Women Who Waterski and So Much More in Today’s Boating World

Once upon a time, not so long ago, waterskiing was just about the only aspect of recreational boating where women were featured as having an active role, and no doubt Florida’s Cypress Gardens waterskiing shows probably had something to do with that. But in all those years of shows, which started in 1936, I don’t recall ever seeing a woman driving the boat. I also spent many years in the preceding century as a judge at various U.S. waterski tournaments, and I think I can count on one hand the number of women who were at the helm during the competitions.

In fact, it was only a decade or two ago that women were not generally perceived by the industry as major players in boating. Trade shows and industry meetings were overwhelmingly dominated by men. Marketing and hiring initiatives seemingly ignored women, but times and attitudes have changed.

Boating Perceptions
When I was a child, I was around the water a lot. I had fun boating with boys and girls, although I do recall there were fewer girls involved. I also had an awakening in my teens as to how non-boaters perceived boating. My mom, who was anything but athletic or outdoorsy, believed that bathing suits were for fashion, and water was for a glass or shower. One morning she announced at breakfast that she wanted to go out on the boat with me that day. I brought the runabout to the dock, got her into the front seat next to the steering wheel, started the engine and eased the boat at about one mile per hour away from the dock. We got not more than a foot away when my mom started screaming, with fear and trepidation written across her face. I thought I had hit something or someone. She then yelled out, “Where is the brake?” It had never dawned on me how a non-boater perceived being on a boat and what might be going through their mind. Most of my male friends were familiar with boating, but after that experience with my mom, I became very careful to try to put my non-boating friends at ease, especially my non-boating friends who were girls, and with that extra effort they started to join us in our adventures and misadventures out on the water.

In 2005, the Grow Boating initiative was started by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) to promote the recreational boating lifestyle, educate the public and grow overall participation in boating. The industry finally realized that women have always exerted a great deal of influence in family purchasing decisions and time allocations. If mom says the family is going to go boating on Saturday, the family surely will go boating on Saturday! It’s also a point where the industry seemed to realize that women without husbands or kids might also be interested in boating. It turns out, not too surprisingly, that they are.

According to renowned sailor and writer John Burnham, “recent studies reveal women captains are also increasingly browsing the boating market.” A report from Rightboat concurs, showing searches on their website by women in the United States increased from just over 13% in 2017 to nearly 25% in 2024. According to ScoutBoats.com, “Between 2017 and 2023, the number of women browsing for boats increased by an enormous 246%.”

Meanwhile, a NMMA report noted that, in the 2020 pandemic boat buying boom, women were an identifiable “force in 415,000 first-time buyers.” In 2024, Peter Houseworth of Info-Link Technologies suggested that “the number of registered women boat owners has likely grown incrementally to the 14- to 15% range,” which equates to approximately one out of seven households. He also noted that this information may be low as many boat registration names are gender neutral or have more than one name on the registration.

There is no question that women are a significant force in boating, both behind the scenes and in the forefront. It is believed that, in the United States, women now account for roughly one quarter of all boat searchers and buyers. This shift has been fostered by female-focused training, clubs and competitive and recreational sporting programs, which have grown exponentially.

The American Sailing Association has long been supporting women in boating and continues to expand its offerings, including all-women flotillas as well as special resources and sailing instruction geared toward women sailors, including, together with North U, a Women’s Performance Race Week. This event involves an intensive five-day training experience that is designed for women sailors “who want to race smarter, sail faster and build confidence on the water.”

Specialized Programs
On the powerboat front, Freedom Boat Club has more than 90,000 members and more than 400 locations, originally starting in the United States and now expanding overseas. Freedom has stated that approximately 40% of its members are women. The same trend can be seen in most other boat clubs. Freedom has several dedicated programs for women boaters, including its Sea Sisters program, which is designed to build confidence at the helm, increase skill development and foster a welcoming boating community. These specialized groups allow female members to learn, practice and socialize together in a relaxed, pressure-free environment both on and off the water.

These trends are not lost on boat retailers and manufacturers. The Brunswick Corporation purchased Freedom Boat Club in 2019. MarineMax, one of the largest retailers of recreational boats, as well as owning an international chain of marinas, has its own program for women called Women on the Water.
MasterCraft, one of the largest U.S. boat manufacturers of sports, ski and wakeboard boats, created a program six years ago called Let Her Rip, designed to build confidence and strengthen skills for women and girls both in and behind the boat.

Correct Craft offers similar programs supporting women in boating, but it goes beyond that and supports training women for skilled blue-collar and trade careers. While Correct Craft itself drives marine employment, its facilities often partner with local initiatives like Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) in New York, which provides tuition-free pre-apprenticeship programs.

Another entity taking a deep dive into education, recruitment and training

throughout the recreational boating and larger maritime world can be found in the Miami-based Captain Sandy’s Charities. The organization is working with school districts and other entities throughout Florida to promote the many opportunities available to women and men in these segments of the industry that need skilled employees. Captain Sandy’s Charities was founded by Captain Sandy Yawn, who stars on Bravo TV’s Below Deck Mediterranean. Yawn has nearly 40 years of experience in the maritime world, dating back to days when it was far harder for a woman to break into the industry.

Changing Times
Even just a decade or two ago there were few women in the trades or in the more prominent roles within the overall boating industry. Marinas often hired women to work as receptionists, in the back of the office or on the gas and pumpout service docks.

Today, thanks to conscious efforts to integrate women into the full range of marina and greater boating world positions, women are increasingly integrated throughout the industry, from dockhands to captains, mechanics to department heads and marina managers to senior executive positions – and not because of gender but because they have the skills and ability, no different than the many men in the industry. Indeed, I have not been to any industry gatherings in recent years where women were not only present but comprising significant percentages of the attendees and making meaningful contributions to the proceedings.

There is still more we can and need to do, both in opening doors and in reaching and catering to the many would-be women boaters out there in the world, but the strides we’ve made to date are significant. And I’m sure many would agree, it’s about time!

Dan Natchez, CMP, is president of DANIEL S. NATCHEZ and ASSOCIATES Inc. He can be contacted by phone at 1-914-698-5678, by WhatsApp at 1-914-381-1234, by email at dan.n@dsnainc.com or online at www.dsnainc.com.

Categories	Featured
Tags