Explanation of Indicator
Florida offers an abundance of navigable waters which range in size and character. The Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean provide unlimited coastal and deep sea waters, and there are also numerous intracoastal and inland bodies throughout the state. This abundance of navigable waters has provided many opportunities for commercial and recreational boating. Thousands of people have registered boats with the state, and boating has become one of the most popular recreational uses of the coast. Although com mercial boating accounts for a significant portion of boating activity, only recreational boating will be considered here.
In addition to a one-time titling requirement, recreational vessels must be registered every year. The number and size of recreational boats registered with the state are excellent reflections of the demand for recreational boating, which has several imp acts on the economy and environment. The direct economic impact of boating was $330 billion in gross sales for 1994.1 Boating also has indirect economic impacts via the jobs created to support the industry (e.g., trailer manufacturers, marinas and shipy ards, marine services, and boating equipment and accessory manufacturing). The environmental impacts associated with boating include oil and gasoline spills, sewage discharges, and chemicals released during painting and sanding operations.
This information will help the state in its decision to invest in capital improvements needed for various sizes of boats. The state will be able to invest in those capital improvements most demanded because it can link demand to trends in the number and size of boats registered. Thus, the state can maintain opportunities for recreational boating by supplying the services most needed to facilitate recreational boating.
Data Characteristics
SOURCE
Information about the number and size of registered boats is available through Sally Cole at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Vessel Titling and Registration, Neil Kirkman Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0500, or
at (904) 488-1195.
ACQUISITION
The data are available in hard copy format at no cost.
COLLECTION
The information is continually updated and tabulated annually by county.
Data Limitations
The data are quite accurate, though a few boats which are not registered with the state may be used on the waters. However, the method of data collection merely counts the number and size of boats registered in each county; the data do not reflect where
the boats are used. While those who own boats in coastal counties are more likely to use the coast, those who own boats in non-coastal counties may also use their boats in the coastal counties and vice versa. Thus, the state is not currently obtaining a
ccurate information pertaining to where the capital investments should be made.
Data Analysis
The data for coastal counties show a general upward trend in the number of vessels registered for the three year period of record. The data show that 16' to 25' 11" boats are favored by coastal county boat owners and the 12' to 15' 11" boats are also pop
ular, though the gap between the two sizes has increased in recent years, the larger boats being favored. The number of registered 16' to 25' 11" vessels increased rapidly from 1985 to 1990 and then leveled off; in contrast, the number of 12' to 15' 11"
boats has shown little overall change for the period 1985 to 1994. The reason for the increase in 16' to 25' 11" boat registration is not known, though it may be due to a rise in income and, consequently, purchase power; however, a rise in income would n
ot account for the gap between registrations for the 12' to 15' 11" size and the 16' to 25' 11" size. It would be expected that both would rise in popularity.
The data for non-coastal counties show a decisive upward trend in boats 16' to 25' 11"; for boats historically favored by non-coastal counties (12' to 15' 11"), the numbers of registrations have fluctuated and reflect an overall decrease of 3% from 1985 t o 1994. The non-coastal counties show a trend which is opposite that evident for coastal counties: the gap between 12' to 15' 11" boats and 16' to 25' 11" has been closing since 1985; the numbers of larger vessels have been getting closer and closer to the registrations for the smaller vessels. Once again, the increase in demand for 16' to 25' 11" boats and decrease in demand for 12' to 15' 11" boats is not readily explainable.
Recreational boating can require a substantial investment in equipment, and considerable time and effort are necessary to maintain the equipment and acquire boating skills. Thus, many people are unable to purchase a boat, and most who do purchase a boat buy a small to mid-sized craft because those require less investment and training and do not need to be docked at a marina.
Each size of boat requires different capital investments. Larger boats (26'+) are more difficult to move by car, and boats bigger than 40’ are virtually impossible to move by car. Thus, larger boats require docking facilities and marina services. Often , larger boats also require channel dredging and navigation aids such as charts and maps. Mid-sized boats also require some capital investment; boats over 12' must have access to a boat ramp and also require some marina services. On the other hand, cano es and boats under 12' have very few capital requirements, as they are easily transported and do not require boat ramps.
Year <12' 12'-15' 11" 16'-25' 11" 26'-39' 11" 40'-64' 11" Total 1985 31,873 162,914 179,874 23,667 3,384 401,712 1986 34,550 166,372 190,231 25,842 4,044 421,039 1987 37,318 169,201 204,399 28,662 4,585 444,165 1988 39,551 165,816 210,289 30,144 4,906 450,706 1989 46,590 172,768 232,736 34,271 5,671 492,036 1990 50,355 167,554 238,167 36,147 4,752 496,975 1991 53,482 161,492 237,392 37,154 6,363 495,883 1992 56,101 158,478 236,065 38,059 6,597 495,300 1993 59,495 164,521 235,012 38,270 6,621 503,919 1994 65,649 154,980 231,460 39,509 6,795 498,393 Total 474,964 1,644,096 2,195,625 331,725 53,718 4,700,128
Year <12' 12'-15' 11" 16'-25' 11" 26'-39' 11" 40'-64' 11" Total
1985 13,248 85,278 42,495 1,819 209 143,049
1986 13,829 88,450 46,468 2,056 252 151,055
1987 14,108 90,139 51,491 2,225 281 158,244
1988 15,915 96,084 65,207 3,723 543 181,472
1989 15,728 92,164 63,353 2,649 340 174,234
1990 15,926 89,232 66,682 2,859 370 175,069
1991 16,622 87,011 68,197 3,056 427 175,313
1992 17,025 84,952 69,110 3,090 464 174,641
1993 17,768 73,518 70,234 3,142 508 165,170
1994 20,479 82,476 81,738 3,245 524 188,462
Total 160,648 869,304 624,975 27,864 3,918 1,686,709
Recommendations
As noted above, the data collected do not consider where the registered vessels are used. This information could be very helpful to the state in its decision of where to invest in capital improvements for recreational boating. Some direction could be
provided via a survey conducted by the state. This survey could be conducted each year by asking boaters their favored spots and where they anticipate using their boats. The survey could be attached to the registration form and could be sent in with the
registration fee. The data could then be tabulated by county.