LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. -- The owner of Boat Repair Plus, Bob Shutter, says he has never seen a summer season like this.

“This is probably the busiest season I have ever seen in my 54 years of working on boats,” Shutter said.

Not only are people buying more boats this season, but they’re pulling out old ones.


“Everyone is buying older boats and they want to get them running," Shutter said. "They haven’t run in 5, 6, or 10 years."

Shutter thinks the sudden increase is due to the coronavirus.

“They’re just buying boats because they want to get in the boat, they can’t do anything now or go any place,” Shutter said.

The real challenge is getting certain parts for boats.

Shutter said most of the parts they need come from China or manufacturing companies in the U.S., but those aren’t operating at full capacity due to social distancing. This has created a major backlog.

“We are having to go as far as California for parts," Shutter said. "Normally they come out of Atlanta."

It’s why Shutter says people should think twice before buying a boat.

“People are buying boats just impulsively right now, and basically, they’re not sure what they are getting,” Shutter said. “They run on the land, but in the water they don’t run at all. So get it checked out before you buy the boat.”