Mad Mariner Poll Results

The Mad Mariner Poll queried 400 boat owners – 200 men and 200 women – on a broad range of topics, including gender issues, fuel prices, education and safety practices. The 30-question poll was conducted for Mad Mariner in June by Mountain West Research Center, an Idaho-based polling firm, using secure surveys delivered and completed online. The margin of error was plus or minus five percentage points.

What is your gender?

Male	200
Female	200

How old are you?

	Total	Male	Female
18 to 29	25%	24%	27%
30 to 39	23%	21%	25%
40 to 49	24%	22%	26%
50 to 59	18%	19%	17%
60 to 69	10%	14%	6%
70 and older	1%	2%	1%

Are you . . .

	Total	Male	Female
Married	66%	59%	74%
Single	23%	30%	17%
Living with a partner	11%	12%	10%

Do you have children under 19? How many?

	Total	Male	Female
None	42%	45%	39%
One to two	42%	41%	43%
Three to five	15%	14%	17%
Six or more	1%	1%	2%

How would you describe your boating skills?

	Total	Male	Female
Expert/Captain Level	12%	19%	5%
Veteran boater with strong understanding of boats	35%	47%	23%
General understanding of boating basics	34%	27%	41%
Novice but actively learning	15%	8%	23%
Novice but not actively learning	3%	1%	6%
No understanding of how the boat works	2%	0%	3%
Don't Know	0%	0%	1%

Have you ever taken a boating course?

	Total	Male	Female
Yes	44%	57%	31%
No	56%	43%	70%
Don't Know	1%	0%

How many courses have you taken in the last five years?

	Total	Male	Female
None	20%	24%	11%
1 to 3	61%	55%	74%
4 to 6	10%	10%	11%
7 to 9	1%	1%	0%
10 to 12	2%	3%	0%
13 or more	3%	4%	2%
Don't Know	2%	3%	0%

Do you . . .

	Total	Male	Female
Use all the skills you learned on a regular basis?	56%	58%	51%
Use only some of the skills you learned?	43%	42%	46%
Use none of the skills you learned?	1%	0%	3%

Why?

	Total	Male	Female
No need to take a course	44%	49%	40%
No time to take a course	27%	26%	28%
Didn't know they existed	25%	26%	24%
I cannot afford to take a course	16%	11%	19%
Would not have a chance to use any skills you might learn	6%	6%	6%
Don't want to learn boating skills	5%	0%	8%
Don't Know	5%	4%	6%

When you take the boat out, do you wear a lifejacket?

	Total	Male	Female
Always	31%	33%	29%
Almost Always	29%	30%	28%
Almost Never	28%	26%	31%
Never	12%	11%	14%

Boat Size	Always	Almost Always	Almost Never	Never
0 to 4	0%	0%	0%	0%
5 to 9	33%	33%	0%	33%
10 to 14	33%	37%	22%	7%
15 to 19	34%	29%	25%	12%
20 to 24	31%	18%	38%	14%
25 to 29	29%	29%	33%	9%
30 to 34	24%	26%	32%	18%
35 to 39	21%	36%	36%	7%
40 to 44	46%	38%	15%	0%
45 to 49	50%	25%	8%	17%
50 to 54	43%	43%	14%	0%
55 to 59	0%	100%	0%	0%
60 to 64	80%	20%	0%	0%
65 to 69	100%	0%	0%	0%
70 to 74	67%	33%	0%	0%
75 to 79	0%	0%	0%	0%
80 or more	0%	100%	0%	0%

How do you think the price of fuel will impact your boating season?

	Total	Male	Female
Not at all/No change	32%	34%	31%
I will go boating less often	45%	45%	45%
I will take short trips	32%	33%	31%
I will not go boating at all	5%	4%	6%
Don't Know	1%	1%	2%

Has the price of fuel caused you to . . .

	Total	Male	Female
Delay launching your boat?	43%	43%	44%
Think about purchasing a different boat?	18%	21%	16%
Put your boat up for sale?	8%	8%	8%
Don't Know	31%	28%	34%

What do you think is the largest factor that keeps people from becoming boaters?

	Total	Male	Female
Cost of a boat	67%	69%	66%
Cost of maintenance, berthing and upkeep	65%	58%	73%
Cost of fuel	64%	63%	66%
Cost of boating equipment	36%	35%	38%
No access to a boat	22%	18%	26%
Required registration, certification and other government requirements	21%	23%	20%
Lack of courses and education	20%	21%	19%
Difficulty of operating a power or sailboat	16%	16%	16%
Don't Know	1%	2%	1%

What kind of boat do you currently own?

	Total	Male	Female
Power	64%	65%	64%
Sail	9%	10%	8%
Both	16%	20%	11%
Other	12%	6%	18%

What style best describes your powerboat?

	Total	Male	Female
Sportfisherman/Convertible	41%	51%	31%
Outboard-engine/Trailerable Boat	40%	40%	41%
Go-Fast Performance Boat	25%	29%	20%
Open/Express Cruiser	18%	16%	19%
Trawler	4%	6%	2%
Motoryacht	4%	8%	1%
Other	4%	3%	5%

How big is your boat?

	Total	Male	Female
0 to 4 Feet	-	0%	1%
5 to 9 Feet	1%	0%	2%
10 to 14 Feet	7%	7%	7%
15 to 19 Feet	23%	26%	21%
20 to 24 Feet	22%	22%	23%
25 to 29 Feet	11%	12%	11%
30 to 34 Feet	9%	9%	9%
35 to 39 Feet	4%	4%	3%
40 to 44 Feet	3%	6%	1%
45 to 49 Feet	3%	4%	2%
50 to 54 Feet	2%	2%	2%
55 to 59 Feet	1%	1%	1%
60 to 64 Feet	1%	2%	1%
65 to 69 Feet	-	1%	0%
70 to 74 Feet	1%	1%	1%
75 to 79 Feet	0%	0%	0%
Larger than 80 Feet	0%	1%	0%
Don't Know	1%	1%	2%

Roughly how many days in an average month during the boating season do you go boating alone?

	Total	Male	Female
None	24%	8%	40%
1 to 5	37%	41%	33%
6 to 10	19%	23%	15%
11 to 15	8%	13%	4%
16 to 22	5%	7%	4%
23 to 31	5%	6%	4%
Don't Know	3%	4%	2%

Roughly, how many days in the average month during the boating season do you go boating with your spouse, children, or friends?

	Total	Male	Female
None	3%	3%	3%
1 to 5	34%	32%	37%
6 to 10	34%	37%	31%
11 to 15	15%	17%	13%
16 to 22	7%	6%	8%
23 to 31	5%	4%	7%
Don't Know	2%	3%	2%

Where is your primary cruising area?

	Total	Male	Female
Inland Lakes and/or Rivers	71%	64%	79%
Coastal Cruising	23%	30%	17%
Offshore Cruising	5%	7%	4%
Don't Know	0%	0%	1%

When on the boat, do you . . .

	Total	Male	Female
Relax	81%	75%	87%
Drive	76%	87%	66%
Enjoy water sports	56%	54%	57%
Lower the anchor	53%	59%	48%
Keep watch over children	45%	42%	49%
Clean	43%	44%	42%
Handle the lines	42%	51%	33%
Navigate by reading printed or electronic charts	32%	39%	26%
Perform maintenance on the engine	29%	43%	15%
Monitor the AC/DC panel	27%	41%	13%
Cook	20%	22%	19%
Speak on the VHF radio	20%	30%	11%
Perform maintenance on other systems	5%	9%	1%
Don't Know	0%	0%	1%

Who was primarily responsible for selecting the boat now own?

	Total	Male	Female
You	67%	93%	40%
Your spouse	28%	4%	51%
A third party	6%	3%	8%
Don't Know	1%	0%	1%

Are you happy with the boat you own or would you prefer . . .

	Total	Male	Female
A different style of boat	20%	19%	22%
A larger boat	35%	37%	32%
A smaller boat	8%	9%	7%
A faster boat	11%	14%	8%
No boat at all	4%	4%	5%
Don't Know	23%	19%	28%

On your boat to what extent are features such as helm seats and controls built in a way that fits your body's height and shape?

	Total	Male	Female
They fit my body shape and height very well	52%	55%	48%
They fit my body shape and height fairly well, but not perfectly	40%	39%	41%
They do not fit my body shape and height at all	7%	6%	9%
Don't Know	2%	1%	3%

What is your favorite place onboard your boat?

	Total	Male	Female
At the helm	44%	64%	24%
On the foredeck or sundeck	35%	14%	56%
In the cockpit or flybridge	14%	17%	10%
In the salon	1%	1%	2%
In the engine room	1%	1%	0%
In a stateroom	0%	1%	0%
Other	4%	3%	4%
Don't Know	3%	1%	5%

What is your least-favorite place onboard your boat?

	Total	Male	Female
In the engine room	31%	34%	28%
At the helm	16%	13%	19%
On the foredeck or sundeck	9%	13%	6%
In the cockpit or flybridge	5%	4%	6%
In the salon	5%	7%	3%
In a stateroom	4%	7%	2%
Don't Know	31%	24%	38%

Are the manual features onboard your boat, such as tables that convert to beds or swim platforms that can be removed, easy or difficult for you to operate in terms of the strength required?

	Total	Male	Female
Very easy	36%	41%	31%
Somewhat easy	41%	40%	43%
Somewhat difficult	7%	6%	8%
Very difficult	1%	0%	3%
Don't Know	15%	14%	16%

Do you feel your boat is . . .

	Total	Male	Female
Primarily yours?	46%	78%	21%
Primarily your spouse's?	19%	2%	32%
Shared equally in terms of maintenance, handling, expenses and pleasure	35%	21%	46%
Don't Know	0%	0%	1%

How often, if at all, have you felt embarrassed while trying to perform boating skills such as anchoring or driving?

	Total	Male	Female
Often	6%	8%	4%
Sometimes	23%	19%	27%
Hardly ever	38%	42%	35%
Never	33%	32%	33%
Don't Know	1%	0%	1%

How often, if at all, have you been yelled at by a spouse or friend while trying to perform boating skills such as anchoring or driving?

	Total	Male	Female
Often	7%	8%	6%
Sometimes	27%	24%	29%
Hardly ever	63%	66%	60%
Don't Know	4%	3%	6%

How often, if at all, have you ever been praised by a spouse or friend while trying to perform boating skills such as anchoring or driving?

	Total	Male	Female
Often	29%	33%	25%
Sometimes	49%	44%	54%
Hardly ever	20%	22%	18%
Don't Know	3%	2%	4%

Do you feel the sport of boating, in general, is more friendly to men or to women?

	Total	Male	Female
Much more friendly toward women	5%	7%	3%
Somewhat more friendly toward women	4%	6%	2%
About equally friendly toward both genders	39%	48%	31%
Somewhat more friendly toward men	37%	32%	42%
Much more friendly toward men	14%	7%	22%
Don't Know	1%	2%	1%

Which of the following activities are your favorites when boating?

	Total	Male	Female
Fishing	74%	81%	68%
Sightseeing	65%	64%	66%
Swimming	63%	60%	67%
Sunbathing	52%	39%	66%
Driving	50%	61%	39%
Reading	32%	26%	38%
Navigating	30%	39%	22%
Sailing	28%	31%	24%
Sleeping	20%	17%	24%
Performing maintenance or upgrades	7%	12%	3%

If you have children, who is primarily responsible for watching them while you are boating?

	Total	Male	Female
You	64%	46%	80%
Your spouse	28%	48%	10%

A third party	4%	5%	4%
Don't Know	4%	2%	7%

Why do you go boating?

	Total	Male	Female
Because you enjoy the sport	83%	88%	79%
Because your spouse enjoys the sport	12%	8%	16%
Because your children enjoy the sport	5%	5%	5%
Because you have a friend who enjoys the sport	0%	0%	1%

What percentage of your boating friends are women?

	Total	Male	Female
0 to 25 percent	45%	39%	52%
26 to 50 percent	38%	41%	35%
51 to 75 percent	12%	16%	9%
76 to 100 percent	2%	3%	2%
Don't Know	3%	2%	4%

How many years have you been boating?

	Total	Male	Female
0 to 5	25%	22%	29%
6 to 10	23%	21%	25%
11 to 15	61%	55%	67%
16 to 20	12%	12%	13%
21 to 25	6%	5%	8%
26 to 30	7%	9%	5%
31 to 35	5%	6%	3%
36 to 40	4%	6%	3%
41 or more	5%	9%	2%
Don't Know	1%	1%	1%

Since you started boating, has the sport . . .

	Total	Male	Female
Become more enjoyable	52%	54%	50%
Remained about the same	39%	36%	42%
Become less enjoyable	9%	10%	9%
Don't Know	0%	1%	0%

Please state the reasons boating is less enjoyable.

	Total	Male	Female
Rising cost of fuel	75%	79%	71%
Rising cost of boats and equipment	56%	63%	47%
Rising cost of upkeep and maintenance	64%	63%	65%
Advancing technology	3%	0%	6%
Fewer friendly people	39%	42%	35%
More physically taxing	47%	37%	59%
Less time to spend on the water	53%	53%	53%
Don't Know	3%	0%	6%