Brunswick selling off Sea Ray brand

They also have large sunroofs that open things up when the weather is good and button things up when it is cool or rainy. We don't think too much about weather any more since moving to Tiara. We are boating this PM with friends and forecasted rain. Their designs give you flexibility during iffy weather.

Totally agree. We boat year-round in the Pacific Northwest and we couldn't really do that previously with the Chaparral Sig 300.
 
I toured the Tiara plant in Holland this last March. Freakin incredibly built! I would not be shy about buying a Tiara. Only one problem....clubtiara.com?
 
I toured the Tiara plant in Holland this last March. Freakin incredibly built! I would not be shy about buying a Tiara. Only one problem....clubtiara.com?

If enough of us eventually have to migrate to Tiara, why not?
 
We are seriously considering the 53 Tiara Coupe as our next boat. We're not ready to make a move yet but it's very high on our list. We toured the 2018 model while visiting Chicago and it's a gorgeous boat. Fit & finish very much on point with Sea Ray quality. But - we need to wait for the boat to depreciate first. Not paying new boat prices!! Until then, we're very happy with our 450DA (except for the damned canvas).


We have been in the market for a 45'-51' for quite a while. Looking back at the 6 months, I've seen just about every SR in that size. I can't quite put my finger on why we hadn't pulled the trigger, but I suspect it's because I've always wanted to look at a Tiara Coupe. I will wait until they become used as well. Not many up for sale right now.
 
We just returned from a nice three hour ride with friends. The humidity has moved into West Michigan along with some rain. Listened to good jazz, no one was on the lake so no rocking and rolling from inconsiderate captains, and the cockpit was a cool 74, dry degrees.
 
We have been in the market for a 45'-51' for quite a while. Looking back at the 6 months, I've seen just about every SR in that size. I can't quite put my finger on why we hadn't pulled the trigger, but I suspect it's because I've always wanted to look at a Tiara Coupe. I will wait until they become used as well. Not many up for sale right now.

With Sea Ray stopping production of their yachts and sport yachts it really begs the question as to whether the prices of current Sea Ray yachts will drop considerably or how will this new development affect the values of our boats? I suspect that our 2010 450DA has already gone through the majority of its depreciation but could it take a further hit?

The reality is that there is very little in the market for yachts larger than 45' and not over $1 million unless you're willing to go with a much older boat.

For us, we wouldn't consider going older than 2012 or smaller than 50' in our next boat/yacht. My husband says he doesn't see any point in upgrading to a larger boat that's only 5 feet larger than what we have but if it's a completely different layout like the Cantius 50 or the Tiara then maybe it's worth it. Our biggest issues with our 450 DA are the canvas (!!), the lack of support for our Zeus drives and the smallish master stateroom bed. A boat with a full-beam master, no canvas, a galley up, more room for entertaining regardless of the weather...this is what we're looking for. Until then we've updated what we can in our 450 such as the electronics, cockpit carpet, staying on top of maintenance. Our timeline is more like 2-3 years unless an amazing opportunity comes along.
 
With Sea Ray stopping production of their yachts and sport yachts it really begs the question as to whether the prices of current Sea Ray yachts will drop considerably or how will this new development affect the values of our boats? I suspect that our 2010 450DA has already gone through the majority of its depreciation but could it take a further hit?

The reality is that there is very little in the market for yachts larger than 45' and not over $1 million unless you're willing to go with a much older boat.

For us, we wouldn't consider going older than 2012 or smaller than 50' in our next boat/yacht. My husband says he doesn't see any point in upgrading to a larger boat that's only 5 feet larger than what we have but if it's a completely different layout like the Cantius 50 or the Tiara then maybe it's worth it. Our biggest issues with our 450 DA are the canvas (!!), the lack of support for our Zeus drives and the smallish master stateroom bed. A boat with a full-beam master, no canvas, a galley up, more room for entertaining regardless of the weather...this is what we're looking for. Until then we've updated what we can in our 450 such as the electronics, cockpit carpet, staying on top of maintenance. Our timeline is more like 2-3 years unless an amazing opportunity comes along.
The canvas issue was a big deal for us as well. Got tired of putting it up and down. Also the walk around deck on the SR was too narrow and it made hooking shore power up a chore. Having the Shore power connection in the cockpit makes moving the boat easier. These sound like small issues but as age and arthritis become part of the calculus, boat design becomes more important to decision makers.
 
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With Sea Ray stopping production of their yachts and sport yachts it really begs the question as to whether the prices of current Sea Ray yachts will drop considerably or how will this new development affect the values of our boats?

I've been thinking of this a lot since the announcement. I'm going to take somewhat of a contrarian view. With the exit of Sport Yachts and Yachts (40+ feet) production, the availability, or simply the quantity, of those boat becomes fixed. There is no more new supply of 10 year old boats hitting the resale market. From the first law of economics: supply goes down, price goes up.

Time will tell.

Jaybeaux
 
Cant help but think yachts/boats are poised for a revolution in technology. Look at Home ownership. Look at the articles in the past couple of years regarding the move to renting rather owning by Boomers. Look at autos:ride hailing; electric vehicles. I believe there will always be a market for multi-million dollar yachts that are custom built-just like estate size homes but yachts in the middle market will either evaporate or technology will provide a way to build them at a vastly more affordable cost, including operational costs. Check out the rise in the "SUV's" of boats-the Center Console. People will always love the water but the Melenials are more about the "experience" rather than the Pride of Ownership, look at the rise of boat rental clubs. This Boomer laments many of the changes but change is inevitable.
 
Again, I don't have sales data to back this up, but my own observation as well as claims by MM suggest that there's a strong market for yachts and sport yachts. Azimut, Prestige and Gag-leon are gaining market share. Something went wrong at SeaRay. Likely several things. I suspect some these things include:

- MM
- Awkward styling (ok, Gag-leon challenges this, but at least they're not pretending to be attractive or high-end)
- Euro-clone styling
- Pricing / value
- Limited category of boats. When I saw the first SR "coupe", I wondered why it was called a Sundancer, and why it replaced Sundancers. They're coupes! Some people like them, others aren't ready. Big, sleek expresses are still offered by many other mfr's, but SeaRay was abandoning the style of boat that made them who they are (were).
 
Again, I don't have sales data to back this up, but my own observation as well as claims by MM suggest that there's a strong market for yachts and sport yachts. Azimut, Prestige and Gag-leon are gaining market share. Something went wrong at SeaRay. Likely several things. I suspect some these things include:

- MM
- Awkward styling (ok, Gag-leon challenges this, but at least they're not pretending to be attractive or high-end)
- Euro-clone styling
- Pricing / value
- Limited category of boats. When I saw the first SR "coupe", I wondered why it was called a Sundancer, and why it replaced Sundancers. They're coupes! Some people like them, others aren't ready. Big, sleek expresses are still offered by many other mfr's, but SeaRay was abandoning the style of boat that made them who they are (were).

You make some very good points. We've been looking at Sea Rays in our quest for our next boat (whenever that might be) mainly because we love the quality of our current boat. For the newer Sea Rays I really wonder why some of the designs were chosen - a single helm seat? a master bed set at a diagonal? a weird galley counter set at another angle? When you're on a boat that's moving, symmetry is important. I don't need one more thing sticking out to injure myself on. Prestige makes a beautiful boat but when you start opening cabinets, knocking on hollow cabin doors and knowing that the hull is thinner than most yachts out there - why would you spend the money on one unless your primary usage is sitting at the dock sipping cocktails?

Sea Ray had an opportunity to blend more classic "boaty" styling and bringing in more modern, contemporary designs but I think they missed the mark and their customers noticed. Also the price-point really makes one wonder why larger boats seem to sell for right around $400K and then seem to jump directly to $1 million. The yacht/boat industry needs to develop something at an in-between price point. I guarantee they'd start seeing some sales. I still laugh at the L-590 Fly for sale at Lake Union Sea Ray for $3.3 million. Really? They will never sell that thing for anywhere close to that dollar amount. And who wants a yacht with 3 engines/pods. No thanks.
 
Another middle market causality from earlier this year:
Bavaria Yachts, one of the world's largest production boatbuilders, is in financial trouble after US investors decided to withdraw support for the company
Read more at http://www.yachtingworld.com/news/bavaria-yachts-files-bankruptcy-investors-pull-catamaran-division-still-going-strong-114324#D4dehhs8eIf06Jrv.99
 
With Sea Ray stopping production of their yachts and sport yachts it really begs the question as to whether the prices of current Sea Ray yachts will drop considerably or how will this new development affect the values of our boats? I suspect that our 2010 450DA has already gone through the majority of its depreciation but could it take a further hit?

The reality is that there is very little in the market for yachts larger than 45' and not over $1 million unless you're willing to go with a much older boat.

For us, we wouldn't consider going older than 2012 or smaller than 50' in our next boat/yacht. My husband says he doesn't see any point in upgrading to a larger boat that's only 5 feet larger than what we have but if it's a completely different layout like the Cantius 50 or the Tiara then maybe it's worth it. Our biggest issues with our 450 DA are the canvas (!!), the lack of support for our Zeus drives and the smallish master stateroom bed. A boat with a full-beam master, no canvas, a galley up, more room for entertaining regardless of the weather...this is what we're looking for. Until then we've updated what we can in our 450 such as the electronics, cockpit carpet, staying on top of maintenance. Our timeline is more like 2-3 years unless an amazing opportunity comes along.
Look at a 60' Hatteras.....
 
There’s a guy on another forum, a worker at the Palm Coast plant, posting pictures of the line. Last three boats to be completed are a 460, 520, and 550 Fly. All others scrapped.:(
 
Wonder if the last one to come off the line gets a special plaque or something....
 
Wonder if the last one to come off the line gets a special plaque or something....

It will get a final polish with the tears of the factory workers.

I about hurled when I read that hulls in-progress were scrapped. Seems like a huge waste, but I don't know the % of completion. I'm sure someone ran the numbers.
 

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