// MARKET TRENDS happy with. I was very happy with pontoon sales last year. I finished the year with 42 new 2026 sales.”
“ While a number of boat segments experienced some retail declines in 2025, we saw strong pontoon sales with Harris outperforming in this environment,” Athmer echoed.
Along with increasing product value, the perception of pontoons has changed over the years – what was once a grandparent’ s boat is now appealing to younger boaters.
“ Before, pontoon boats weren’ t cool because they couldn’ t go as fast; well now they can go as fast,” Hall said. And boaters can cruise in comfort.“ It’ s like a living room on the water.”
Optimism for 2026
“ Pricing for new boats has become more challenging as the material costs have risen for manufacturers,” Schraedly said.“ Aluminum tariffs have been a specific issue, and we are seeing that get passed along to dealers. We try to insulate our customers against those price increases as much as possible but there is only so much we can do.”
Despite this challenge, he noted that floorplan costs have eased slightly over the past year as interest rates began to come down, and dealers are in a more comfortable inventory position heading into 2026. Pontoon manufacturers, particularly larger brands, have been responsive to market conditions, adjusting production to match demand rather than flooding the market with new boat models.
“ I think good things are coming in 2026,” Schraedly said.“ 2025 was the year everyone got their inventory corrected and manufacturers really stepped up their product game.”
Hall said the pontoon segment is better positioned than in the years just before Covid-19, regaining momentum after the pandemic peak followed by a slowdown.
“ We feel that our product mix in pontoons is as diverse as it’ s ever been and focused on affordability,” Schraedly said.“ We have a lot of exciting new features and packages that we believe will resonate with our customers. We’ re as excited as ever for the 2026 season.”
“ I always say we have a great brand and better dealership,” Hall said.“ The service, warranty, storage – what the customer can expect after the sale – is part of the equation. A brand will sell, but you see the best numbers when a good brand is in a really good dealership.”
“ There is high level of excitement and optimism within our dealer network,” Athmer added.“ Harris has been investing continuously and extensively in R & D, and that has resulted in our current product portfolio that offers a compelling boat for almost every buyer that enters a Harris dealership. In addition to that, there is energy around the upcoming boat show and boating seasons. Late 2025 was really great for Harris and our dealers, and we anticipate that positive momentum to continue.”
As interest rates ease, inventory continues to right-size and products become more innovative, the pontoon segment enters 2026 on more stable waters.
Charles Mill Marina was a Top 100 dealer for four consecutive years before earning the number 18 spot on Boating Industry’ s 2024 Top Dealers list.
www. boatingindustry. com january 2026
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