Did you know, that Finland is enthusiastic about boating even to the extent that, in addition to New Zealand, Finland has the most boats per capita in the world? The information is based on a study conducted by Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) in 2017.
According to the survey, there were a total of ca. 1.16 million boats in Finland in 2016. There are 210 boats per thousand inhabitants in Finland. The corresponding figure in Sweden is 66, and 143 in Norway.
Do these Finnish boating trends compare to your country?
So what will become of the upcoming boating year of 2021 in the home land of The Q Experience? Take a comfortable position on whatever you’re sitting on and let us tell you about the biggest boating trend happening in Finland this year!
1. Environmental awareness
In Finland boating has been on a steady rise in popularity, but the Covid-19 pandemic caused an even bigger, unexpected spike in boating numbers last spring. By July there were a quarter more registered boats compared to 2019.
Even though boating increases, greenhouse gas emissions caused by boating have decreased. It seems that the bad conditions of the Baltic Sea woke boaters up and everyone wants to do their part in preserving the beautiful nature of our coast, even if that means being a more environmentally conscious boat owner.
2. Electric motors decreasing greenhouse gases
In addition to people’s actions to be more environmentally-friendly, the amount of electric motors in motorboats have decreased the greenhouse gas emissions considerably. The product and system development in the electric boating industry has been tremendously fast, and their sales are increasing. In Finland about 15 000 motors are sold every year, and one third of these already run on electricity.
3. Fishing for all ages
Recreational fishing is one of the most popular hobbies in Finland. Almost one in three Finns say they do it regularly! There are just under 1.6 million recreational fishermen in Finland, and about 40 percent of men and 20 percent of women in the whole population fish. Fishermen numbers have declined throughout the 21st century, but the trend seems to have reversed recently.
Fishing is increasing as a pass-time activity, especially among Finns under 10 and over the age of 45. And to catch all the fishes from the lake or sea, they definitely need one of our Q Displays!
4. Boat renting in many forms
There are many enthusiastic boaters without their own boat. Boat renting by companies and private owners seems to be one of the rising trends continuing from 2020.
Last year we wrote about Skipperi, which is like the AirBnB for boats. They have made boat renting easy for all: you can rent a boat directly from the owner or get a monthly subscription that allows you to rent the Skipperi boats as much as you like. Read more about Skipperi and their use of Q Displays here.
Following the rising trends in technology
2021 will no doubt bring us many new trends in boating technology as well. We have already seen the rise of smart boats, with many features controllable through a mobile phone. The modern boats integrate a variety of technologies like boat management, regulatory compliance, decision making, safety, and maintenance of the vessel to be controlled as easily as possible.
The Q Experience wants to offer you a way of smarter navigation and easier boating. Our Q Displays give you all the boating info in one, clear and crisp touchscreen.