Half way though its 40 th anniversary as the nation's largest organization of recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatU.S.), announced today that it has set a goal of reaching one million members by the end of its 45 th anniversary. BoatU.S. membership now stands at 670,000.

“Association growth over the past year has been nothing short of extraordinary,” says BoatU.S. Founder Richard Schwartz. BoatU.S. membership has grown by 10 percent over the past year , the fastest rate of annual growth since the Association was launched in 1966. Schwartz attributed much of the growth to a strategic partnership BoatU.S. formed in 2003 with West Marine when the Association sold its retail and catalog division to the Watsonville , CA based marine equipment retailer. Under the terms of the agreement, West Marine customers can join BoatU.S. in any of West Marine's stores. “ Our successful strategic partnership with West Marine has doubled our annual membership growth rate, ultimately giving BoatU.S. a bigger voice and greater clout when dealing with government,” he added.

As the nation's leading advocate and service provider for recreational boaters. BoatU.S. remains an employee owned organization headquartered in Alexandria , Virginia . It provides boating-related services such as insurance and on-the-water towing and remains the leader in public policy representation, consumer protection, boating safety and environmental advocacy.

“One of the keys to our long term success has been that we have single-mindedly kept the interests of our members and the nation's recreational boat owners at the forefront, representing their interests before the federal government, fighting for their consumer rights, providing much-needed services and taking center stage on national boating safety issues,” said Schwartz.

“As we move toward 50 years of service and our golden anniversary 10 years from now, there is no shortage of issues that BoatU.S. will have to tackle including increasing limits on waterway access, post 9/11 security concerns, licensing of boaters and environmental threats to our waterways,” noted Schwartz.

BoatU.S. provides its members with a wide array of consumer services including a group-rate marine insurance program that insures nearly a quarter million boats; the largest fleet of more than 500 towing assistance vessels; discounts on fuel, slips, and repairs at over 835 Cooperating Marinas; boat financing; and a subscription to BoatU.S. Magazine , the most widely read boating publication in the U.S. For more information visit http://www.BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.