News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2000

RECREATIONAL BOATING CONTRIBUTES NEARLY
$1.4 BILLION, 19,500 JOBS TO OHIO'S ECONOMY

COLUMBUS, OH -- Recreational boating in Ohio generates nearly $1.4 billion for the state’s economy while providing 19,500 Ohioans with jobs, according to a recent study commissioned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

The study, conducted by The Ohio State University Sea Grant program, surveyed 5,544 Ohio registered boat-owning households and was jointly funded by the ODNR Division of Watercraft, the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association and the Lake Erie Protection Fund.

"This survey confirms that recreational boating makes a significant contribution to Ohio’s economic health," said Jeff Hoedt, chief of the Division of Watercraft. "With that in mind, the Division of Watercraft must continue our efforts to provide the best possible boating experiences for boaters on Ohio’s lakes and rivers."

Survey participants were asked to list all boating-related expenditures made during a one-year period. Annual boating expenditures per household averaged $5,625. The average boat owner took nearly 16 trips to Ohio boating sites, four of which were to Lake Erie.

Additional boating-related expenditures per household included an annual average of $919 on maintenance, repairs and fees; $2,310 on boat purchases and $293 each on boat loan payments and equipment.

When household expenditures were totaled and multiplied by the state’s estimated 234,300 boat owners, OSU researchers estimated that recreational boaters spend approximately $1.4 billion in Ohio annually on boating and related expenditures.

Nearly 15,000 Ohioans are directly employed by the recreational boating industry, with more than 1,750 employed in other sectors in jobs created by recreational boating and more than 2,800 employed by additional spending created from boating activities. Each addition of 12 boating households creates one additional Ohio job.

Other interesting demographic information about the typical Ohio boater includes the following:

* The typical boat-owning household owns 1.7 boats.

* The primary boat ranges from 16-21 feet in length and is valued at $8,900.

* For each boating trip, boaters travel an average of 38 miles one-way to reach a boating access point.

* Boaters spend about 50 percent of their boating time fishing.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, through its Division of Watercraft, administers Ohio's boating program. The division oversees boat registration and titling operations, provides funding to local communities for education, enforcement and boating facilities, educates the public and enforces boating laws on Ohio's waterways. These programs are user-funded through boat registration fees and through a portion of state and federal motor fuel taxes.

For Further Information Contact:
Dennis Evans, Division of Watercraft
(614) 265-6695
-or-
Andy Ware, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6882