Smooth Sailing: Boat Day Essentials By Ellen Wagner

Recreational boating gained popularity during the COVID pandemic and has remained popular.

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), recreational boating saw a 35% increase in annual economic activity between 2018 and 2023, from $170 billion to $230 billion.

It’s not the yacht owners that are responsible for the uptick in the boat economy, NMMA reports, saying that the majority of boaters are “regular folks” doing activities such as fishing, water-skiing, sailing and jet-skiing.

Whatever your customers’ boating activity, present them with the essentials for the day.

BOATING IN STYLE

A long day on a boat requires apparel for a range of activities — from a dip in the water to sweaters to stay warm when the sun sets.

The go-to outfit for a boating day is a swimsuit, especially for kids. Lauren Brekke, Mud Pie’s vice president of merchandise, said parents want stylish bathing suits and water toys for kids to keep them entertained and looking cute.

Mud Pie’s bathing suits for kids feature fun colors and patterns with aquatic animals like fish, ducks, crabs and crocodiles, and can be accessorized with light-up sandals featuring mermaids, flags, turtles and sharks.

For women, Mud Pie’s crochet cover-ups have been popular since the textile is on the upswing.

“People want the illusion of coverage while still feeling cool and comfortable in the heat, and crochet achieves that,” Brekke said, adding that people appreciate versatility in coastal apparel. “We see people buying fewer items, but are choosing those that serve more than one purpose. One example is Mud Pie’s Milton Crochet Tunic, which can be used as a cover-up but also styled over jeans for a casual dinner look.

Town Pride also offers an extensive variety of coastal products for functionable boating fashion. Jean Fasanello, vice president of sales at Town Pride, said its collection includes knit sweaters and apparel, quarter zips for men, scarves, wraps, ruanas, hats, caps, pillows, totes, crossbody bags and throws.

“Our clients choose their colors and icons and add any word. Most use their city, state, town, yacht club, lake name, beach, etc.,” Fasanello said. Town Pride also offers generic terms on products: Lake Day, Sail, Beach, East Coast, West Coast and more.

Fasanello said stripes are dominating the trends right now. This past spring, Town Pride added a striped collection, which includes a fully striped sweater, pencil-stripe sweater, colorblock sweater, wraps and ruanas — which can all be customized.

Fasanello said many of its coastal stores are adding the company’s new embossed jacquard collection in tan. Icon sweaters also continue to trend, as well as throws, pillows, caps and totes. Fasanello said clients’ favorite icons include anchors, suns, lobsters and oysters.

Both Mud Pie and Town Pride identify a trend of patriotic apparel.

“Red, white and blue apparel is classic and is always trending,” Brekke said.

Town Pride meets this trend with its USA flag sweaters. Everything at Town Pride is made to order so clients can choose traditional red, white and blue — or add alternative colors such as denim blue, tan or pink.

FUN AFLOAT

No boat day is complete without snacks and other entertainment for boating breaks.

Mud Pie offers a “Retreat” collection, which includes lake- and boat-themed entertaining items and décor. Brekke said one of the collection’s most popular pieces is the All-in-One Entertaining Basket, which contains nested pieces that can be configured in multiple ways to package cheese and crackers, fruit, chips or other boat snacks. Pair this basket with disposable party cups — a strong seller for Mud Pie — for an afternoon picnic, or pair the cups with a bottle opener as a gift for the boat day host.

“People often bring a gift when they are spending a day on a friend’s boat, so carrying lake- or boat- themed products is a great opportunity to round out a store’s assortment,” Brekke said. To keep kids entertained and happy during a boat day, Mud Pie offers goggles and water blasters shaped as three different sea creatures that can shoot water up to 30 feet. Mud Pie’s collection of boat- and sailing-themed products for baby and kids will see an expansion again next year, Brekke said.

Meanwhile, Sonya and Scott Carpenter, co-owners of Gail Force Water Sports, designed a line of products by boaters for boaters to help adults relax in the water while staying afloat.

In their 30 years of boating, the Carpenters saw a lot of pool products in the market but not products designed for boaters. Thus, they created the Saddle Pro, which is now Gail Force Water Sports’ bestseller.

The saddle float is primarily designed for adults and is often referred to as a “floating barstool,” Sonya said. It allows people to sit upright in the water, stay cool and have a drink in their hand all at once.

“With our product, it lifts you higher, so now you’re sitting chest high,” Scott said. “You’re in a much more comfortable position.”

The SaddlePro comes in a variety of colors, allowing boaters to match their boats — one of the latest trends, Sonya said. It is also made of closed-cell foam that prevents water from entering or mold forming in the float, even if it rips.

The company also offers a cooler tray for swimmers to bring coolers into the water with them, so it’s easy to get another drink without getting back on the boat. The cooler can be tied to the float rope, which is a 35-foot rope with six foam handles. The foam handles allow the rope to float in the water and not drift away.

“If you’re anchored into a cove and you’re back behind the boat, a lot of times the boat will sway,” Scott said. “With the float rope, you actually stay floating with your boat so everybody stays together.”

The float rope can be used to connect the cooler and SaddlePro to the boat or dock. Additionally, Sonya said all of their products can connect to each other with or without the float rope, so there is less chance of it blowing out into the lake or ocean.

Sonya said their retailers have done really well, carrying a variety of colors and matching it with outfits and swimsuits for displays.

“I think one thing the seaside retailers would like is we’re not at the big stores, so it is a unique product,” Sonya said. “You can’t find it in every store you go to.”