Boating In Ohio

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Mailing Address:
2045 Morse Road
Building A
Columbus, OH 43229

Statistics

The average Ohio boat owner was identified as a male, approximately 54 years old with 29 years of boating experience. Boat ownership by women increased from 2.6% in 2001 to 6% in 2011 (ODNR Watercraft).
The average length of boats in Ohio is 19 feet and the average age is 16 years. The average engine size for powerboats is 160 horsepower.
Boating-related fatalities on Ohio waterways fell 26% from 1991-2000 when compared to 2001-2010.
Nearly 80% of respondents in a 2010 survey said they feel "safe" or "very safe" on Ohio's waterways.
Approximately 99% of Ohio’s estimated 11.5 million residents live within 36 miles of a waterway that can accommodate a powerboat, and 27% live within 10 miles of Lake Erie or the Ohio River.

More than $5.5 million is paid annually in watercraft registration and title fees. Boaters paid $15.1 million in state marine fuel taxes during 2010. (Ohio Dept. of Taxation)
Tourism is a $38 billion per year industry – Ohio’s 3rd largest - and one that supports the full-time equivalent of approximately 439,000 Ohio jobs that generate nearly $10 billion in direct earnings. More than half of all Ohioans are employed by the hospitality industry.
Tourism generated $2.6 billion in taxes for Ohio in 2010 - $1.5 billion in state taxes and $1.1 billion in local taxes. (Ohio Div. of Travel & Tourism)

In 2010 Ohio ranked 9th nationally with 424,700 registered recreational watercraft, in the following general categories:
- Powerboats & PWC: 74%
- Canoes & Kayaks: 21%
- Rowboats: 3%
- Sailboats (no auxiliary power): 2%
10.2% of all Ohio-registered watercraft are personal jet-propelled watercraft. These craft collectively are commonly referred to by some of their commercial brand names such as Jet Ski or Waverunner.

Among the 4.3 million registered watercraft in the 8-state Great Lakes region, an estimated 911,000 boats are operated primarily on the 5 Great Lakes and their incumbent waterways such as Sandusky Bay, Maumee Bay and Lake St. Clair, according to a 2007 Great Lakes Commission study.
Types of boats most frequently used on the Great Lakes include fiberglass runabouts measuring 16 to 24 feet long, aluminum powerboats less than 16 feet long and aluminum fishing boats 16 to 24 feet long. (GLC study)
312 miles of Lake Erie Shoreline in Ohio stretching from Conneaut to Toledo.
Direct annual sales attributed to Lake Erie Region tourism spending: $10.7 billion. (Ohio Travel & Tourism)
100,000+ tourism-related jobs in Lake Erie Region. (Ohio Travel & Tourism)
$430 million state tax revenue and $320 million in local tax revenue generated by Lake Erie Tourism. (Ohio Travel & Tourism)
The 8 counties bordering Lake Erie (Ashtabula, Lake, Cuyahoga, Lorain, Erie, Sandusky, Ottawa and Lucas) generate nearly 30% of Ohio's total tourism dollars.
Most boating trip costs are for marine fuel (22%), restaurants (17%) and groceries (14%).
Average expenditures for Great Lakes boaters were $3,600 annually--$1,400 in boat-related expenses (dock fees, repairs, insurance) and $2,200 in trip-related expenses (food, lodging, entertainment). (GLC study)
Range of daily expenditures on Lake Erie boating trips: $76 to $275. (Ohio Travel & Tourism)

Ohio contains a total of 128,500 linear miles of rivers, streams, creeks, ditches and other like flowing waters. This also includes 451 miles, or nearly half the entire 981-mile length of the Ohio River, plus the 112-mile long Muskingum River that features the nation’s only hand-operated navigational wooden lock system.
Ohio currently is home to 14 state-designated scenic rivers and 7 state-designated water trails.
Ohio’s portion of Lake Erie encompasses 2.25 million surface acres of water, which equals approximately 51% of the lake’s entire surface area. The combined surface acreage of all inland lakes and ponds totals approximately 850,000 acres, which includes a total of 56,175 surface acres of water in Ohio’s state park system.
Ohio has 43 certified Clean Marinas along Lake Erie with an additional 29 marinas pledged to attain their certification.
Since 1999, $38.8 million in grant funding has been provided by Division of Watercraft Cooperative Boating Facility grants for public boat launches and facilities.