Boat Dealers: The FTC's Price Rules Apply to You Too

The Direct Answer

Yes. The FTC's advertised-price rules apply to boat dealers. The FTC Act bars deceptive pricing for any product, and MRAA's Oct. 19 guidance says a boat's advertised price must include every fee the dealer requires, excluding only government taxes and fees. The actual price must be the most prominent price on your website, marketplace listings, social posts, texts, emails and phone quotes.

Why does a rule written about cars reach the boat lot?

Because the underlying law was never about cars. The FTC's pricing FAQs were written for the auto industry, but they rest on Section 5 of the FTC Act, which applies to “any product, including cars.” The FAQs call these requirements decades old.

Marine dealers did get one break. MRAA secured a marine exclusion from the FTC's CARS Rule before a court struck that rule down. That exclusion covered the CARS Rule only. MRAA's Oct. 19 guidance is blunt that the advertised-price expectations are long-standing law, and that the only real change is a renewed focus on enforcement.

In a July Powersports Business report, Brightline Dealer Advisors predicted enforcement would reach powersports within about a year. If you sell boats and bikes, run one policy. The powersports side is in All-In or All-Risk.

What has to be in an advertised boat price?

Everything the buyer can't avoid paying you. MRAA and the FTC FAQs line up on five points:

• Dealer fees and doc fees are in. The FTC FAQs say a mandatory doc fee must be built into the advertised price. If some buyers pay a higher doc fee, the ad must reflect the higher one.
• Only government charges come out. Sales tax, title and registration can be excluded. MRAA notes a dealer inventory tax is the dealer's legal obligation, so it stays in even if you pass it along.
• The real price is the biggest price. MSRP can appear only if it is less prominent than the actual price.
• Used boats get real photos. MRAA says show that exact boat or no photo. Changing a background is fine; using AI to hide damage is not.
• Sold, presold and in-transit boats. Pull sold boats promptly everywhere they appear. Don't advertise presold in-transit units, and label boats that are offsite or on the way.

Sold units are where listings slip most. See Sold on Tuesday, Still Online on Friday.

Where do boat dealers get this wrong?

Boats are priced as packages, and packages hide fees. A new-boat deal stacks hull, engine, trailer, freight, rigging and prep, then a doc fee at the desk. As we wrote in The Boat Isn't the Deal, those pieces often live in different places. Build the listing from one sheet and the buyer's order from another, and the numbers drift.

Disclaimers don't fix it. MRAA's March guidance warns that “additional charges may apply” language is a red flag when those charges are actually required. Keep disclaimers for items that are truly optional.

The Boat Listing Price Check

The test: if the buyer can't take the boat home without paying it to you, it belongs in the advertised price.

Frequently asked questions

Do boat dealers have to include the doc fee in the advertised price?

Yes, if the dealer requires it. The FTC's Sept. 2026 FAQs say mandatory doc fees must be built into the advertised price, and state doc-fee rules don't change that. MRAA gives boat dealers the same guidance.

Can I still show MSRP on a boat listing?

Yes, as long as the actual price is more prominent. Prominence means size, placement and wording, not just font size.

Can I still negotiate?

Yes. MRAA calls the advertised price a ceiling, not a floor. You can sell below it; you can't charge more for required items.

What to do this week

1. Pull five live listings, new, used and in transit, including one third-party marketplace listing.
2. Pull the last buyer's order on each model. Compare the advertised price to the total before government taxes and fees.
3. Run every gap through the Boat Listing Price Check, and fix the fee policy, not just the ad copy.
4. Name one person who removes sold boats from every channel within one business day.
5. Ask your manufacturers whether any pricing or advertising policy conflicts with the FTC's guidance. MRAA says it is working with NMMA and builders on this.

When this doesn't apply

Truly optional products, like service contracts or accessories, stay out of the advertised price if you present them as optional. Some states add disclosure duties, so check yours. The FTC FAQs and enforcement cited here are auto-industry sources, and the FAQs are staff guidance, not a rule. This is not legal advice; review your advertising with counsel.

Where ODL fits

Most pricing gaps start with two sources of truth. Sales Lane builds quotes and deals from one consistent price structure, so the quote number carries to the deal, and Fast Lane connects it through F&I. It supports a clean process; it doesn't replace a compliance review.

See how one price structure carries a boat deal from quote to signed paperwork. Get a Platform Walkthrough.

About the author

Zac Jones is Head of Sales and Marketing at One Dealer Lane. He brings two decades of automotive retail experience, including leadership roles at Cox Automotive, Tekion and AutoFi, and now works with powersports, marine and RV dealers to modernize the deal from first online touch through a transparent close.

Sources

1. MRAA, “FTC Clarifies Advertised Price Rules for Dealers,” Mike Sayre (Oct. 19, 2026)
2. MRAA, “FTC Advertised Price Rules: What Boat Dealers Should Know,” Mike Sayre (Mar. 31, 2026)
3. FTC staff, Automobile Industry Pricing Transparency FAQs (Sept. 15, 2026)
4. FTC, “FTC Warns 97 Auto Dealership Groups About Deceptive Pricing” (Mar. 2026)
5. FTC, “FTC Secures Settlement with Auto Dealership Group in Price Transparency Win for Consumers” (Oct. 8, 2026)
6. Powersports Business, “FTC crackdown coming for powersports dealers, advisers warn” (July 8, 2026)