Boat Owners Association of The United States (Boat US) is the nation’s largest recreational boating advocacy, services and safety group, making boating better for America’s recreational boaters since 1966. Here’s an annual look at a few numbers behind the more-than-half-million-member association that offers insights into the organization’s impact on boaters and boating.
Membership
601,351: Total number of BoatUS members nationwide (annual dues: $24) (BoatUS.com/Membership)
25: The number of benefits and services included with BoatUS annual membership, including 24/7 towing dispatch, advocacy and support for boating issues, consumer assistance, boating-safety education, and discounts on fuel, transient slips and travel (BoatUS.com/Membership)
28.4 feet: Average length of a BoatUS member’s primary boat (BoatUS members own two boats on average) (BoatUS.com/Mediakit)
27: Average number of years of boating experience per BoatUS member (BoatUS.com/Mediakit)
76%: BoatUS members who day cruise, the No. 1 boating activity, followed by fishing (59%), overnight cruising (44%), watersports (26%) and sailing (20%) (BoatUS.com/Mediakit)
23: The number of helpful BoatUS App features that save boaters time and money, from requesting a tow on the water, to finding member discounts at local marinas (BoatUS.com/App)
$0: The cost for BoatUS members to get a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number, the unique nine-digit number that is assigned to vessels and used in their DSC-VHF radios to help provide a swift rescue ($25 for nonmembers) (BoatUS.com/MMSI)
1,247: BoatUS Partner Network businesses that provide discounts to BoatUS members on a range of services and goods including marinas, fuel, guides, tackle shops and more (BoatUS.com/Map)
381: BoatUS Partner Network marinas across the United States that offer BoatUS members up to 10 cents off per gallon of fuel (BoatUS.com/Map)
32: The number of national savings partners, including West Marine, GEICO, Helly Hansen, Dockwa and Sirius XM Marine that offer BoatUS members savings (BoatUS.com/Savings)
BoatUS Magazine
989,816: Readership of BoatUS Magazine, the nation’s largest recreational boating publication (BoatUS.com/Magazine)
43: The number of videos BoatUS Magazine editors produced last year, from “100-hour 4-Stroke Outboard Maintenance” to “Topsides Gelcoat Repair” (YouTube.com/BoatUS)
79,976: The number of hours boaters spent watching BoatUS videos on YouTube last year (YouTube.com/BoatUS)
412: The number of editorial pages produced over six issues (one year) of BoatUS Magazine, loaded with information to get more out of the boating lifestyle (BoatUS.com/Magazine)
57: The number of Boating Writers International (BWI) writing excellence awards bestowed to BoatUS Magazine writers since 1997 (BoatUS.com/Magazine)
On-Water Towing and On-Road Towing Assistance
312: The number of TowBoatUS towing port locations across the United States (BoatUS.com/Map)
615: The number of towboats in the TowBoatUS towing fleet, the nation’s largest (BoatUS.com/Map)
$791: The nationwide average cost of on-the-water towing service for a non-BoatUS member (BoatUS.com/Membership)
$0: Amount paid by BoatUS members for covered services with an Unlimited Towing Membership (BoatUS.com/Membership)
44: TowBoatUS towing port locations on the Great Lakes, from Clayton, New York, to Bayfield, Wisconsin (BoatUS.com/Map)
25: TowBoatUS towing port locations on the Pacific Coast from San Diego, California, to Vancouver, British Columbia (BoatUS.com/Map)
48%: Requests for on-the-water assistance calls attributed to unknown engine problems, the number-one cause for recreational boat breakdowns. Thirteen percent (No. 2) were for battery/electrical issues, 10 percent (No. 3) for grounding or striking a submerged object, 9 percent (No. 4) for suspected bad fuel or out of fuel, and 5 percent were for overheating (BoatUS.com/Membership)
76,418: Annual boater requests made for on-water assistance with the BoatUS App, by cellphone or VHF radio to TowBoatUS 24-hour dispatch centers in Virginia, Florida and California and local TowBoatUS companies (BoatUS.com/Membership)
100: 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/Membership)
14,291: Roadside-assistance companies across the United States and Canada that have the specialized equipment to handle boat trailer breakdowns and provide 24/7 service to BoatUS Unlimited Trailer Assist service members (BoatUS.com/Membership)
43%: Requests for roadside Trailer Assist service to the BoatUS 24-hour dispatch centers attributed to flat tires/no spare, the number-one reason. Wheel bearings (21 percent) were second, followed by 3. trailer axle (13 percent), 4. trailer failure (10 percent) and 5. tow vehicle failure (3 percent) (BoatUS.com/Membership)
97 feet: The length of the largest TowBoatUS response vessel in the fleet, Sea Courageous, which serves a 75-mile offshore service area out of Ocean City, New Jersey (Average response vessel length is 26 feet; most popular brands are 1. Boston Whaler, 2. Zodiac, 3. Safe Boat, 4. Almar and 5. Shamrock) (BoatUS/Membership)
12,000 pounds: The average breaking strength of a TowBoatUS response vessel’s towline (BoatUS.com/Membership)
Boat Insurance
$8,836,648,068: The total hull value of all boats insured with the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program (BoatUS.com/Insurance)
1983: The year the first BoatUS Marine Insurance Catastrophe Team was established to assist Houston Yacht Club following the disastrous landfall of Hurricane Alicia. This set the course for BoatUS to become the nation’s expert in hurricane-damage avoidance (BoatUS.com/Insurance)
50%: How much of a marina’s haul-out bill that the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program will pay to help avoid damage from an approaching hurricane (up to $1,000 total) (BoatUS.com/Insurance)
Up to $500: The amount the BoatUS Angler endorsement will reimburse a policyholder should an insurance claim cause him or her 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 coverage that a BoatUS Marine Insurance Program policy provides (BoatUS.com/Insurance)
2: The number of days between Hurricane Irma’s landfall and the BoatUS Catastrophe Team’s arrival in Florida to begin statewide salvage operations
38: The number of TowBoatUS companies from across the nation that mobilized to join the hurricanes Harvey and Irma BoatUS Catastrophe Team, some spending months doing the difficult job of salvage and wreck removal
Government Advocacy
1: National boat-owner organizations with a full-time government affairs staff (BoatUS.com/Gov)
14: Individual legislative and boating community issues, from E15 ethanol fuel and boating-access issues to aids to navigation, funding for small harbors, recreational fishing, boating-safety education and U.S. Coast Guard funding that BoatUS Government Affairs works on in an average month (BoatUS.com/Gov)
272: Groups, organizations, government agencies, and legislative leaders BoatUS works with in an average year to support boaters’ interests (BoatUS.com/Gov)
2,624,727: Email action alerts sent to BoatUS members advising them of important issues they should be aware of and act on (BoatUS.com/Gov)
387: Federal and state agency meetings, boating coalition meetings and events BoatUS Government Affairs staff attended to advocate for the interests of boat owners (BoatUS.com/Gov)
39,384: Boater comments generated in 2018 by BoatUS Government Affairs action alerts and directed at federal legislators urging reform for the government-mandated Renewable Fuel Standard (BoatUS.com/Gov)
Boating Safety and Clean Water
14: The number of free and advanced online training courses offered by the BoatUS Foundation (BoatUS.org/Courses)
1,566,460: Students who have taken the BoatUS Foundation’s free online Boating Safety Course to date, which provides the required boating safety certification for recreational boaters in 36 states (BoatUS.org/Courses)
1,002: Students who completed the BoatUS Foundation’s On-Water Training Courses that provides affordable at-the-helm instruction (BoatUS.org)
1,295: Marina staff trained through the free BoatUS Foundation Spill Prevention Training for Marinas online course (BoatUS.org/Spill-Prevention)
575: Locations across the United States where you can borrow child-size life jackets for free from the BoatUS Foundation’s Kids Life Jacket Loaner Program (BoatUS.org/Life-Jacket-Loaner)
101: Emergency Position-Indicating Rescue Beacons (EPIRBs) and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) available for rent from the BoatUS Foundation (BoatUS.org/EPIRB)
Consumer Protection
$43,600: One of the largest amounts BoatUS Consumer Protection facilitated returning to a BoatUS member using the Dispute Mediation Program (BoatUS.com/Consumer)
317: Consumer issues, such as warranty disputes and contract disagreements, that the BoatUS Consumer Affairs division resolved for members last year (BoatUS.com/Consumer)
12,423: The total number of issues between consumers and the boating industry documented in the BoatUS Consumer Protection Database since 1988 and searchable by our members (BoatUS.com/Consumer)
36: The number of years BoatUS has been helping members avoid boating mistakes through a boat damage avoidance newsletter, Seaworthy, created by the by the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program and now in every issue of BoatUS Magazine (BoatUS.com/Magazine)
Staff
640: Employees at BoatUS National Headquarters in Springfield, Virginia; 24-hour nationwide dispatch centers and insurance sales/claims offices in Costa Mesa, California, and Jacksonville, Florida; and at the BoatUS Foundation headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland (BoatUS.com/Employment)
28: Volunteer (unpaid) positions BoatUS management holds in an average year on outside boating-related advisory boards, professional associations and philanthropic organizations
121: Hours BoatUS employees and their families volunteered to help with local waterway cleanup efforts (BoatUS.com/Employment)