Boater Trends for 2025

Five questions for Irish Boat Shop

By Greg Tasker | July 12, 2025

Cast your eyes on any lake in northern Michigan this time of year and you’re likely to see a floatilla—power boats, sailboats, pontoons and more—soaking up the early days of summer. It’s no wonder. In Michigan, you’re never more than six miles away from a lake, river, or stream.  

What’s more, Michigan boasts more than 1,000 public boat launches and 82 public harbors across the state, providing boaters with easy access to miles of Great Lakes shoreline, 11,000 inland lakes, and countless rivers and streams.

If you’re wondering how serious Michiganders are about recreational boating, consider this: Michigan ranks third in the nation in recreational powerboat sales with $1.6 billion in receipts during 2023, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association. Michigan is home to more than one million registered boaters, second only to California, says Discover Boating, an online source and guide to recreational boating.

Keeping a pulse on the boating scene Up North is Irish Boat Shop, Inc., which has been providing recreational boat services for more than 60 years, initially from Harbor Springs. 

Today, the family-owned company boasts waterfront locations in Harbor Springs and Charlevoix, where its services include new boat sales and brokerage, dockage, maintenance and repair services for power and sail, parts and accessories, and storage. The company also has a dealership in Traverse City, opened in 2018, which includes indoor heated storage added in 2023. 

Besides its boating expertise, Irish Boat Shop is known for its variety of marine events. Among them is its annual Shrink Wrap Recycle Day held in May. Most of the shrink wrap collected is turned over to Trex, a manufacturer of eco-friendly composite decks. Other events include boat shows, water rendezvous, and photo contests. 

We asked them five questions about boating in 2025, and here’s what we learned.

1. Which Boats Sell Best?

The desires of boat customers run the gamut. Just look out at a lake. There are new boats. Used boats. Fast boats. Family boats. Sailboats. And pontoons.

“Most customers are looking for a way to spend quality time with family and friends. The exact type of boat and activity varies greatly, but the bottom line is people want to disconnect from their busy lives and slow down a bit out on the water with the ones they care about the most,”  says Edward Bartoszewski, who is vice president of sales at Irish Boat Shop. 

Irish Boat Shop sells both new and used power boats and sailboats. While powerboats have become more popular in recent years—a trend mirrored across the country—the company still has an “active community of sailors that we cater to,” Bartoszewski says.

“There are advantages and disadvantages of both new and used boats and we sell a large number of both,” he says. “I believe if budget were not an issue, most people would prefer a new boat, but used boats do make up a bit more than 50 percent of our sales.”

From the perspective of Irish Boat Shop, the traditional motorboat continues to be the most popular. Bartoszewski describes motorboats as bow rider and cabin cruiser boats—watercraft typically used by families. Powerboats, on the other hand, are the Cigarette/Donzi/Fountain-style boats designed for speed. 

“High performance speed boats have had a bit of a revival in the last few years with poker runs and outlaw challenges regaining some popularity, and there is a huge market for pontoons, especially for inland lakes, but the bulk of the business for the Irish Boat Shop comes from the traditional motorboat,” Bartoszewski says. 

2. What Size Is Most Popular?

The size of the boat for most customers depends on where they intend to recreate on the water.

“The most popular length really depends on the local market. Boaters who want the best all-purpose boat for nearshore fun love Boston Whalers, with the 17 Montauk being one of our most popular models,” he says. 

Boaters looking to spend time in the deeper waters of Lake Michigan want something in the 28-foot to 40-foot range, like the Boston Whaler 350 Realm. Inland lake customers want a fun boat for the whole family like the Nautique G23 or the Chaparral 270 OSX, both in the 20-foot to 30-foot range.

3. What Extra Gear Do You Recommend?

New boat customers are always provided with all the safety gear required by the U.S. Coast Guard. This includes life jackets for all on board, a noise maker (which could be a whistle or an air horn), a flare kit, an anchor, and a throwable floatation device.  

Lines and fenders are also provided to all new boat purchases at Irish Boat Shop.   

If you’re looking for some fun gear, Bartoszewski recommends trying out a towable tube. Tubes can be great fun for the family and don’t take a ton of time to learn. “If you want to take it to the next level, try wake surfing,” he suggests.  

4. Will We Go Electric?

While electric vehicles are showing up more and more on Michigan roads, is that the same for electric boats on Michigan waters?

For a number of years, the Irish Boat Shop has been offering electric Torqeedo motors for smaller sailboats as well as Zodiac tenders (aka inflatable dinghies). Customers “love them because they are quiet, clean, and easy to use,” Bartoszewski says. 

“I believe this application for electric motors is here to stay. The long-term success of larger boats with electric motors remains to be seen,” he adds. “Safety and reliability concerns remain, but as technology advances, I would not be surprised to see larger electric boats become a reality.”

5. Are Prices Rising?

Although tariffs have sparked concerns across the country with the prospect of rising prices for consumers, that has not been an issue so far at Irish Boat Shop. 

“For the most part, our brands are manufactured here in the USA, something we are proud of at IBS, so there aren’t any direct tariff impacts, although some of the boat components and materials are imported, so we may see an impact down the road,” Bartoszewski says.  

Used boat pricing has been stable in the northern Michigan market, but Bartoszewski says the company is hearing from its manufacturers to expect a price increase of 3 percent to 5 percent for the next model year on new boats.