Boaters on the go would love to know which state to travel to for the best boating experience, and SI Yachts are the heroes who have the answer! Their team compiled a lot of data on important factors to create a scoring system. The states on this graphic are ranked by how highly they scored. The top ten results show a surprising variety of states in different regions with varying climates and freshwater and saltwater features. Here are those top ten states:
Louisiana
Florida
Michigan
Hawaii
California
Rhode Island
Minnesota
Delaware
South Dakota
Wisconsin
The bayous of Louisiana and its bountiful coastline make it a boater’s paradise! Other things that contributed to its #1 slot include the warm climate and abundant sunny days. A huge chunk of the state’s population owns a boat meaning that Louisiana clearly has a strong boating culture. It may sound strange that New York State is at the bottom of the list since it’s a state known for beautiful lakes, and it has over 2,000 miles of coastline. But with lots of rain and brutally cold winters full of snow along with a risk of hurricanes and expensive boater’s insurance, it seems that New Yorkers aren’t buying boats in great numbers.
How did the team come up with these numbers? What went into this score for boat/state compatibility? Every boater has different priorities, but the SI Yachts team tried to represent a wide array of boater ideals. These are the components that went into the scoring system:
Percentage of water
Miles of coastline
Number of sunny days per year
Number of rainy days per year
Hurricane likelihood
Average wind speed
Number of registered boats per person
Number of registered boats per public launch
Average cost of boating insurance
