Market Study for Boating on the Minnesota Waters of Lake Superior

This market study is a companion to the 2002 recreational boater study for the Minnesota portion of Lake Superior (MN DNR, 2003). The 2002 study examined the quantity and characteristics of boating on the Lake, and boaters were queried about their experiences on the Lake.

In contrast to the 2002 study, this market study places boating on the Minnesota portion of Lake Superior in a larger context of boating among alternative places. Specifically, the study looks at use of Lake Superior compared with other places, and the use of the Minnesota portion of the Lake compared with the rest of the Lake. Boaters are queried about barriers to the use of the Minnesota portion of Lake Superior and about their awareness of programs designed to remove some of the known barriers. Safety is one known boater issue for Lake Superior, and safety issues are examined in the study. The needs of one boating market segment?transient boaters who travel overnight from place to place?are assessed in the study. Transient boaters represent a market segment that is being targeted along the Minnesota portion of the Lake.

To accomplish the market study, two boater populations were examined. The first was the general Minnesota boater population. The intent of querying this population is to gain the overall Minnesota boater perspective on Lake Superior boating. The second population was more targeted. It focused on large boats (24+ feet in length). Lake Superior, being a large body of water, tends to attract larger boats, so owners of such boats are an important segment in the Lake Superior boating market. Since large boats from Wisconsin were commonly found in the 2002 Lake Superior boater study, owners of Wisconsin-registered large boats are included in this study along with their Minnesota counterparts.

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Market Study for Boating on the Minnesota Waters of Lake Superior {PDF} (215Kb)