Recreational boats added to the tariff schedule
New United States trade measures affecting imports from Canada are set to reach the recreational boating market from 15 September 2026. The National Marine Manufacturers Association says the additional measures include Canadian-built recreational boats in several customs categories, while the White House says the new product additions form part of a wider Section 338 response to Canadian trade measures.
For the under-12m market, the schedules are especially relevant because they cover motorboats not exceeding 7.5 metres as well as outboard motorboats not exceeding 7.5 metres. NMMA also identifies further categories extending above that threshold, so manufacturers and dealers handling Canadian-built boats across the leisure market may need to reassess landed costs and current orders.
Effective date and scope
The White House states that product additions and removals under the September action are due to take effect on 15 September, with the Section 338 tariffs applying to covered goods regardless of whether they qualify under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. NMMA says the additional tariff rate for the listed Canadian recreational-boat categories is 50%, on top of any other applicable duties.
The same NMMA update notes that Canada’s retaliatory measures do not target American-made recreational boats, personal watercraft or marine engines as such, although several categories of marine-related goods are affected. These include selected trailers, anchors, chain and certain cooking equipment, while broader tariff classifications may also affect components used in boatbuilding and repair.
Why leisure-boat buyers and builders should watch this
Tariffs are paid within the supply chain rather than appearing as a simple universal surcharge on every retail boat, so the eventual effect will vary by product, contract and importer. Even so, a new duty of this scale can influence dealer pricing, inventory decisions, model availability and the economics of moving boats across the Canada-US border.
NMMA says it is continuing to monitor the measures and is asking manufacturers to report immediate impacts as the rules take effect. Leisure Boat Guide will treat the published government schedules and subsequent customs guidance as the controlling sources, because implementation details can change and individual tariff classifications require case-by-case confirmation.