Kiwis love getting out on the water, with the kayak our boat of choice

Friday, 28 December 2018

Recreational boaties are out in force over the next few weeks.

The value of recreational boating may exceed $2 billion a year depending on how it's measured, with retailers and brokers reporting a seasonal surge in interest.

According to a recent recreational boating survey by Marine NZ the most commonly owned type of recreational vessel is a kayak, followed by smaller power boats and dinghies.

Kiwis own kayaks more than any other form of vessel - Queen Charlotte Sound.

But the biggest increase in sales in recent times has been for jetskis - TradeMe has 4273 listings, slightly higher than power boat listings, twice as high as kayaks, and four times higher than yachts.

Weather plays a big part - last year's Maritime NZ report noted that cold and windy weather was common resulting in lower sales of sunscreen and ice cream.

**READ MORE:

Jet skis have become one of the fastest growing recreational boating pastimes.

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* Not wearing lifejackets still the leading cause of boating deaths

* Boatie convicted after sailing unfit $500 Trade Me yacht from Wellington to Westport

* Intoxicated man who drove speedboat near swimmers discharged without conviction**

It is now compulsory to wear lifejackets on vessels under 6m in length.The Adamson family at Waikawa marina are all wearing them.

Costs of boating vary, with yachties paying more than $5000 a year for a walk-on marina, or closer to $100 a year for a mooring permit from a local authority.

Trailer sailers, power boat and jetski owners have fuel and trailer expenses.

But boating compares well on cost with other leisure activities such as overseas holidays, golf, buying or renting a bach or caravan, or joining a tennis club.

The 2018 Maritime NZ survey of 3101 people found nearly half identified themselves as being 'involved' in recreational boating.

Based on the wider population aged 20 years and over, this represents a significant market of about 1.5 million adult New Zealanders involved in recreational boating.

Most of those keen on boating were male - 54 per cent versus 46 per cent females, and more likely to live in the upper North Island, with 37 per cent living in the Auckland region.

Maritime NZ's Old4New life jacket campaign.

The next largest number was in Canterbury making up about 14 per cent of the total with smaller percentages in places like Waikato and Otago.

When it comes to environmental impact and fossil fuels, powerboats and jetskis stand out compared with sail or human powered vessels.

About 80 per cent of jet skiers reported using their engine for at least half their trip through to the entire time they were out on the water.

Users of power boats spent the most money on fuel on average per trip at approximately $222 and $89 respectively, followed by jet skis users who spent about $82 per boat trip.

Making sure everyone has life jackets is rule number one.

The Maritime NZ survey focused on recreational boating attitudes and behaviours, finding improvement on earlier years but room for more.

More people were wearing life jackets and ensuring they had enough for passengers.

However approximately one in five boaties reported that they wore a lifejacket either 'never', 'not very often' or only 'some of the time', a similar finding over recent years.

'Importantly, there has been a significant increase in the number of people having at least two ways to either call or signal for help if needed,' Maritime NZ reported.

Compared with the 2017 survey there were significantly more boaties checking the marine or mountains forecast before every boating trip.

Significantly more boaties also reported they were choosing to avoid alcohol before or during their boating trips.

Awareness of the safety messages were higher amongst those aged 65 years and over, and higher among power boats users.

The number of family and friends going on trips has increased, with a significant increase in children aged six to 12 years of age going out on regular boat and jet ski trips.

Kayakers were found to be more likely to show positive boating behaviours compared with larger power boats.

As part of the Safer Boating Campaign, Maritime NZ is currently running safety initiatives aimed at recreational boaties over the summer:

'No Excuses' is an enforcement campaign where Maritime NZ's Maritime officers are taking a tough approach to boaties not carrying a lifejacket or travelling at unsafe speeds.

Maritime NZ is also funding the Coastguard's Old4New lifejacket upgrade campaign, visiting 56 locations and offering discounts on new jackets in return for old, damaged or out-of-date lifejackets.

As of mid-December 2018, Maritime NZ reported that four people have died in boating accidents so far this year, better than previous years.

Maritime NZ services throughout the holidays include the Rescue Coordination Centre for all of New Zealand, Maritime Radio Service, the Marine Pollution Response Service, and Safer Boating Campaign.

The Rescue Coordination Centre NZ operates around the clock and is responsible for coordinating all major maritime and aviation search and rescue missions, as well as land based missions arising from someone activating a distress beacon.

The Maritime Radio Service does around-the-clock monitoring of VHF radio channels within coastal waters, as well as HF distress channels across a 50 million square kilometre region of the South Pacific. The service also broadcasts safety information, such as meteorological warnings.

The Marine Pollution Response Service leads New Zealand's response in the event of a major oil spill.