Seven of the 12 boating activities recorded in the survey have risen since 2006, including sailing and yacht cruising, racing and motorboating and cruising, although only canal boating has increased to a significant level.

The annual survey was sponsored by Sunsail and conducted by the BMF Statistics and Market Research department in partnership with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the RYA. This is the sixth year that the report has been undertaken which has not only established a firm foundation for assessing trends in participation, but also gained invaluable information.

The report's key findings include the fact that 7.84% of the adult population participated in a boating activity in 2007 and that canoeing remains the most popular individual boating activity, with over 1m adults participating

Whilst boating participation is still dominated by men, female participation has seen a steady increase

Growth in participation was strongest in the 35 – 54 age group, although the report still shows that 16 – 34 year olds are the most likely to get involved in boating activities.

Apart from the use of personal watercraft (PWC), more adults participated in boating activity in the UK than abroad. Within the UK the boating time spent is split almost equally between inland and coastal.

The 2007 report also looks at more general leisure activities in and around the water, as well as the boating categories. Taking all 21 activities into account it has been calculated that 14.7m people participate in watersports and leisure activities. This figure demonstrates an increase on 13.8m in 2006 and 12.9m in 2005.

'The 2007 Watersports participation study shows just how popular and important to the UK leisure market boating remains,' said Rob Stevens, BMF chief executive. 'With up to four million adults going boating and almost a third of all adults taking part in some form of activity in or around the water in 2007, it is important that all those who wish to are given the opportunity to take advantage of the fantastic facilities on offer around the country. We hope that participation continues to grow with more and more people interested in taking to the water.'

The Watersports and Leisure Participation report for 2007 is now available to download from the BMF website at britishmarine.co.uk/statistics