But to avoid paying sales tax on a boat in the state, a buyer must purchase, register, and keep the vessel here. The number of boats registered in Rhode Island is expected to reach 40,000 this year, according to Mike Scanlon, head of the state's boating-safety program. Many of them are small enough to be carried on trailers, and the state is in the midst of a program to improve its saltwater launching ramps for trailered boats. The new ramps are wide and skid-proof, and their docks are wheelchair accessible. A handful of small marinas may charge less.
Seasonal people tend to hang on to their slips.
When the economy turns very bad, some of the borderline people start to fall off. Everyone else still uses their slips, but they become more selective about their cruising. The guy who goes out for a cruise six nights a week, may go out only when the weather is perfect. Moffitt contends that those early reservations are bright signs. On Block Island, however, Joe Grillo, the manger of Champlin's Marina, says early reservations may simply indicate a high level of cabin fever, and the effects of an economic downturn will appear with fewer repeat customers and less business during the summer.