Local boat salesmen aren't complaining about the hot summer weather.
There is a lot of activity when it is hot, Wayne Price, sales manager at Shy Beaver Boat Center in James Creek, said.
"We are doing pretty well. A lot of the sales have been driven by the heat," Price said. "We are always busy around Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. When you start out with a warm spring and early summer, that is the best possible situation for boat sales. We had the holidays and the heat at the same time, and that was positive."
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Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Boaters take advantage of the nice weather last week on Lake Glendale at Prince Gallitzin State Park.
Sales have been up 20 to 25 percent at Jim's Anchorage at Hesston.
"The early warm spring got people in the boating mood, and the hot summer has also helped. Instead of taking long trips, people are staying local," sales manager Joe Zanylo said. "Boating is always weather-related."
The hot weather is also helping sales at Full Performance Marina in James Creek.
"It has been a good year so far. We are seeing lots of new boaters this year, sales are definitely up this year. As far as units sold, we are over 200 units so far this year," Full Performance President Marty Finklestein said.
Many people are looking for used boats.
"The hot weather has had a positive impact especially on the sales of used boats. Good used boats are hard to come by; people hold onto their boats longer. When we get a quality used boat in, it doesn't last long. It is often gone by the time we get the picture on the Internet. Used pontoons are extremely popular," said Howard Reese, a salesman at Jim's Anchorage.
"I can't keep a boat on my lot, as soon as I get one it is gone within two days," said Steve Caracciolo, owner of Glendale Boat Sales, Fallentimber. "You can't keep a good used pontoon boat on the lot. As soon as we get themm they are gone."
Major lakes are also seeing a spike in boaters.
Glendale Lake at Prince Gallitzin State Park has seen a significant increase in the number of people out on the lake, Assistant Park Manager Tim Yeager said.
"We've seen pontoons, motor boats and sailboats but we have seen a significant increase in people kayaking and canoeing, kayaking in particular," Yeager said. "We offer kayaking environmental education programs, and they have been filled this summer."
Raystown Lake Recreational Area also is a popular boating spot this summer.
"We are maxed out to capacity when the weather is hot," Park Ranger Melissa Bean of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Raystown Lake said. "Our boat traffic pretty much is the same as it was last year. The number of boats is pretty much limited by the number of parking spaces, and we no longer build extra parking spaces."
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.
