By Krystina Skibo

or the past few years, anyone trying to buy a boat had to navigate a perfect storm: skyrocketing pandemic-era demand, depleted dealer inventories and inflated“ panicbuying” price tags. But the tide has officially turned. The pre-owned boat market is entering a fascinating period of correction and bifurcation. As a wave of late-model, pandemic-bought vessels flood the market from owners offloading their“ money pits” amid rising maintenance and insurance costs, a true buyer’ s market is taking shape.

According to NMMA’ s Pre-Owned Boat Market Sales Trend section of its 2024 U. S. Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract, two years ago, pre-owned boat sales totaled 858,798 units, valued at $ 10.2 billion and accounted for more than three-quarters of all boat sales transactions.

The report also found that pre-owned outboard boat sales led in volume with 562,000 units sold in 2024, followed by pre-owned personal watercraft and sterndrive boats.

“ Roughly 858,800 pre-owned boats changed hands in 2024, about 78 % of all boat transactions,” Jon Logan, President of Marine Diagnostic Tools, says.“ That’ s down from about 940,500 in 2023, which was down about 2 % from 2022 as volumes normalized from the pandemic surge. Through that entire period, pre-owned boats have consistently accounted for close to four out of five transactions.”

Collin Heimensen, National Sales and Brokerage Director at MarineMax, says the brand is seeing great success in both trade-in and brokerage sales.“ The trajectory is strong,” he notes. However, finding value in this market requires a keen eye. While larger cruisers and luxury yachts are experiencing notable price softening, specialized segments like center consoles and high-performance fishing boats continue to hold their premium value with remarkable resilience.

Navigating the pre-owned market today isn’ t just about looking for a discount— it’ s about recognizing where the real value is hiding.

Seattle Boat Company’ s Newport location offers a variety of quality pre-owned boats.

A few years ago, boat buyers were driven by scarcity: thin inventory and rising prices pushed them to move quickly. Today, that’ s completely changed. According to Logan, the buyers transacting today are better informed and more deliberate.

“ They arrive with research done, they ask for engine hours, service records, a diagnostic report before negotiating, and they’ re willing to walk away,” he says.“ Preparedness has replaced urgency as the marker of a serious buyer. Think of how you used to call around for quotes, when now you use AI to research and get you the info you want and compare your options before even considering a real purchase.”

Agreeing with Logan is Elizabeth Bohling, Co-President of Seattle Boat Company, who says that she’ s seeing more value-focused buyers come into the dealership.

“ Many customers are recognizing the opportunity in carryover new models that may qualify for additional manufacturer incentives or dealership discounts compared to boats that have just arrived from the factory,” Bohling explains.“ Buyers are carefully comparing those opportunities alongside late-model pre-owned boats to determine which offers the best overall value.”

Instead of focusing solely on whether a boat is new or pre-owned, today’ s customer is looking at the complete ownership proposition, including purchase price, incentives, financing and long-term value.

Bohling has especially noticed how selective the pre-owned market has become at her dealerships.

“ Our consignment sales have remained remarkably consistent year over year, and today we have 67 preowned boats in stock ranging from $ 8,900 to nearly $ 500,000,” she says.“ Whether someone is shopping for an entry-level runabout or a premium luxury boat, there are outstanding options available. Buyers have more choices than they’ ve had in quite some time, and many of our consignments have been exceptionally well cared for, creating excellent value throughout the market.”

MarineMax’ s 2024 Azimut Atlantis 45 is part of the brand’ s Certified Pre-Owned Program.

Overall, consumers in every age group seem to be interested in purchasing pre-owned boats. Bohling suggests that the lower price tag of used inventory is what appeals to buyers.

“ First-time boat owners are attracted by the lower entry price, while experienced boaters are increasingly considering late-model pre-owned boats as a way to maximize value without sacrificing features or quality,” she says.“ We’ ve also seen families prioritize overall affordability while still wanting a boat that can support a variety of recreational activities.”

However, certain marine businesses are noticing specific types of shoppers are buying more pre-owned boats than others.

“ Industry data shows Gen X leading purchase volume, with millennials the fastest-growing segment at roughly a third of all boaters, up from 18 % in 2015,” Logan explains.“ The average age of first-time buyers has dropped from 58 to 46 in recent years. First-time and younger buyers skew heavily toward pre-owned as the entry point, and they bring used-car buying habits with them: they expect history, documentation and proof of condition as a baseline.”

On another note, Heimensen sees that pre-owned boat sales are more inventory-driven rather than demographic-driven.“ There are pre-owned sales in all age groups,” he says. When it comes to the types of inventories that pre-owned shoppers are looking for, Bohling notes that“ premium towboats( Malibu Boats) and quality runabouts( Cobalt Boats) continue to generate the strongest demand, particularly when they’ re well maintained and priced realistically. Higher-priced Cobalts and specialty models tend to have a smaller buyer pool, which can lead to longer selling times and greater pressure on pricing.”

Ultimately, Bohling says that condition and pricing strategy have become more important than ever in determining how quickly a boat sells.

While prices have cooled slightly from post-pandemic peaks due to normalized demand and increased supply, the overall price floor remains structurally higher. This is primarily because higher costs for labor, materials and tariffs have raised new boat prices, driving cost-conscious consumers to seek value in the pre-owned market.

Steve Menneto, CEO of Malibu Boats, noticed a change in how buyers were paying for boats after interest rates really started to take off post-pandemic.

“ When interest rates were low, about 75 % of our buyers were payment buyers and 25 % were cash buyers,” he says.“ When interest rates started to take off, buyers were dropping out from buying new. But it doesn’ t mean they’ re not buying boats; they’ re just buying used boats.”

Even though consumers are still buying boats, after tariffs hit in April of 2025, Menneto says the overall boating market slowed.

“ Tariffs slowed the market down a little bit, but then in March of 2026, the war started going on, so consumers have experienced some major geopolitical challenges,” he explains.“ When you think about where we were in 2025, about 200,000 to 215,000 units of used boats were being transacted, which was a slower year than 2024.

Consumers across the board are facing economic challenges due to tariffs and interest rates, and boating is no different. It just means that buyers need to trade down to used boats to bypass tariffs and get more product for their money.

“ Overall, we’ ve seen pre-owned unit sales soften compared to the previous two years, reflecting a more cautious consumer environment,” Jeffrey Bohling, Co-President of Seattle Boat Company, says.“ While transaction volume is down, demand hasn’ t disappeared, buyers are simply taking longer to make purchasing decisions. At the same time, our consignment business has remained remarkably consistent, suggesting boat owners continue to see value in working with established dealerships to market and sell their boats.”

MarineMax’ s Certified Pre-Owned Program ensures that used boats undergo a rigorous 360 ° multi-point inspection by MarineMax trained technicians before getting sold. Photo courtesy of MarineMax

Even though concerns of the future loom overhead, every expert in the field says the same thing: pre-owned boat sales are not going away anytime soon. There will always be a desire to be out on the water. It’ s just up to manufacturers and dealerships to give cost-conscious consumers the deals they’ re looking for.

“ Supply is set to grow as boats bought new during the 2020-2021 surge age into typical resale years,” Logan explains.“ On the demand side, buyer expectations around documentation keep rising, and we expect condition verification, diagnostic reports at trade-in and point of sale, and certified pre-owned-style programs modeled on the auto industry to become standard practice among dealers competing for that inventory and those buyers.” MarineMax, in particular, is focused on growing its pre-owned business.“ Notably, we just rolled out an industry-leading MarineMax Certified Pre-Owned Program,” Heimensen says.“ The program is designed to give the buyer additional value and ensure an enhanced ownership experience.”

As more boats purchased during the pandemic enter the resale market, buyers will benefit from greater selection, competitive pricing and no additional tariff charges.

“ Dealers that invest in professional inspections, reconditioning, transparent listings and strong marketing will continue to play a critical role in connecting buyers and sellers,” Jeffrey Bohling notes.“ Consumers have more choices now than they have in several years, and dealerships that build trust throughout the buying process will be well positioned for long-term success.”

Aside from delivering competitive pricing, dealerships can take advantage of the burgeoning pre-owned segment by delivering great experiences.

“ Our new MarineMax Certified Pre-Owned Program is the first of its kind in our industry and will deliver peace of mind to buyers,” Heimensen says.“ We are very optimistic about the future of pre-owned with our differentiated offerings.”

Meeting customers where they want to meet is half the battle. After that, it’ s all about the charm in winning them over.

“ There will always be a supply of used recreational boats in the United States,” Menneto notes.“ As more people try to get outdoors and the younger generations grow up wanting to keep their family traditions alive, the industry will stay afloat. Boating will never die because even if you’ re on your phone, would you want to take a selfie with your friends sitting on a couch at home or would you rather take a selfie on a boat? People want to be on the water, so that demand isn’ t going away.”