Buying a new boat is already a big decision. When the price tag comes with a high-interest loan, it becomes a much easier decision to postpone.
Brunswick Corp., the company behind Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, and Mercury Marine, says U.S. retail demand for new boats is likely to stay weak through 2026.
CEO David Foulkes told CNBC the slowdown is not hitting every part of the lineup evenly.
"We're seeing premium boats and what we call our core portfolio being very resilient," he said.
"What we're seeing is value boats, which are more typically financed or more subject to interest rate pressures ... they're not doing badly, but they're just not doing as well as some of our more premium products."
The slowdown is more noticeable for the cheaper boats, the ones whose buyers are more likely to finance. That leaves Brunswick with a choice: wait for rates to drop, or find new ways to make money even when the showroom is quiet.
It has chosen the second option.
The first piece of that plan is technology. Brunswick owns Navico Group, a marine electronics company, and Navico has unveiled a lineup of over 30 new products since 2025.
That lineup includes Simrad AutoCaptain, which uses sensors and software to help with docking and navigation.
Among original-equipment customers, 55% have increased their orders since 2023, a sign that boat builders are buying in.
The second piece is Freedom Boat Club. Members pay an initial fee and monthly dues, and in exchange they get access to a shared fleet of boats.
Since 2019, the club has grown to more than 63,000 members.
It now has more than 450 locations.
A fleet of roughly 5,000 boats backs up that scale.
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That model is a different animal.
About 90% of club revenue is recurring, so it does not depend on someone walking into a dealership and signing a big loan.
Trips and reservations have increased 10% compared to last year, which suggests people are using the club even while new-boat sales wobble.
The mix is shifting the whole company.
Roughly 60% of Brunswick's earnings now come from aftermarket and recurring revenue - the parts, service, and membership side - rather than from selling new boats.
Scott Stember of Roth Capital calls Brunswick "uniquely positioned" in recreation and leisure, and he expects only a "modest/non-heroic" recovery in new-boat demand.
Brunswick has set long-term goals that sound less like a boom and more like a steady climb.
The company expects annual unit sales volume of 145,000 to 160,000 by 2030, which it describes as a modest recovery.
That compares with fewer than 135,000 U.S. retail units expected this year.
Brunswick thinks revenue will land between $7 billion and $8 billion.
It expects operating margin - the slice of revenue left after production and running costs - to be 10% to 13%.
Earnings per share should hit $8 to $12.
Wall Street is watching without going overboard.
KeyBanc rates the stock "sector weight," which is a neutral call, and sees growth coming from pricing, a higher share of premium boats, share gains, and new products.
Roth rates it Buy with a $94 price target.
Brunswick stock trades near roughly $82.
Brunswick also intends to cut its procurement of Chinese-made parts by up to 75%.
It wants to cut tariff exposure by 70%, which Foulkes says helps it compete against overseas marine companies.
For investors, the through-line is simple. Brunswick is becoming less of a boat company and more of a boating company.
It wants to make money from the whole experience - the electronics, the engine parts, the monthly club fees - not just the moment someone buys a hull.
That shifts the story for your portfolio.
The stock becomes less about whether interest rates cool off and more about whether people still want time on the water.
If the bet works, Brunswick does not need a booming new-boat market to grow. It just needs people to keep loving boats.
