A delicate navigation
Finland is one of the great nautical nations. As proof of this, many shipyards have acquired an international reputation there, such as Nautor's Swan, Baltic Yachts and Finnmaster. Bordered by the Baltic Sea from north to south, Finland offers a technical playground with its archipelago of thousands of islands. Navigation is tricky because of the many shoals and rocks. It is best not to leave the marked channels. It seems that the southern coast of the country is home to nearly 20% of the world's beacons! Lakes and rivers are also an ideal playground for Finns. There are over 188,000 lakes in the country! Every summer, Finns enjoy boating once the waters have thawed. One in five Finns owns a boat. And most of them also own a second home on one of these islands. It is therefore easier to travel by motor, especially considering the short distances. Because the boat is used more as a means of transportation than as a floating home.
A market driven by motorboats
In Finland, the market is mainly made up of motor boats, mostly daycruisers, with small engines. This was confirmed during a visit to the Vene Bat, a Finnish boat show. Out of the 400 boats exhibited, only 4 were live-aboard yachts. Finnboat, the federation of Finnish nautical industries, confirms this trend.
In 2022, 3,242 new motorboats were registered, compared with 18 sailboats, of which Hanse is the most represented with 3 models sold and Hallberg-Rassy with 2 boats sold. Sailing enthusiasts prefer the second-hand market, with 1,227 changes of ownership recorded for the same year. RIBs are not very well represented in the country either, with only 78 new registrations and 119 owner changes. After motorboats, the second most lucrative market is that of motorboats, with 1,179 new registrations and 2,722 used ones, Sea-Doo and Yamaha being the most represented.
Aluminum boats for strength
If the market is mainly driven by the motorboat, the Finnish preference is for aluminum. It must be said that the material is known for its robustness, ideal for slaloming between the rocks... Among the favorite brands of the Finns, we find Buster with 572 boats sold in 2022, followed by Yamarin, known for its daycruisers with 393 boats sold. Over the past three years, the share of aluminum has continued to grow, with the number of aluminum hulls sold increasing by 13%.
Reasonably powerful engines
Again in response to the topography of the country, but also to the practice of boating, the power of the engines is reasonable. Almost 80% of the outboard motors sold in Finland have a maximum power of 60 hp. However, the long-term trend is towards a decrease in the volume of deliveries of small outboards, at the same time as the market for large outboards is growing.
In conclusion, if you want to visit the incredible landscapes that Finland offers, in summer when the days are almost eternal, prefer the motor boat. For sailing enthusiasts, you should opt for small, maneuverable boats with a shallow draft to play between the rocks. The distances between the different ports and anchorages are short, the channels are sometimes narrow, and the shallow waters are optimized for a shallow draft. Finally, the tens of thousands of islands can make the course tortuous...
