Recreational Boat Fleet

Recreational boat fleet data is provided by the WA Dept. of Licensing. The data includes the model year, date of last registration, registration expiration date, moorage county, registered county, hull material, propulsion type, engine drive type, fuel type, boat type, and length. The recreational boating industry uses this information to assess health and trends. It is also used by WA Sea Grant and state agencies to target resources toward boater safety, water quality,  and infrastructure investment. The Recreation and Conservation Office has a Recreational Boating Plan that utilizes fleet data that is available here. 

The table below allows you assess characteristics of the recreational boating fleet from 2017 to 2023 by picking up to three characteristics. The table will identify the numbers of vessels that meet the designated criteria. 

Sent and received vessels evaluates the extent to which vessels are imported or exported from the county. If a boat is registered in one county but moored somewhere else, that vessel has been sent to another county. If a vessel is moored in a county but registered in a different county, that county has received that vessel. If the percent of vessels sent is greater than the percent of vessels received, then the county is a net exporter. If the percent of vessels sent is less than the percent received, then it is a net importer. 

The table below shows the number of active registered vessels moored in each county by the county in which is it registered. It allows us to see the degree to which counties are sending and receiving vessels to other counties. 

The majority of vessels moored in Washington are also registered in Washington, but many vessels in WA are registered out of state. This table shows the number of vessels moored in Washington with an active registration and the registered state of the vessel owner. 

The chart below shows the number of vessels which had their registration expire in each year. Vessels with an expired registration comprise a latent fleet that could, at any time, rejoin the active fleet should their owners decide to take up boating again. However, we do not know how many of these boats are unseaworthy, have been scrapped or have left the state.