Michigan State University Extension
Tourism Educational Materials - 33842999
06/06/02
Minnesota Boat Owners: A Summary of Who They Are and What They Want
Source: Minnesota
ID: CD-FO-3940
Format: Full Text
Authors: Lime, David W.; McAvoy, Leo H.; Pitt, David G.;
Schatz, Curtis
Year: 1990
"Archived Document: This Extension Bulletin is no longer
available from the publishing state and may contain
outdated information."
Tourism Center
Minnesota Extension Service
University of Minnesota
Introduction
A 1988 study of registered Minnesota boat owners focused
on how boat owners use their pleasure boats on Minnesota
waters and what they think about problems and issues
related to boating. A description of the study design and
methods appears at the end of this report.
Various aspects of this research have been reported in
seven previous Tourism Center Research Summaries. The
following report in effect summarizes the previous
publications, highlighting some of the most salient
findings of the study. Consult the individual Research
Summaries for details (titles are listed later).
The purpose of this summary is to synthesize the results
into a concise presentation in order to enhance dialogue
among the many interested Minnesota public concerning how
the state's boating resources can be managed to provide
high quality and safe recreational opportunities.
Boat Owners and Their Boating Patterns
Most boat owners (the respondents to the survey) are male
(92%); they average 22 years of boating experience.
Almost 60% of Minnesota's boat owners own more than one
boat; the average is two boats.
Three fourths of the state's boat owners launch a boat at
a free public water access site at least once each year
(Figure 1). Owners of boats 14 to 20 feet in length are
most likely to use a free public access; owners of large
power boats and large sailboats are least likely to do so.
Overall, owners launch a boat a median of six times a year
at three different sites.
Two thirds of the state's boat owners who own riverfront
or lakeshore property use a public access site at least
once each year.
More than three fourths of Minnesota's boat owners (77%)
boat within 49 miles of their home; 56% boat more than 50
miles from home. Metro region residents (compared to north
and south region owners) are the least likely to boat near
home and most likely to boat more than 50 miles away.
Overall, boat owners are somewhat more likely to boat near
home. They spend more time visiting the lake or river they
use most often near home than they spend visiting
resources more than 50 miles from home. Near-home boating
typically is part of a single day's outing; away-from-home
boating usually is part of more extended trips.
Nearly four out of five (78%) of Minnesota's boat owners
fish as part of their recreational boating activities.
A large percentage of free public water access use
involves a relatively small segment of boat owners, who
visit the sites frequently. Over half of all public water
access launchings are attributable to the 10% of boat
owners who launch at a public access site 25 or more times
a year.
________________________
FIGURE 1. In 1987, did you launch a boat at a free public
water access site In Minnesota?
YES: 75%
NO: 25%
________________________
Access Sites as "Parks," Not Just Boat Launches
Over 80% of Minnesota's boat owners use free public water
access sites for a set of activities not limited to
boating alone (Figure 2). These sites provide a frequently
used "place at the lake or river" for boaters who do not
own waterfront property, especially among boat owners
residing in northern Minnesota. More than a quarter of the
state's boat owners use these access sites 78% for
swimming (32%), shore fishing (29%), ice fishing (29%),
and wildlife observation (24%). Other important uses are
hunting snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and trailhead
access for hiking, biking, and offroad vehicle trails.
Because water access sites provide settings for a variety
of water-based and recreational activities, access site
planning and management can benefit from coordination
among all other park and recreational suppliers in the
immediate area of these sites.
Boating Safety
Most boat owners (78%) have never taken a boating safety
course (Figure 3); 96% have not been involved in a boating
accident in the past five years.
Although few boating accidents occur in Minnesota, boat
owners in the metro region report an accident rate twice
as high as that of owners in the north and south regions
of the state.
___________________________
FIGURE 2. Percentage of boat owners who used a free water
access site only to launch a boat or for other
recreational pursuits
BOAT LAUNCH ONLY: 20%
BOAT LAUNCH PLUS OTHER ACTIVITIES: 80%
_____________________________
FIGURE 3. Percentage of boat owners who have not taken a
boating safety course
HAVE TAKEN A COURSE: 22%
HAVE NEVER TAKEN A COURSE: 78%
________________________________
In spite of a good boating safety record in Minnesota,
most boat owners believe there are problems related to
safety: inappropriate boating behavior by some boaters
(82%), the amount of boat traffic (68%), and problems
associated with enforcement of boating rules and
regulations (57%). In general, problems are seen as more
serious in the metro region than in the north or south.
The management solutions for safety problems that appear
to be most supported are restricting the speed of boats
and restricting certain types of boating to specific parts
of heavily used lakes and rivers. Boat owners in the metro
region are more supportive of stricter management actions
than those in other regions.
A majority (71%) of Minnesota boat owners support placing
buoys to mark hazard areas and nearly half (47%) favor
providing protected harbors on large water bodies,
especially in the north region, such as on Lake Superior,
Lake of the Woods, and Mille Lacs.
Services and Facilities
Highest on the list of facilities and services that
boaters desire at or near access sites are: toilets (71%
favor), docks (63%), drinking water (60%), security
lighting (59%), marinas (47%), and bait and tackle shops
(43%). Also supported is the concept of "boater wayside"
rest areas (58%) and public campsites (47%) that are
accessible only from the water. Boaters also would like to
see more maps and other boating information (55%) and
fishing information, (47%) to facilitate their outdoor
pursuits.
Many of the facilities and services desired by Minnesota
boaters could be provided as a cooperative venture or
partnership among local or state governments as well as
with the commercial tourism sector at the local and
regional level.
Charging a fee to launch at public access sites as a way
to improve boating services and facilities received mixed
responses---lightly over half of the boaters opposed the
action; about 20% were undecided.
Boating on the Mississippi River Downstream from the Twin
Cities
More than one third (39%) of Minnesota's boat owners had
operated a boat or had been a passenger on the Mississippi
River at least once in the five years preceding the. study
(1983 through 1987).
Forty percent of the state's boat owners express a desire
to boat or boat more often on this river stretch--
-representing nearly 115,000 boat owners statewide (Figure
4). Even among those who did not boat there recently,
almost a quarter express an interest in doing so.
_________________________________
FIGURE 4. Would you like to boat (or boat more often) on
the Mississippi River between the Twin Cities and the Iowa
border?
YES: 40%
NO: 40%
DON'T KNOW: 20%
_________________________________
FIGURE 5. Percentage of boat owners who have not boated or
have not boated more often on the Mississippi River
downstream from the Twin Cities because they were
concerned about poor water quality
CONSIDERED WATER QUALITY A BARRIER: 52%
DID NOT CONSIDER WATER QUALITY A BARRIER: 58%
_____________________________________
While some barriers to boat owners' more frequent use of
the river cannot be remedied by resource management or by
actions of the commercial sector, many perceived barriers
might be reduced through better information and education
programs to sensitize boaters about the river---its
opportunities, needed skills and equipment to boat there
safely, etc.
Many boat owners are concerned about poor water quality in
the river and the barrier it poses to more frequent
boating (Figure 5).
While most Minnesota boat owners live relatively far from
the river and will continue to find acceptable boating
opportunities closer to home, additional public accesses,
shoreline facilities, and marketing programs should help
to reduce some barriers to more frequent use of this
notable Minnesota water resource.
Lake Superior Boating
About one third (34%) of Minnesota boat owners---nearly
100,000 of the state's pleasure boat owners---had operated
or had been a passenger on a boat on Lake Superior at
least once during the five years preceding the study, 1983
through 1987.
Nearly half (44%) of the boat owners express a desire to
boat or boat more often on the Minnesota waters of Lake
Superior representing about 125,000 boat owners statewide
(Figure 6).
Demand for boating is highest among those with previous
experience on the lake, as, might be expected, but, nearly
a third of the owners who had not boated recently on the
lake indicate a desire to do so.
Some of the barriers to boat owners' more frequent use of
the lake (Figure 7) can be remedied by the commercial
sector or resource management activities, such as expanded
efforts to provide protected harbors and marinas as well
as better information and education programs to inform
boaters about boating opportunities and needed skills and
equipment to boat safely on the lake.
______________________________
FIGURE 6. Would you like to boat (or boat more often) on
Minnesota waters of Lake Superior?
YES: 44%
NO: 30%
DON'T KNOW: 26%
_______________________________
For numerous Minnesota boaters, Lake Superior is a mystery
as a place to boat and many boat owners will continue to
find acceptable boating opportunities close to home-closer
than the drive necessary to reach the lake. Nevertheless,
expanded efforts to publicize the opportunities available
there as well as more boat access to the lake and
facilities, should help to increase the numbers and mix of
Minnesota residents seeking the lake as a place to boat.
_______________________________
FIGURE 7.Selected reasons why Minnesota boat owners have
not boated or have not boated more often on Minnesota
waters of Lake Superior
Other good places for boating are closer to home: 70%
I don't know enough about Lake Superior boating: 58%
I lack the skills needed for Lake Superior boating: 43%
It's too dangerous: 30%
There are not enough protected harbors: 29%
There isn't enough good information on Lake Superior
boating: 27%
There are not enough marinas with permanent and
transient slips, lodging and food: 22%
Percent agreeing with Statement: 0 - 80%
________________________________
Related Tourism Center Research Summaries
The following reports may be purchased from the
Distribution Center, Educational Development System, 3
Coffey Hall, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108.
Please enclose a check, payable to the University of
Minnesota, for $1.00 plus tax (if you are ordering within
Minnesota) for each item.
* Boating Patterns and Behavior (CD FO-3809)
* Recreational Boating on Lake Superior (CD-FO-3880)
* Recreational Boating on the Mississippi River
Downstream from the Twin Cities (CD-FO-3881)
* Management of Boating in Minnesota: Problems and
Actions (CD-FO-3896)
* Boating Safety in Minnesota (CD-FO-3895)
* Preferred Facilities and Services at Free Public
Water Access Sites (CD-FO-3925)
* Activities at Free Public Water Access Sites
(CD-FO-3942)
Study Design and Method
In 1988, a statewide survey of registered boat owners was
conducted jointly by the University of Minnesota and the
Department of Natural Resources (DNR), funded principally
by the DNR. The study focused on managing the more than
2,200 free public water access sites in Minnesota to
better serve the boating public. How should the state's
free public water access sites and water resources be
managed to offer safe and rewarding boating opportunities?
The study investigated these concerns for the state's
waters as a whole and with specific reference to two of
our largest water resources-the North Shore of Lake
Superior and the Mississippi River downstream from the
Twin Cities.
In spring 1988, a mail-back questionnaire was sent to a
representative sample of 3,200 registered boat owners
drawn from the pool of 286,000 pleasure boat owners in the
state licensed through the DNR. The survey sample
represented boaters in the North, Metro and South regions
of the state.
An 80-percent response rate is testimony to the strong
interest of Minnesota boat owners in expressing their
views on the state's free public water accesses and the
importance they place on quality boating opportunities in
Minnesota.
Details about the study design and methods, the raw data,
and the data summary tables are available from the authors
and from the DNR's Office of Planning, 500 Lafayette Rd.,
St. Paul, MN 55155-4010 (612-296-0565).
This study was funded by the Minnesota Department of
Natural Resources.
Authors:
David W. Lime, Adjunct Professor and Research Associate,
Department of Forest Resources and Tourism Center
Leo H. McAvoy, Professor, Division of Recreation, Park,
and Leisure Studies
Curtis Schatz, Research Assistant, Division of Recreation,
Park, and Leisure Studies
David G. Pitt, Professor, Department of Landscape
Architecture
Technical Assistance: Minnesota Center for Survey
Research, University of Minnesota (administration and
processing of survey questionnaires)
Editor: Louise Jones
Tourism Center, 48 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Ave.,
University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108; John Sem,
Director
Copyright 1990 by Minnesota Extension Service, University
of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Issued in furtherance
of cooperative extension work in agriculture and home
economics, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Patrick J.
Borich, Dean and Director of Minnesota Extension Service,
University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108. The
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