by Jackie Nunnery
LANCASTER—As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats” and four Lancaster business owners shared just how true that adage is proving to be. During the public input session at the Thursday, March 25, board of supervisors meeting, they noted the positive effects taking place in the local boating industry since the county repealed the boat tax on vessels over five tons in 2015 and those less than five tons in 2016.
Clay Holcomb, president of Chesapeake Boat Basin in Kilmarnock, said slip rentals, which help people “get interested in the county,” were up 19%. That would be even greater if he hadn’t been preparing for a dock expansion. “I put a time out on letting a lot of new boats come in,” said Holcomb.
The tax repeal led to more winter storage, which is up 31%, “a major increase,” he said. The increased winter storage has snowballed into other gains….
