This may increase will pay for them. This may increase desire for adventurous forms of boatingdesire for adventurous forms of boating

TransportationTransportation

Will become more expensive, more regulated, Will become more expensive, more regulated, more time consuming and more complexmore time consuming and more complex

Getting to your boat will be more difficultGetting to your boat will be more difficult


Those who manage leisure and tourism Those who manage leisure and tourism services will do more to “guide” visitors to their services will do more to “guide” visitors to their sites and such guidance will become customized sites and such guidance will become customized for any inquiring visitor. for any inquiring visitor.

Such customized guidance will be increasingly Such customized guidance will be increasingly valuable to the potential visitor, as the logistics valuable to the potential visitor, as the logistics of visitation become more complex due to higher of visitation become more complex due to higher volumes of traffic, whether such traffic is volumes of traffic, whether such traffic is automobiles, motor scooters or automobiles, motor scooters or bicycles or other people movers.bicycles or other people movers.

TransportationTransportation All forms of moving vehicles will come under

more regulation Management of boats on the water will

resemble the management of automobiles. More regulation, more licensing, more and

tougher law enforcement, Boating suffers from same problem as all

terrain vehicles, four wheelers, etc.


Process of taking a boat out on the water will become much more

Deliberate Customized Contingent

DemographicDemographic

More Diverse HouseholdsMore Diverse Households

Fewer married couples with children

More blended families

More unrelated people living in a household

More gay and lesbian families

More interracial households

Smaller Households, bigger Smaller Households, bigger HousesHouses

Average U.S. household has 2.6 people in it.

One-quarter of the households have only one person in them.

Average American lives in more than 760 sq. feet of space per person,the highest it has ever been

WomenWomen

Women purchase the majority of automobiles today, will this happen with boats?

1/3rd of women earn more than their husbands

Majority of current high school grads, are women. 60% of all university students

MarriageMarriage

Almost half of adults aren’t married

Ethnic MinoritiesEthnic Minorities

2000 2050

White 76% 50%

Black 12% 15%

Hispanic 9% 21%

Asian/other 3% 14%

Re-distribution of Ethnicity

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

White AfricanAmerican

Hispanic Asian


The primary barriers to participation in recreational boating and fishing are knowledge and access.

Just half of the African American and Hispanic respondents said they know of a desirable fishing or boating location near their home. The Hispanic respondents, in particular, have less perceived access to desirable boating and fishing locations.


Approximately one fourth do not know how far they need to travel to find either a desirable fishing or a desirable boating location, and another one-fifth say they need to travel over an hour to find them.


African American and Hispanic respondents cited work, family commitments and no one to go fishing with, as the top reasons for not participating in recreational boating and fishing.

African Americans and Hispanics have positive perceptions of recreational boating and fishing.

Ethnic MinoritiesEthnic MinoritiesA majority of the African American and Hispanics see positive outcomes for boating and fishing. Many respondents consider fishing a “fun” activity – particularly men. In addition, they view fishing as relaxing and as something to do with family and friends, very few term the activity as “boring.” Boating is perceived by many as being expensive.


Few African Americans and Hispanics associate recreational boating and fishing with environmental “stewardship.”

Re-Thinking our PopulationRe-Thinking our Population

Population increase and increased urbanization Rapidly aging-population with very different

expectations The rapidly shrinking white family “Hispanics—the largest minority Gays and lesbians—not going back in the closet Prolonged adolescence An economically divided African-American

community

PopulationPopulationWill Will increase!!increase!!

Population increase likely Population increase likely means means more boats on the more boats on the waterwater even if the percentage even if the percentage of the public who boats of the public who boats declinesdeclines

Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental Impacts

Profound

Local and regional in nature

Impact of 15 inch rise in sea Impact of 15 inch rise in sea level along Florida coastlevel along Florida coast

50% of critical salt marsh and 84% of tidal flats would be lost.

Dry land decrease by 14%

30% of ocean beaches and 2/3rds of estuarine beaches would disappear

Open-ocean increase by 64%.

In a state where fishing is an essential part of the economy--anglers spent $3.3 billion on saltwater recreational fishing in Florida in 2005, supporting nearly 60,000 jobs--global warming cannot be allowed to continue unabated.

Map C. Florida's shoreline today (in

2005)

Map B. Florida's shoreline about 18,000 years ago

when sea level was about 125 meters lower than

today.

Map D. Florida's shoreline after about a 5 meter rise

in sea level.

Map E. Florida's shoreline after about a 50 meter rise

in sea level.

Source: teachingboxes.org/.../ lesson4_reefs/index1.htm Meter=3.28 feet

A 6 meter rise in sea level is the predicted result of melting most of the ice in the West Antarctic Icecap.

Possible ConsequencesPossible Consequences

Disappearance of shore line and flooding Less outdoor activity; more precautions Increasing intensity of hurricanes Rapid increase in environmental

restrictions Rapid need to educate public Shade, water, benches

Declining Participation Declining Participation in Outdoor Recreationin Outdoor Recreation

Declining Interest in Outdoor Declining Interest in Outdoor RecreationRecreation

Aging population Hectic lifestyles Competing recreational options Global warming Shorter vacations Increase in ethnic populations unfamiliar with

OR opportunities Air conditioning Done by dinner

Number of Outdoor Recreation Activities participated in per year

5.2

2.3

3.5

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

White African-

American

Hispanic

Family members participate in a mean Family members participate in a mean number of 5.4 activities annually versus number of 5.4 activities annually versus 4.7 for the average adult. 4.7 for the average adult.

ImplicationsImplications

Climate ChangeClimate Change

May overwhelm all other issuesMay overwhelm all other issues Make outdoor recreation more contingentMake outdoor recreation more contingent Water-based recreation may be more Water-based recreation may be more

limitedlimited Being in sun increasingly dangerousBeing in sun increasingly dangerous Loss of many coastal zone recreation sitesLoss of many coastal zone recreation sites

Interest of women and ethnic Interest of women and ethnic minorities in recreational minorities in recreational

boating is criticalboating is critical

Socializing young people into Socializing young people into boating criticalboating critical

Thank You!Thank You!

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Education

Future Of Recreational Boating