Is boating dying

Pietro has a point...people in general don't have the amout of "play" money as before, so they are doing less expensive things.
 
katricol said:
Pietro has a point...people in general don't have the amout of "play" money as before, so they are doing less expensive things.
Click to expand...

I also believe that too many people got into boating with no idea of what it means... being unaware of the maintenance bills that cannot be paid asking for a loan....these people will never get back regardless of their wealth.
 
Tonka Boater said:
I guess I disagree and will try to be the voice of optimism here. Regal Boats just re-hired 100 workers in anticipation of increased sales of new boats in 2010. Last fall they laid off 200 of their 400 employees and they're bringing half of them back. Also, Brunswick has restarted it's Meridian Yacht plant in Florida and has brought back 100 employees.

I don't think the days of easy credit terms are over forever. Banks are still feeling the sting right now so they are being overly tight with the money as they should be. Things are starting to balance out and over time banks will ease up. We probably won't see crazy, risky credit terms anymore but it will get easier.
-
Click to expand...

I truly do hope you are right. I have been in the construction and development business for 37 years and I have never seen a downturn as deep and long lasting as this one. I'm ready for some good news.:thumbsup:
 
Is boating dying
Click to expand...

No, it's just under a period of change. The boating industry is cyclical, always has been, always will. It always comes back, but in a different way each time.
 
I am in the Warren Buffet camp these days. One of his more famous sayings is "Sell on Greed and Buy on Fear." There is a lot of fear and uncertainty out there these days and some is justified. Expecially if one has lost their job. However, this fear brings opportunities which is why I bought a boat now versus waiting until the Spring when I could actually put it in the water. Boat manufacturers have cut production drastically in the past 2 years due lack of sales. This production cutback means fewer new boats will be for sale next year and thus increase the demand for used boats along with their lower prices. The same thing will happen to autos and eventually homes. Despite what the libs think, supply and demand does work and doesn't have to be tinkered with that much. :thumbsup:

Oops, it's stopped snowing so now I have to go out and fire up the John Deere and snowblow the driveway so the Admiral doesn't bark at me when she gets back from work tonight!!:smt021
 
Last edited:
Besides the short-term cycles, I think there are a few other factors. The single income family has been gradually replaced with dual-income families. Now that Mom brings hom 50% of the pay in most families, it's a little harder for Dad to go buy the big boat. In addition, I think the average person is working more hours and has less time to use his boat.
 
I am new to Club Sea Ray but happy to find a central site for like-minded individuals.

While I do agree with many of the posts regarding boating's cyclical nature I also wonder if the boating industry will see some dramatic changes and an overall reduction in consumer spending over the long haul as a result of this latest economic meltdown.

For my part, I will always be a boater but I am also looking over the long term to significantly reduce my costs and reliance on yard services, migrate to less problematic power packages than my current I/Os and, in the long term, migrate to a self-service and custom built boating experience.

I am a huge fan of the Evinrude E-Tec outboards, capable of self-winterizing and minimum dealer required servicing. I am also a fan of fewer and simpler systems on boats, and those that can be owner maintained.

My wife and I have a 2006 320 and also a 175 of the same year, the smaller boat being our get-around boat as we live on an island for 7 months out of the year.

My views toward consumption, spending, and use of money has changed dramatically post collapse and I don't see us going back to a consumption mind-set we had previously. We will continue to boat and cruise because we have a passion for it; we will just spend less extravagantly than we did in the past and put a long term emphasis on more sustainable boating.

It will be interesting to see how companies like Sea Ray and similar respond to a likely smaller and more cost conscious market.

Jeff
 
Last edited:
I kind of look at it this way:

So long as the salmon returns and there is Halibut on the bottom, the bears and moose roam the mountain side, the admiral says we will boat.:thumbsup:

Buying a Sea Ray will enable us to "hang" over the kill zone for a longer period of time. Just suck it up and buy the gas..........:smt038
 
I live in south Fl. and see the slow down here also. I fueled yesterday in Admirals Jupiter home to many 60ft plus yachts. The dock attendant said they are down about 30% even the big boys are feeling the pinch. Although if anyone knows this marina they are alot of Madoffs buddys there. I know I was always boat no matter what , maybe a smaller boat, maybe a partner but a boat is essential for my sanity.
 
Boats and other toys are the first items given up by people when times get bad. Now couple that with the fact that the boaing industry is consistantly building boats that cost as much as or more than houses and see if it is surprising that alot of folks have left boating in wholesale numbers. Add to that equation record high fuel prices and the other costs of boating and you have the makings of a self made disaster. The boating industry has priced itself out of its market. There is a limit to how much people are willing to spend or borrow in order to have something.

I remember when I was a kid back in the '60s, my dad bought a two year old Trojan F26 for about $3500. Today a two year old 26' boat of comprable make will cost way more(adjusted for inflation). I agree with whoever said that they would rather fix up an older boat and have inexpensive access to the water than to go into deep debt to say I have a new boat. In fact thats exactly what we did, bought an older model that was in good shape (also easy to work on by a DIY type like me). There will always be people with unlimited resources able to buy what ever they like, but the big boating and housing booms were based on average people buying more than thay could afford on credit they shouldn't have been given. What we are seeing is a market self correction that will eventually bottom out and recover but it will be different after the recovery than it was before.
I'm reminded of a prof. I had in environmental bio. who said that any natural system, when pushed beyond its carrying capacity, will collapse to below its carrying capacity and slowly rebound to a stable level just below that capacity.
 
+1. A 325k list price for a new 350DA is enough to scare away anyone interested in a sleep aboard boat, especially when the salesman tells them it will burn 35 gallon per hour.
 
I got out of boating about 10yrs ago hadn't really thought about it then we went to Vegas and a friend invited us to go out to Lake Mead and started thinking about it again then we went to a 4th of July Fire works where I use to go boating and got the bug back and the hunt was on we looked for months and I found the one I have now in October I got it for very short money now we are back . I don't care what the price of gas is I am going Boating.
Obama and all his Globalist ain't keeping me off the water.and if the sky falls I'll be out there watching it. I will be plowing snow all Winter to boat all Summer.:grin:
Clubs come and go peoples lives change some times the older members just don't want to let the younger ones in and let them be a part of running it. :smt009
 
I for one was quite pleased with the noticeable decrease in boats out on the lake this summer. Less boats and less boaters isn't a bad thing unless you are a boat manufacturer or dealer. It's safer and it was easier to find a slip at the more desirable restuarants and watering holes. The wait for service calls is shorter. The wait lists are gone at the marinas and there is some competition to lure in customers The boating industry will right size itself and get healthy again. Customer service can only improve in this enviroment. I don't want to see things go back to where they were 2-3 yrs ago.
 
SCORPIO said:
I remember when I was a kid back in the '60s, my dad bought a two year old Trojan F26 for about $3500. Today a two year old 26' boat of comprable make will cost way more(adjusted for inflation).
Click to expand...

The manufacturers are listening. The boating industry will survive. You'll see them build that Trojan again. Here's what it will look like: 26 feet, single screw IB diesel of low HP, semi displacement, no electronics, basic head, single burner alcohol stove for the tax credit, hot water only from the engine, no windlass, no carpet, no generator, half of the cost of a new 270DA.
 
I remember when Jimmy Carter was president, 79-81, every thing had gone to hell. Grand Banks had the Trawler market under control. DeFever sold their operation to a couple of investors that started having them built in Taiwan. Next thing you know...here came Choy Lee..another high quality line of boats. They were a fraction of the cost of the Grand Banks and they sold.

The Chinese are masters of duplication. I would not be surprised to see the Chinese get into building boats for the US market.
With all of the pent up demand that the public has for boating a quality built boat replicating some of Sea Rays more popular models could be a viable alternative for cash strapped buyers.

It doesn't take a lot to build a boat. I have seen some very good boats built here in South Florida over the years for not a lot of money. The example cited earlier of $325K for a 35 ft Sundancer has a lot of margin in it. If you can produce a similar boat with the same propulsion system and price it at $150K you will be a very busy man at major boat shows taking orders.

These economic downturns produce the next winners...there was a recession in 1959~1961. Glastron and Larson were big players in the recreational boating field. Times were hard and a fellow by the name of Connie Ray thought he could produce a less expensive alternative to the big names of the day...the rest is history.:thumbsup:
 
sprink56 said:
I remember when Jimmy Carter was president, 79-81, every thing had gone to hell. Grand Banks had the Trawler market under control. DeFever sold their operation to a couple of investors that started having them built in Taiwan. Next thing you know...here came Choy Lee..another high quality line of boats. They were a fraction of the cost of the Grand Banks and they sold.

The Chinese are masters of duplication. I would not be surprised to see the Chinese get into building boats for the US market.
With all of the pent up demand that the public has for boating a quality built boat replicating some of Sea Rays more popular models could be a viable alternative for cash strapped buyers.

It doesn't take a lot to build a boat. I have seen some very good boats built here in South Florida over the years for not a lot of money. The example cited earlier of $325K for a 35 ft Sundancer has a lot of margin in it. If you can produce a similar boat with the same propulsion system and price it at $150K you will be a very busy man at major boat shows taking orders.

These economic downturns produce the next winners...there was a recession in 1959~1961. Glastron and Larson were big players in the recreational boating field. Times were hard and a fellow by the name of Connie Ray thought he could produce a less expensive alternative to the big names of the day...the rest is history.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Kia brand boats or equal.

Mass produced, basic, no frills, relatively low margin, simple maintenance boats.
 
For reasons that would require another thread, or two to try to explain, our current political climate is promoting a "haves against the have-nots" in this country, IMO. I remember the Carter administration in the late 70's and 21% money. I'm optimistic that this too will pass.
 
Let's not get to excited - economics 101, the laws of supply and demand. equalibrium was out of wacked and now everything is adjusting to a new equalibrium
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,185
Messages
1,428,151
Members
61,095
Latest member
380Thumper
Back
Top