BUSINESS

Boat makers are finally catching up after pandemic's supply disruptions. Here's what's new at the Milwaukee Boat Show

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

WEST ALLIS -- The Milwaukee Boat Show is finally emerging from under the cloud of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, when the show returned after a pandemic-driven hiatus, it was noticeably different: the pandemic was still causing cancelations at other boat shows and inventories were low as manufacturers struggled with supply chain issues. Meanwhile, demand spiked as people looked for COVID-safe outoors activities.

This year, there was a noticeable excitement about the show as vendors set up their displays earlier this week at the Wisconsin Expo Center at State Fair Park.

Jesse Gaengel, president of The Boat House, a multi-location dealership headquartered in Elkhorn, said there's still a lot of pent-up demand for boats, inventories are almost back to pre-pandemic levels and manufacturers are starting to offer buyer incentives for the first time since 2020.

"Supplies are getting back on track," Gaengel said. "One of the interesting things is you're seeing the manufacturers actually starting to give discounts and rebates again, whereas the last few years it was, basically, what you saw was was the price you got because there was no inventory."

Based on the recent Chicago and Detroit boat shows, dealers said they're not seeing any reduction in interest in new boats even as inflation continues to run hot.

"There's still a lot of manfuacturers working hard to meet that demand," said Debbie Priepke, Mercury Marine's business district manager for Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Upper Michigan. "There is a lead time out there and people need to order now to be on the water by Memorial Day."

The boat show doesn't try to be all things to all people, said show manager Ben Nielsen. Visitors will find some paddleboards and other nods to silent sports, but it's a power-sports show, first and foremost, he said.

That means a focus on pontoons, runabouts, deck boats, fishing boats, ski and wake boats and larger open-water power boats.

Many of those boats will showcase updated designs, electronic innovations and new accessories that have been in the works for years, but are only now being rolled out as post-pandemic production ramps up, Nielsen said.

"The good news is that they're on top of that stuff now," Nielsen said. "We're seeing those things starting to come out, and we're seeing the inventory catching up, but there's no doubt that the past couple years have been tough."

Mike Wescott, sales manager for SkipperBud's in Pewaukee, said many of the brands he sells are offering all new model lineups this year.

And while technology and new features have driven up the cost of some boats, prices are almost flat in a lot of cases Wescott said.

"There's a lot of opportunities for buyers, finally," he said.

The show opens at noon Friday and continues through Sunday before taking a break and returning at noon Wednesday for a five day run that ends at 5 p.m. Jan. 29. A full schedule and more information is available on the State Fair Park website.

Get ready for a lot of Mercury Marine products, innovation

Whether its fishing boats, pontoon boats or runabouts, a lot of the boats at this year's show are sporting Mercury Marine's line of Verado outboards, including the company's most powerful outboard, the 600 horsepower V12 Verado, that it introduced in early 2021.

The engine, which will be on a Bennington pontoon boat in The Boat House's display area, is the highest horsepower outboard engine on the market. It has a two-speed transmission and the industry's first independently steerable gearcase.

The year it launched it was a finalist in Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce's Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest.

Many of the boats on display this year are equipped with the V10 Verado, a new motor that Mercury Marine launched last year. It has 350 and 400 horsepower options.

Priepke also expects the company's first electric outboard, the 7.5 hp Avator, to draw a lot of interest after its formal rollout earlier this month at CES, a national technology show held annually in Las Vegas.

Also of interest, she said, will be the company's innovative engine controls, displays, and other electronic tools that make boating easier and more comfortable.

"Innovation is at its peak," she said.

The new look of pontoon boats

Dealers will be showing off a lot of new pontoon boat features, from Barletta's high-tech boats with articulating bimini tops to new engine configurations that allow manufacturers to maximize the available space on the boats' all-important swim platforms.

That includes two out-of-the-ordinary designs from the Canadian company BRP: the See-Doo Switch, a jet powered pontoon boat with a customizable deck layout, and the Manitou Explore, which has a low-profile, 150 hp outboard that sits under the swim platform. BRP introduced the engine in mid-2022.

"The pontoon world in general has really changed in the last 10 years," Wescott said.

Electric boats not quite ready for prime time

Mercury Marine's Avator will be one of the few offerings on the electric boating front this year.

Last year, The Boat House showed off a Super Air Nautique GS22E, a mulit-sport electric towboat. The boat drew crowds, but it won't be back this year, Gaengel said.

It's not for lack of interest — in fact, on most days, the level of interest tied up a salesperson for all of the day. The problem: that time was spent explaining and educating people who were curious but not shopping, when it could have been spent selling traditional boats.

Gaengel said the company's electric offerings, including a pontoon boat it will be stocking soon, can be seen at its showrooms.

"It's just so new," Gaengel said. "It's really an education piece, so we spent a lot of time talking about it with people but not having sales."