tdschafer
Well-Known Member
That's sad to read.
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Prestige and Galeon, are selling well in this range. America has got to figure this out.....
I know that brand-bashing isn't endorsed by CSR, but if any thread warrants it...
There's something about these cheap imports, because you're right - they're expanding while SR is shrinking, but I don't get it. I looked at big Prestige for a friend of mine. I rejected it outright before I even stepped aboard. The rail had so much slop to it that I let go in fear of pulling it out of the gunnel. It didn't get better as I looked deeper. Same thing with Galeons. I walked through them and couldn't stop saying, "they must be kidding".
SR seemed to be losing some identity. Some models are Euro, others were just odd and disproportionate. All were expensive. I guess that was just a losing formula?
I was at the Miami show and thought the 52DA was well done and it was on my list. Or even the L550..... where to look next?
This is a sad day for great American workmanship delivered by Searay for 50 years. I've grown through the brand with a 240, 320, 420, and now 48DA. Giving up on the 40+ range tells me something is wrong in management. People are purchasing these boats in fact an entire market has opened up for the euro boats coming into the US. Prestige and Galeon, are selling well in this range. America has got to figure this out.....I cant even buy a ford Van anymore that isn't made oversees. Very Sad..... we've lost the competitiveness.
I wonder if inboards & I/Os might be part of the reason. More and more I see folks around here opting for outboard-equipped boats. I know the Venture 37 wasn't big hit, but there were some idiosyncrasies to that one. Perhaps SR needs to emulate Intrepid's cruisers, and similar boats, a bit.
I mean there are reasons to gripe about the maintenance with I/Os, but if outboards were the only option I would be a lot less interested in boating generally. Anchoring and integrating the boat with the water is a huge part of the boating equation for me. Big ol' outboards on the transom may not bother center console guys (in fact, I think the bigger the better actually drives some center console sales), but if it was the only option I would be a lot less interested in boating.
I owned a Yamaha SX-190 jet drive boat before my 310 Sundancer. I would trade my I/O for a jet drive any day of the week but would not even consider an outboard powered boat. If I won the lottery I would almost definitely be on a plane to Maine to place my order for Hinckley.
My buddy has a 44 Coupe Tiara and the quality is excellent, all around. It runs well and is efficient.I've always thought that 80% of Tiara's were "aesthetically challenged", but the 53 coupe and Flybridge stop me in my tracks. I don't know how they're selling, but I wish SeaRay had gone that way. They're fresh-looking, without going euro. There's something about them to me that look solidly, unapologetically American.
I think boating is general is like this, and not just Sea Ray. Boats are just darned expensive. 11 years ago my boat's MSRP was ~$110k but I paid ~$65k. I would not have considered something above $150k. I thought about a 290 AJ but the price jump was too big. Even now I wouldn't realistically be in the market for a $150k boat.The upper middle class that built Sea Ray is mostly gone. What are the demographics of the family that can afford a new $400k boat. It could be wrong, but my feeling is boat prices have risen way above the incomes of the type of folks they used to sell to.
MM
Something wrong in management or something wrong in economics? I guess I'm inclined to think that the economy just isn't producing enough people in the income ranges that can afford to buy these boats. Combine that with boats that have gotten much more expensive as they've added complex features and electronics and you have a product that's accelerating in cost while the number of buyers has shrunk.
I'm also not sure that Sea Ray benefits by having MarineMax so dominant. My experience with their service department was pretty bad. The work was done right, but off the written estimate by 40%, including parts that were estimated at half their actual price. I've seen other complaints in this forum about bad service there, too.
I'm also not sure that Sea Ray benefits by having MarineMax so dominant. My experience with their service department was pretty bad. The work was done right, but off the written estimate by 40%, including parts that were estimated at half their actual price. I've seen other complaints in this forum about bad service there, too.
The upper middle class that built Sea Ray is mostly gone. What are the demographics of the family that can afford a new $400k boat. It could be wrong, but my feeling is boat prices have risen way above the incomes of the type of folks they used to sell to.
MM