KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The pandemic has created unprecedented demand for recreational boats, according to boatingindustry.com
The surge started in late April and continues.
The lure of the outdoors is one reason and restrictions on travel play a part, too.
Some boaters are even enhancing the outdoor fun.
Sean Giacomini set up a projector to watch movies by the Henley Bridge.
"I guess during quarantine when the movie theaters have been closed and you know we can't really get out there and and do things in public, we can kind of still have movie nights, so it's been a lot of fun," he said.
His roommate, Lynsey Hinnenkamp, set foot on the boat for the first time this week but Sean has had it for two years now.
"This is a Four Winns 268 Vista. It's a 28-foot Four Winns. It was wrecked two years ago, and I got it for free on Craigslist and no one believes me. I know, no one ever believes me when I say this but it was free and we brought it home and fixed it up and have been cruising every weekend," he said.
Tim Lennon is also a boater.
"It's so nice and during COVID, I mean what a blessing boating is," he said.
Tim bought a brand new Harris Pontoon Boat in May. It wasn't easy.
"The demand is so tight right now, even in the used market, you can't find a boat to buy. The one that I traded in on my new one sold in 24 hours. It had somebody buy it in 24 hours," he said.
He lives in a community on Ft. Loudoun Lake and has noticed more people on the water this summer.
"You can tell when new people are out there they're not necessarily on the right side of the road, or lake, so to speak, and you can sort of tell there's a lot of new folks out there," he said.
If you don't own a boat, you could rent a boat or even join a boat club. You pay an entry fee to join the club then a monthly fee that allows you to check out boats through a reservation system.
"The increases are in the 30% to 40% usage year over year," Mitch Jones said.
He owns Freedom Boat Club at Choto Marina.
"Boating has become very popular again."
He says the pandemic has increased boating. His boat club is following CDC guidelines to keep Knoxville's 160 members safe.
"People show up wearing a mask. And they get on their boat wearing a mask, you're not going to get a lot of our boats without it, you're just not," he said. "There's a lot of bleach that's been used over the last four months on our boats. We spaced the reservations out to give us an extra 10 to 15 minutes to do a little more thorough cleaning of the interior. That's been working well."
When you're not working, boating is a good way to relax in the fresh air, socially distanced.
Tim said, "If I go out and play golf and shoot 100 then I'm mad about it, right? You can hardly screw up a good day on the lake."
Or a good night on the lake.
Author note: Tim Lennon plays pretty good golf. He would probably be upset if he shot a 75.