MUSKEGON, Mich. — Spring is less than three weeks away, so as the beginning of boating season is upon us, the winter boat show season is behind us.
Now, boat dealers are continuing to adapt to a new year of sales, like the West Michigan chain Hall's Sport Center.
After talking with Hayden Hall, Sales Manager for Hall's Sport Center, he said the past few boating seasons have been nothing in comparison to the rush of sales that emptied their showrooms back in 2021.
Coming out of COVID, their sales increased between 20% and 30%. “2021 was a record year for Hall’s Sport Center and sales in all of our 50 years of business," Hall said. "That was number one. Every year since, we have ticked down.”
Hall says over the last 18 months, the supply chain has evened out, and they’ve gotten all their boats back. “We really did have a lot of 2023 and 2024 leftovers, and so we basically altered our 2025 numbers to make sure that we didn't have too many boats coming through,” Hall said.
Now, entering the spring of 2025, Hall says he’s hopeful for this boating season, since Michigan is, after all, the number two boat sale state in the country, behind Florida.
Hall’s Sport Center was founded in 1972 by Harold Hall, Hayden Hall's dad. Now, Hall’s Sport Center is home to over 800 boats a year, and sells 300 to 400 boats a season.
They have three West Michigan locations, in Muskegon, Grand Haven, and Grand Rapids. "We probably keep somewhere around one million dollars in inventory in just parts between all three locations," Hall said.
The average price of a new boat, at Hall's Sport Center, is $55,000. The average price of a used boat is $33,000. They average 400 boat sales per year, making them the number 20 dealer in the country, according to the website Boating Industry.
Hall says Michigan is second in the country for boat sales and registrations, and has at least nine boat manufacturers. "Michigan has over 20 of the top 100 dealers in it. So there's a ton of great dealers in the state,” Hall said.
Hall explains what sets Hall's Sport Center apart is their inventory. “We stock a ton of variety for all of our major brands that we have,” Hall said.
Hall adds that the boat dealerships that have recently gone out of business have two things in common. "They have poor sales, and they don't have a service department that's holding them up on maybe one of those down years,” Hall said.
As far as Hall’s Sport Center, Hall remains confident that 2025 will not be a down year, but at the very least, a "normal" year. "I think it'll be a good year for us. Our inventory levels are right where they should be, going into a, quote, normal year," Hall said.
Hall says the best time to buy a boat is in the fall, so it’s ready by the next boating season. However, Hall’s Sport Center is ready, right now, to sell you a boat, new or used, just in time for this boating season.
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