The spring season in the Finnish boat industry is at its peak

The 2022 sales season in the Finnish boat industry started earlier than usual © Finnboat

The 2022 sales season in the Finnish boat industry started earlier than usual, but the peak of the sales season is somewhat late due to the cold spring. The boat industry employs about 3,500 people in Finland and the turnover of Finnboat member companies is almost one billion euros.

"The long delivery times of the boats have levelled off the peak of the boat sales season, as the boat trade has gone through the winter excellently. However, the cold and late spring has slowed down the launch of boats for several weeks, which is also reflected in the new boat registrations in January-April", says Jarkko Pajusalo, CEO of Finnboat. In almost all product areas in the recreational marine industry, growth has also continued to be constrained by component availability and global logistics issues.

The spring survey of the boat industry predicts that the strongest growth will break

Finnboat has collected from its members estimates of turnover and personnel, as well as views on the situation in the industry by different areas. The first boating business barometer for 2022, which was conducted in January, predicted a positive outlook: 49% of companies estimated that net sales will increase and only 10% of companies estimated that net sales will decrease. The May review of the situation indicates that the strongest growth is already reversing. 33% of companies report an increase in net sales in the first half of the year and 36% of companies report a decrease in net sales in the first half of the year compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Order backlogs remain exceptionally long, but many respondents see rising product and fuel prices, rising interest rates, the lifting of travel restrictions and the uncertainty created by the war in Ukraine affecting demand in 2023, both domestically and in neighbouring markets.

As many as 67% of respondents report disruptions in supply chains. The disruptions affect almost all boat and equipment manufacturers, regardless of the country of manufacture. Boats manufactured in Finland also contain hundreds of parts and components whose supply chains are global, so extended delivery times for electronics and raw materials, for example, have an impact on the entire boating industry.

Joint events of the boating industry set in motion after the Covid-19 years

The peak season for the sale of boating equipment and accessories will be launched in Lauttasaari, Helsinki, when local boat and equipment stores will organize the opening of their summer season and Finnboat will organize boat testing days on 20-21 May 2022. The supply of boats for test driving has increased and more boats than expected will be available for the public to test. There will be almost 40 different boats, from small outboard motorboats to yachts, and in addition, Land Rover Defender and Range Rover plug-in hybrids will be available for test drives on the road.

Correspondingly, Finland's largest in-water boat show UIVA FLYTANDE, which will be held in August, is almost sold out after the one-year Covid-19 break. As the summer progresses towards the end, the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show will present the best boating equipment offers of the season from 18 to 21 August 2022 and the first introductions of the new boat models of the next season.