Lot of good points here. I really think the issue is what the top end target is now vs 25 years ago. For example, in 1991 I bought a new 361-V Ranger with every option available for $18,700.00 out the door. Other than not having a tandem axle trailer it was a carbon copy of the same boat Denny Brauer was running that year. From a financial standpoint it was a blip on the radar for me at the time as in not a big deal at all. Lots of guys today are dropping 80K plus on rigs and still not matching what the pros are running which sets the bar for top of the line. I have a much better job today with much higher pay (even figuring inflation) as compared to 1991 but honestly it would take a lot for me to spend that level of money on a boat. I dropped 42K on my last Ranger and that was and still really is the dividing line between "that wasn't so bad" and "I'm probably not going there".
I don't care where you are financially, dropping 80K to 90K on a luxury item is going to leave a mark on your balance sheet for the year and it's just plain off the table for most. In other words the best the market offered used to be within reach of most of the market place while today, that same goal is out of reach for most. We as anglers have self driven much of this and I'm not complaining here, just stating where some of the frustration is coming from.