Before the doors of Manhattan's Coliseum, thousands of boating enthusiasts queued up for two blocks in a winter rain last week for the opening of the 49th National Motor Boat Show. Eying the crowd's ardor and remembering the sales figures from last year, exhibitors glowed with optimism. Despite the recession, Americans spent a record $2.1 billion on boating in 1958, and the nation's fun fleet grew to 7,330,000 boats—one for every seven families. With the number of active U.S. yachtsmen expanding by 2,000,000 a year (total: 37 million), the industry expects a 10% rise in outboard sales in 1959,...
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