A study of social media activity across ten major boat and yacht brands has found average engagement rates well below those achieved in comparable luxury industries, with the gap most visible on Instagram, the sector’s dominant platform.
The Social Media Insights – Boating Industry 2026 report, produced by Austrian market research firm Interconnection Consulting, analysed the digital performance of Azimut, Bavaria, Beneteau, Brunswick, Ferretti Group, Hanse Yachts, Princess Yachts, Sanlorenzo, Sunseeker and Yamaha Boating. Together these companies account for a substantial share of a global boating market that generated €25.5 billion in revenue in 2025.
The headline figure is an average social media engagement rate of 1.3 per cent across the brands analysed. Engagement measures how often users interact with content through likes, comments and shares relative to total reach. Other luxury sectors average around 3 per cent, putting boating brands at less than half that level.
Instagram is where almost all the brands maintain an active presence, with an average following of 174,500 per brand. Luxury brand accounts in comparable sectors typically average around 956,900 followers. The study finds that many brands publish similar, highly polished product imagery, which makes individual accounts difficult to distinguish and suppresses interaction.
Comment volumes underline the problem. Brands in the study generate an average of 6.1 comments per Instagram post and 3.9 per YouTube video. As algorithms on major platforms increasingly prioritise content that drives conversation, low comment rates directly limit organic visibility.
TikTok remains marginal: around 30 per cent of the brands analysed maintain an active presence there. YouTube sees wider use, primarily for product presentations and boat tours, and shows stronger audience behaviour. Retention rates for boating content run between 60 and 75 per cent, which suggests viewers will stay with longer material when it holds their attention.
Two brands stand out in the study’s findings. Azimut achieved Instagram engagement rates exceeding 4 per cent in 2025, against an average of 0.8 per cent among the ten brands examined. The Italian builder’s approach combines frequent posting, a broader range of content formats including reels and carousels, and consistent paid campaigns across Meta platforms. Sunseeker performs strongly on YouTube, recording average video views of around 231,000 against a study average of 20,200, despite having a smaller subscriber base than some competitors. The study links this to a mix of shorter clips and longer-format content that supports better audience retention.
Study author Rubén Rodríguez on the broader pattern:
“The boating industry has clearly embraced social media, but many brands are still using these platforms as digital brochures rather than as spaces for real conversation. In a sector driven by aspiration and lifestyle, the brands that succeed online will be those that move beyond polished images and start building genuine dialogue with their audiences.”
The Social Media Insights – Boating Industry 2026 report is available from Interconnection Consulting at interconnectionconsulting.com.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
