US Coastal/Inshore Fishing Boat Snapshot

Coastal/Inshore Fishing Boats are fiberglass, primarily outboard, boats between 21’ and 26’ in length that are typically configured in a center console or walkaround style. They are used for near coastal and inshore fishing and are frequently equipped with two engines.

Here’s a quick summary:

• There are currently 438,000 inshore fishing boats registered in the U.S., just over half (56%) of which were purchased new or pre-owned during the past 5 years.
• The average inshore fishing boat is 16 years old and roughly 5,300 of them are being retired from the fleet each year.
• During 2023, 46,600 of all inshore fishing boats were purchased pre-owned (14,400 New).
• 22% of the people that purchased inshore fishing boats in 2023 were first-time-boat buyers and 36% of them own another boat (including PWC)
• Inshore fishing boat buyers tend to be well established. 75% of them are over 40 years-old; almost all own their home; and they have usually lived there for a while.