Analysis
NAICS 336612 is the 2022 national industry for boat building, part of 33661 (Ship and Boat Building). Census lists 19 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 930 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 50,835 people at an average annual payroll of $53,866 per employee (23rd percentile of national industries). 38% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
By establishments it ranks 1st of the 2 codes at this level within Ship and Boat Building, with 65.2% of them.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include air boat building, boat yards (i.e., boat manufacturing facilities), boats (e.g., motorboats, rowboats, canoes, kayaks)… and boats (i.e., suitable or intended for personal use)…, among 19 in all.
Its goods appear in 33 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 8903 (yachts and other vessels for pleasure or sports; row boats…). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.
Census lists 4 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 336611, 488390, 326299 and 326199. Businesses that do several things are classified by their primary activity, the one that generates the most value, so check those boundaries before settling on this code.
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in building boats. Boats are defined as watercraft not built in shipyards and typically of the type suitable or intended for personal use. Included in this industry are establishments that manufacture heavy-duty inflatable rubber or inflatable plastic boats (RIBs).
Illustrative Examples:
Inflatable plastic boats, heavy-duty, manufacturing Inflatable rubber boats, heavy-duty, manufacturing Boats (e.g., motorboats, rowboats, canoes, kayaks) manufacturing Rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) manufacturing Sailboat building, not done in shipyards Yacht building, not done in shipyards
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Ship building or ship repairs performed in a shipyard | 336611 Ship Building and Repairing |
| Ship repairs performed in floating drydocks | 488390 Other Support Activities for Water Transportation |
| Manufacturing inflatable rubber swimming pool rafts and similar flotation devices | 326299 All Other Rubber Product Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing inflatable plastic swimming pool rafts and similar flotation devices | 326199 All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing |
Index entries (19)
- Air boat building
- Boat yards (i.e., boat manufacturing facilities)
- Boats (e.g., motorboats, rowboats, canoes, kayaks) manufacturing
- Boats (i.e., suitable or intended for personal use) manufacturing
- Boats, inflatable plastics (except toy-type), manufacturing
- Cabin cruiser building
- Dinghies manufacturing
- Dories building
- Hovercraft building
- Inflatable plastic boats, heavy-duty, manufacturing
- Inflatable rubber boats, heavy-duty, manufacturing
- Life rafts, inflatable, manufacturing
- Motorboat, inboard or outboard, building
- Pleasure boats manufacturing
- Rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) manufacturing
- Sailboat building, not done in shipyards
- Underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) manufacturing in boat yards
- Unmanned and robotic watercraft manufacturing in boat yards
- Yacht building, not done in shipyards