RV and boat sales booming during COVID-19 pandemic, business owners say

RV, boat sales on the rise during pandemic RV and boat sales are booming during the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners say.

TORONTO — Businesses that sell boats and RVs in Ontario say they are experiencing a boom following months of lockdown in the province.

“One of the greatest things we have seen is the number of new families who are looking to get into boating to connect with their families," Rick Layzell, a member of the Boating Ontario Association, tells CTV News Toronto.

Layzell says families are looking for new ways to have fun while keeping physically distant from others and that boating is one of the best ways to do that.

Andre Ganton is with United City Yachts, a company that specializes in selling large pre-owned boats, and says that many people are trying out boating for the first time while others are selling their smaller boats to upgrade up to larger one.

“My feeling is we are going to have one of our best years in a decade," Ganton says. “Boating is just naturally a socially distant activity. You can get on the boat, you can head out on the water, you can drop anchor and go swimming.”

And RVs sales appear to be just as popular. At the Camping in Style RV Centre in Whitby, sales manager Erroll Knight says there is a huge interest in large RVs as well as tent trailers.

“We have a great country and this summer is a great opportunity to see it in an RV,” Knight says.

The RV boom is not limited to Ontario. Knight says many Canadians across the country eager to hit the road, while staying away from the crowds.

“The amount of people looking to get out of the city and go to a campground is everybody’s goal right now," Knight says.

The only issue for families looking to get into boating or RVing is supply. Many boats and RVs are produced in the United States where sales are also going up, so there is growing concern that suppliers may not be able to keep up with demand.