The Balearics is maintaining its national leadership for boat registration, 679 vessels having been registered over the first ten months of the year, a 21% increase and almost 16% share of the national market. Following the Balearics come Barcelona with 499 registrations, a rise of 3% and an 11.5% market share, and Madrid, where there has been 18% increase to 314 registrations, meaning a 7.3% share of the market. In all, 4,325 recreational craft were registered in Spain between January and October, which was an increase of more than 8% from the 3,993 figure in 2014. This figure remains positive despite an inevitable recent drop-off in registrations compared with the May to August main nautical season.
Smaller craft of up to eight metres are the most sought after. They have a 90% market share, and there was almost 8% growth over the ten months, with 3,380 boats having been registered. For boats between twelve and sixteen metres, this proved to be the fastest-growing segment, as there was an increase of more than 29% (110 registrations). For boats between eight and twelve metres, there was growth of over 9% (292 registrations), while for the largest category, 16 metres or more, the growth was 10.3% (43 registrations).
Rental demand also meant that the market was buoyant. 489 charter boats were registered in the first ten months, the market having grown by 34% on top of a record year in 2014, when growth was over 50%. The smallest boats, up to eight metres, are also the most in demand for the rental market. These have a market share of 88%: 430 boats.
One of the main reasons for the rapid revival in the nautical sector has been the scrapping of the matriculation tax which all but crippled the charter sector.