RBFF gets 40,000 boats back onto the water

The US-based Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) has revealed how it got almost 40,000 boats back on the water in 2021.

The Foundation’s Boat Registration Reactivation Programme mailed 436,000 letters to lapsed boat registrants and received a 10.11% response rate across 17 states. In its tenth year, the programme re-registered 39,278 boats through direct mail, grossing $1,491,754 in registration fees for states. 

“After tremendous gains in boating participation and ownership last year, it was critical to work with our state partners to encourage Americans to get back on board,” said Frank Peterson, President and CEO of the RBFF. “Efforts such as our Boat Registration Reactivation Programme support the continued growth of participation, which helps fund conservation.”

States from all regions of the country participated, from Alaska down to Florida. An 18th participant, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, chose to take part using Facebook advertisements to target lapsed boaters. Since 2011, the programme has mailed over five million letters resulting in 451,069 registrations and $16,684,110 in gross programme registration fees for states.