Hoping to buy a boat? ‘Get in line,’ sellers say – KIRO 7 News Seattle

SEATTLE – Given the historic heat wave expected this weekend, you may be trying to figure out how to get on the water.

But for people who are now ready to pull the trigger when they buy something, you may be out of luck. This is because the boat industry is again hit by bottlenecks.

It’s a similar story from yachts to kayaks.

“People just need anything and everything they can get their hands on,” said Jessie Meyer, an employee at Mountain to Sound Outfitters in West Seattle.

He said it was difficult to keep inventory in stock – they only have a few kayaks in the store and currently all inflatable watercraft are sold out.

The pandemic boosted demand and halted production. Now we feel the full burden of it.

Meyer said it depends on what you’re looking for, but some people who have ordered kayaks over the winter are only getting them now.

“The production is so secure,” said Meyer.

With luxury boats, the story is similar, only on a larger scale.

“We did twice as much business in 2020 as we did in 2019,” said Paul Jenkins, partner at Elliot Bay Yacht Sales.

If you’re hoping to buy a new boat, “get in line,” said Jenkins. “I speak to a lot of new boat dealers who are out of boats and they can’t even promise a delivery date for boats that have been ordered,” he said.

Jenkins said the waiting time is often over a year, even for small new boats. And used boats are sold out of sight – sometimes even for bidding battles, which is unusual for the boating industry.

But what if you just want to get out on the water this weekend to escape the heat wave – how about a boat rental?

Call Seattle’s Electric Boat Company and you will instantly receive voicemail that says, “We’re currently sold out all weekend.”

“Many of the boat rental sites are already booked out. The people who are calling are probably a little late, ”Jenkins said.

Your best bet is to rent a kayak or paddleboard, but Ashley Johnson of Alki Kayak Tours says they sold out last weekend. She advises people interested in renting to reserve immediately.

“Because we’re probably running out of boats again,” said Johnson.

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