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In his TradeOnly Today.com Dealer Outlook
blog titled, “Did we miss the boat, too?”
Norm Schultz discusses the possibility that
the boating industry, like the auto industry,
may have priced itself out of the market by
building bigger boats and not focusing
enough on entry level models.
cabin boat. In the late 1960s and 1970s,
every sailboat builder built a small cuddy
cabin boat. Do any of you remember the
Cal 20 and 24, Columbia 22, Ranger 23, Islander 24 “Bahama,” Pearson “Electra” and
the boats from lesser-known builders?
Now, Hunter is the only sailboat builder
with a small starter boat, and that is too expensive. Let’s get back to the basics!
for the longest time possible and be upside
down in it, and want to trade it in after two
years. So where are we … full circle.
*
“Critics have pointed out that Detroit’s big
three really lost focus in the ’90s when they
opted to put their emphasis on America’s love
affair with SUVs and light trucks. Sure, that
brought them billions in profits, but they were
also allowing Honda and Toyota to take over
the small and midsize car market,” he wrote.
“It occurs to me that it’s time for some
boat manufacturers to take a cue from past
success and bring back to market a package rig for an entry-level price virtually anyone could afford.”
Here is a sampling of the comments
received.
COMMENTS
* *
Jack Mackinnon
“Most of the comments concern powerboats. The sailboat industry has also
missed the mark by ignoring the ‘starter’
* *
Dave Boso
“Doesn’t make any difference if it’s $30,000
or $3,995, most people are going to finance it
David Smyth
“Low cost to purchase is of course important. But low cost to own and operate is
just as crucial. For a long time now, most
boats just sit in their slips because the cost
to operate is so high. Boating is fun, but is
it $400 worth of fun to go to Catalina for
lunch? Is it $600 per month worth of fun to
tie it up in a marina? n
Doug Reimel
“I used to sell a 16 GS160 with a 90-hp
Johnson for $8,995 plus freight, prep, tax
and title. The price just kept going up until
the same boat four years later was
$12,500, plus, plus. The bean counters always say the same phrase, ‘We sold too
many of them for the price we were charging and had to increase our margin in
order to be profitable.’ Translation: ‘We
wanted bigger profits in return for less
units so bigger boats could be developed,
moving the company out of the entry-level
market. Nobody is in the entry-level market any more.
* *
Mercules
“How else are people supposed to get 2-
foot-itis if they don’t start small? We keep
preaching discover “Discover Boating,” yet
the boating we want people to discover
starts at $30,000. The manufacturers that
get new boaters into their 18-19-footers
have them for life if their product line and
dealer network do a good job.
*
AnonymousBob
“Customers … want value for their
hard-earned money. I do, and you should
also. With the quality of materials today,
the reliability of power plants today, and
the economies of scale by the likes of
Genmar and Brunswick, there is no reason the industry can’t have 14-16-foot
boat, motor, trailer packages that are in
the $12-15K range as entry-level packages. Kudos to Genmar for their recent
announcement about their new aluminum
line. Do it on the fiberglass side and capture even more buyers.
Your thoughts?
Weigh in with your own opinion
by e-mailing
editorial@tradeonlytoday.com
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