Some See Early Signs Of Rising Tide For Boats

STEVE KARNOWSKI

HAM LAKE, Minn. (AP) — The economy was a big part of why Soua Xiong held off buying a new fishing boat for the past couple years. Hoping the worst was over, he was ready to do more than look when he walked into the Rapid Sport Marine showroom.

"It's a good time to buy. It's time for a change and I think things are changing," Xiong said after signing the papers on a shiny new $22,000 Lund fishing boat to chase walleyes in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Boat dealers and manufacturers are counting on people like Xiong, 35, an oil refinery worker from Cottage Grove. ...