ALEXANDRIA, VA, August 13, 2008 -- Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the world’s largest organization of recreational boat owners, announced today the 20 most popular brands of boats owned by its 650,000 members. Leading the list are #1 Sea Ray, #2 Bayliner, #3 Wellcraft, #4 Catalina and #5 Grady-White.

“Sea Ray, with 54,266 boats, is by far the most popular powerboat owned by BoatUS members followed by Bayliner with 32,712, Wellcraft with 17,565 and Grady-White with 16,487. Sailboat builder Catalina - with 16,502 - is the most popular sailboat owned by our readers” said BoatUS Magazine publisher Michael Sciulla.

The next five largest boat brands owned are Chris-Craft with 11,071, Boston Whaler with 10,979, Carver with 10,439, Hunter with 10,037 and Four Winns with 9,265.

Rounding out the top 20 boats are: Pro-Line, Chaparral, Mako, Silverton, Regal, Maxum, Rinker, Pearson, Aquasport, and Larson.

“Since the average BoatUS member owns 1.8 boats we can say with confidence that BoatUS members own nearly 1.2 million recreational boats, or about 10% of all of the registered boats in the country” said Sciulla, noting that 80 percent of members have been boating for more than ten years and that the average size boat owned is larger than 27 feet in length.

“Given their dedication to this lifestyle, it’s no surprise that our members have opted for quality and value when choosing their vessels,” Sciulla added.

BoatUS is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters and provides its members with a wide array of consumer services including a group-rate marine insurance program that insures over a quarter million boats; the largest fleet of more than 500 towing assistance vessels; discounts on fuel, slips, and repairs at over 885 marinas; boat financing; and a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, the most widely read boating publication in the US. For membership information visit http://www.BoatUS.com