BoatUS celebrates 50 years in 2016, and the numbers have a story to tell.
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation’s largest advocacy, services, and safety organization, taking care of America’s recreational boaters for over 50 years. A new look at a few numbers behind the more than half-a-million-member association may surprise or even astonish:
Membership
- 532,848: Total number of BoatUS members nationwide (annual dues: $24) (BoatUS.com/membership)
- 27: Average number of years of boating experience for a BoatUS member (BoatUS.com/mediakit)
- 28.4 feet: Average length of a BoatUS member’s primary boat (BoatUS members own two boats on average) (BoatUS.com/mediakit)
- 1,060,397: Total number of boats owned by BoatUS members (BoatUS.com/mediakit)
- 76 percent: The percentage of BoatUS members who “day cruise,” the #1 boating activity, followed by #2 “fishing” (59%), #3 “overnight cruising” (44%), and #4, “watersports” (26%) (BoatUS.com/mediakit)
- 522,094: Circulation of BoatUS Magazine, the nation’s largest recreational boating publication (BoatUS.com/magazine)
- 1,115: The total number of boating and fishing businesses offering discounts to BoatUS members (BoatUS.com/servicelocator)
- 364: The number of BoatUS Partner Network Marinas across the United States that offer BoatUS members up to 10 cents off per gallon of fuel (BoatUS.com/servicelocator)
On-Water Towing/On-Road Towing Assistance
- 601: The number of towboats in the TowBoatUS towing fleet, the nation’s largest (BoatUS.com/servicelocator)
- 70,527: Total number of annual requests to TowBoatUS 24-hour dispatch centers for on-water assistance, including towing, battery jumps, fuel drop-offs, tows home, and soft ungrounding services (BoatUS.com/towing)
- 259,032: Number of downloads of the BoatUS Towing App, which makes it easy to summon on-water and on-road assistance 24/7, and can speed response times (BoatUS.com/app)
- 100: The number of 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 $14) (BoatUS.com/trailerassist)
- $748: The nationwide average cost of towing and soft ungrounding service
- $0: Amount paid by BoatUS members for covered services of Unlimited Towing (BoatUS.com/towing)
- 26–53 feet: The length of the flatbed tow trucks and “Landoll” trailers used by BoatUS Trailer Assist roadside service providers offering assistance to BoatUS members to haul both a disabled boat trailer and tow vehicle (BoatUS.com/trailerassist)
- 13,283: The total number of roadside assistance companies across the United States and Canada offering BoatUS Unlimited Trailer Assist service dispatched 24/7 (BoatUS.com/trailerassist)
- 43 percent: Percentage of requests for roadside Trailer Assist service to the BoatUS 24-hour Dispatch Centers attributed to flat tires, the #1 request. #2 wheel bearings, 24%; #3 trailer axle, 10%; #4 tow vehicle, 5% (BoatUS.com/trailerassist)
Boating Safety And Clean Water
- 1,126,003: The number of students who have taken the BoatUS Foundation’s free Online Boating Safety Course to date (BoatUS.org/courses)
- 297: Number of marina staff trained through our Free Spill Prevention Training for Marinas (BoatUS.org/spill-prevention)
- 575: Locations across the United States where you can borrow a child’s life jacket for free from the BoatUS Foundation’s Kids Life Jacket Loaner Program (BoatUS.org/life-jacket-loaner)
- $1.3 million: Funding over the past 26 years provided to local community groups by the BoatUS Foundation Grassroots Grant Program, which promotes safe and clean boating education (BoatUS.org/grants)
- 101: The number of Emergency Position-Indicating Rescue Beacons (EPIRBs) and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) available for rent from the BoatUS Foundation (BoatUS.org/epirb).
Boat Insurance
- $8 Billion: The total hull value of all boats insured with BoatUS Marine Insurance (BoatUS.com/insurance)
- 50 percent: The percentage of a marina’s haul-out bill that BoatUS Marine Insurance will pay to help avoid damage from an approaching hurricane (up to $1,000 total) (BoatUS.com/insurance)
- 1983: The year the first BoatUS Marine Insurance Catastrophe Team is established to assist Houston Yacht Club following the disastrous landfall of Hurricane Alicia. This set the course to become the nation’s expert in hurricane damage avoidance (BoatUS.com/insurance).
- Up to $500: The amount the BoatUS Angler’s Best insurance policy will reimburse a member should an insurance claim cause them to miss or withdraw from a competition (BoatUS.com/insurance)
- $939,800: The maximum amount you can be held liable for under federal law for fuel-spill damage to the environment and the amount of the coverage that a BoatUS Marine Insurance program policy provides (BoatUS.com/insurance)
Government Affairs
- 1: The number of national boat-owner organizations with a full-time government affairs staff (BoatUS.com/gov)
- 12: The number of individual legislative and boating community issues, from Florida Anchoring and Ethanol, to Aids to Navigation and boating access, that BoatUS Government Affairs works on in an average month (BoatUS.com/gov)
- 239: The number of groups, organizations, government agencies, and legislative leaders BoatUS works with in an average year to support boaters’ interests (BoatUS.com/gov).
Consumer Affairs
- 11,216: The total number of complaints filed and searchable in the BoatUS Consumer Complaint database since 1992 (BoatUS.com/consumerprotection)
- 257: The number of consumer issues, such as warranty disputes and contract disagreements, that the BoatUS Consumer Affairs division resolved for members last year (BoatUS.com/consumer)
- 136: The number of issues of Seaworthy, a boat damage avoidance and boating safety publication created by the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program, that have helped BoatUS members avoid boating mistakes for 34 years (BoatUS.com/consumer)
Staff
- 592: Total number of employees at BoatUS National Headquarters in Alexandria, Va., and 24-hour nationwide Dispatch Centers and insurance sales/claims offices in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Jacksonville, Fla
- 24: The number of volunteer (unpaid) positions BoatUS management holds in an average year on outside boating-related advisory boards, professional associations, and philanthropic organizations
