Did You Ever Wonder How Many Boats We Have Here In New Jersey?

We're getting pretty close to the time of year when we start getting in touch with our friends who own boats. After all, summer is getting closer, and we all want a piece of the boat life.

If you've ever been boating around the Jersey Shore, you know that there are so many boats around, that it's hard to imagine how they all fit in such a small state.

Boating on New Jersey's waters, like the Barnegat Bay, for instance, can sometimes be one of the most tranquil beautiful experiences you'll ever have, and sometimes it's not much different than rush hour on the Garden State Parkway.

That's why this data that we uncovered is really pretty shocking to us. For all the marinas we have, all the dock-and-dine restaurants, and all the boats we see in local waters, New Jersey's national ranking for boat owning is pretty shocking.

According to data reported by Staten Island Yacht Sales, based on boats per capita, the Garden State, home of the world-famous Jersey Shore, ranks among the lowest states in the nation for recreational boat ownership.

We have only 14 boat owners per 1000 people living in New Jersey, and frankly, that's pretty surprising to me. Minnesota, which ranks #1 has about 10 times that number.

Now, I know we're a small state, and we have less water to boat on in New Jersey, but after spending many days on the water, dodging what seems like hundreds of boats, it does surprise me.

It's all the more reason you better stay friends with that boat owner in your life if you want to be on the water this summer. There are fewer of them than we ever imagined.