You are talking about high end models. Denali trucks and 20-21' boats. Common sense says they will cost more.
You are talking about high end models. Denali trucks and 20-21' boats. Common sense says they will cost more.
Financing is the cause. People don't care what it cost as long as they can make the payment.
2021 Skeeter ZX150
2020 Sea Doo GTI se 170
Bassboats are not really that expensive, but when you put $2000 in wheels, $2500 trolling motor, $4000 in remote anchors, over $6000 in sonar, and all the other bell and whistles it adds up. When i started fishing if you had a 17-18' bass boat with a 150, 2 flashers, and a 24 volt trolling motor you had everything you needed. Probably caught a lot more fish too.
I paid less than $700 more for a brand new 2018 fully loaded truck then i did for same new 2014 model. I'll gladly take it.
The OP was about the price of boats going up and a prediction of a $150,000 price. There are many reasons for the price of a boat or anything else and I would think interest rates are just one very small part of it. With low interest rates for borrowing money it's good business sense to borrow instead of using your cash. If I can make 6-10% or more in the stock market as a very very passive investor and borrow some money at 3% it makes sense to do that as long as you have the disposable income to make the payments. I put a big down payment on my boat using the proceeds from my old boat along with selling some stock and I borrowed the remaining at 3% for 5 years. I'll pay that off in less than two paying very little interest and making money on my cash at the same time. I could have paid cash but why do that and lose that income? And yes, I was paying attention to the payment and it was part of my decision in buying my boat at this time but I don't think it contributed to the price of the boat. These posts come up all the time saying the price of boats is out of hand and the average person can't afford them. Well that could be true but maybe the average person shouldn't be be buying a very expensive boat unless they have the disposable income. And who am I to judge what people pay for a boat or how they pay for it or whether they can afford it or not. That's why the secondary market for boats and trucks is flooded. Because people do buy them and then have to get rid of them. So that's good for others!Originally Posted by GOTTA BIG SACK
2021 Skeeter ZX225
2021 Yamaha SHO 225 VF225LA
Of course that does make sense, but I'd bet it's a small percentage of boat buyers that actually had the cash and the option to invest it.
I can agree partially that "we" are to blame for the increase in boat prices, but not because we continue to purchase new boats. Looking back over the past 18 years and what has transpired, I believe it is the "demand" from the customer for perfection.
Years ago you could deal on a boat with your dealer and everyone was happy. As time went on, the buyers tried to be more and more savvy when purchasing a boat. Playing dealers against dealers, demanding perfection from the manufacturers and then bitch when their boat was in the shop for months on end. It just seems to me, personally, that the buyer has become so "demanding", that the manufacturers need to charge more along with the dealers to meet this "demand", let alone higher wages along the way, cost of materials, innovation, healthcare, and so on, and so on. This demand of perfection has forced the manufacturers and dealers to set "minimum advertised pricing" on these new boats to cover this. I don't blame them.
I have only owned 3 glass bass boats. The first two were fine with small items that needed to be taken care of......I took care of the small items myself along with dealer support to send me the parts. My last boat is my current 2018 Z522D and it turned out perfect, I have not found a flaw in this boat....and my dealer did a great job rigging it for me.
I was without a boat for about 2 1/2 years and was hell bent on getting back on the water, so I ordered my Z522D. Sure the price was high, but I ordered it with everything I wanted as mentioned above. I understand that it takes money, and lots of it, to run a manufacturing plant like Ranger has. My dealer has a very large operation as well, he also needs to pay his employees and provide service to me when I need it. It is what it is at the end of the day. When I look around my dealers facility I am astonished at what he has and can only speculate on the cost!
The mind set that some people have, where by not purchasing a new boat, that it will drive prices down, is at a minimum, ludicrous. The manufacturers will always sell boats. If they don't sell enough boats, they may need to down size. The consumer has the option of which manufacturer they choose to buy from.....this is competition. From what I have seen, most of these manufacturers have their boats priced fairly close to one another.
I don't believe for one minute there is gouging going on. I believe the prices reflect the cost of running a business.
M
The cost of the electronics and accessories that go on boats now is a big part of why the price has gone up. Humminbird/Lowrance/PowerPole/Minn Kota do not have enough competition in the industry to drive prices down like the rest of the technology market. TV's, laptops/desktops, stereos, etc. are constantly improving and also constantly getting cheaper due to better technology and constant competition.
People rave about how good the customer service is with companies like Power Pole and never stop to wonder how they can afford to send you brand new replacement parts without question.
As long as the money is lent freely, prices will continue to be what they are. Look at the cost of higher education. Practically no one gets turned down for student loans. Colleges know this, jack their prices up and the customers keep coming because we have relegated 4 year college to the "have to" if you want to be successful.
As long as there are people willing and banks are able to sign away 10 year notes (only 120 EASY payments) on boats, the prices will continue be what they are. Let interest rates and lending requirements tighten up and see how prices correspond.
Much the way Power Poles, multiple MFDs and a dozen rods have been deemed essential to catch a fish. You know "game changers". Hang enough crap on a boat and you "need" 300HP and 5 batteries to get it up to a ridiculous speed that is dangerous in most situations. As someone else pointed out, it's not the bare hull that's expensive.
I always thought a large part of the expense of these boats were the engines, that being said maybe the advancement in the technology is pushing the price up as well.
Actually after pricing boats without any add ons, just a trailer and motor, the hulls are quite expensive. It’s not hard to break down what a motor cost and deduct that from a boat cost.
At the end of the day, it is what it is, a toy that’s over priced. The whole adding cost because of picky buyers is ludicrous too, they try to find ways out of warranty’s.
That is the same a $26,000 now. You can get pretty close now, maybe not a ranger but a 18' with 150. And the one you buy now will last pretty much forever because it will not have any wood in it.
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If dealers are only going to use MAP, why have a sales force? Seems you could cut overhead that way. I also think Pro Staff sales are overated, another area that could be cut.
lets compare , maybe 20 25 years ago trucks where built on the line with a lot of workers building them at a decent wage and the cost 25,000 to 30,000 , now robots are building them and the only pay they get is a little oil or grease and the cost is 50,000 maybe more , but the bass boats are still being built by workers
Supply and demand---simple economics. Whatever the market can support on any manufactured goods will determine retail pricing.
We live in an open and free democracy, for the most part, and manufacturers and retailers will price their products accordingly based on what the market will allow.
Fussing over the price of expensive toys means we are fortunate. Maybe we should pause and count our blessings. We truly live in the land of milk and honey.
Consumers have choices. That's a good thing.
That is the same a $26,000 now. You can get pretty close now, maybe not a ranger but a 18' with 150. And the one you buy now will last pretty much forever because it will not have any wood in it.
Well les see now its 33 years old now that might not be forever but how many people you know keep em that long LOL
After I win the Texas Lotto, I bet I can get close to $150K. Bass Cat Jag, 400R, 2 15' poles, 4 16" units. two Ultrex (got to have a spare for the spare box) 1000 watt stereo and a wrap that says mine is bigger than yours.
P01135809
Lol. Even if I won the lotto I wouldn’t want all of that, now I do think I’d own 2 boats though. Maybe 3...
If I knew could make 6-10% in the stock market, I'd remortgage the house for every dime I could get, and take maximum loans on all my vehicles, and boat, and invest in stocks. But this little thing called risk can rear its ugly head up. In 2007-2008 my 401K portion invested in stocks made -55%, and took about 4 years to recover. If I pay off my house, I'm essentially making 5% guaranteed in money saved in not paying interest.
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