where did all the production boats go

[Tim Powell]

http://www.inthebite.com/category/news/splash-reports/

somebody is spending money and a gob of it

 

[Tinman]

A lot of good rides and no limit to size and cost. Noticed several large SF's with walk around decks. While at the Ft. Lauderdale show we looked at a Maritimo with a walk around deck and I really liked the design. Many times in the past when offshore fishing getting to the bow easily would have helped catching fish.

 

[Cricket]

Assume you mean Vikings when referring to production boats, they're building great boats these days but there's nothing sexy about them because they're all the same.

 

[saltshaker]

Assume you mean Vikings when referring to production boats, they're building great boats these days but there's nothing sexy about them because they're all the same.

Virking is in that article. I think he means all the press is about customs and little to nothing about production boats. Wasn't too long ago that the major players in the SF arena were production boats. Hatteras, Bertram and Viking at the top with Ocean, Post, Cabo and a few others having a significant presence. SF market has dwindled down to a few elite who have the means and desire to get what they want. Small custom builders can do well in this market as they don't build as many units and need only a few customers. Production builders can't survive this way. Viking seems to be the only production builder who has retained a good customer base and is consistently growing thier line. Hatteras is showing promise with the new boats. Now let's see if they can regain some market share in such a tight market.

 

[krush]

And for the rest of us peasant boaters...feudalism.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Or used boats. I can only think of one member here who bought their Hatteras new. And that was fifty years ago.

 

[Cricket]

I figure there's probably around 40 over 50 feet custom sportfish boats currently under construction which is probably more than the SF boats under construction at Viking and Hatteras combined. So it's basically the Viking buyers and the custom buyers that Hatteras has to pull buyers from. Question is: who is more competition for Hatteras, the customs or Viking?

 

[Tim Powell]

I figure there's probably around 40 over 50 feet custom sportfish boats currently under construction which is probably more than the SF boats under construction at Viking and Hatteras combined. So it's basically the Viking buyers and the custom buyers that Hatteras has to pull buyers from. Question is: who is more competition for Hatteras, the customs or Viking?

I do not know or care what the draw to custom is. But i suspect it is money. They must be cheaper foot for foot verses custom. Why the heck should someone put millions in something that they do not know how its going to turn out and wait 2 years to see it, is beyond me. You can walk up to Hatteras or Viking and there is a good chance you can ride in just a few days, and see one that day.

 

[krush]

Brand loyalty is a very important thing for companies like Hatteras and Viking. Look at Sea-Ray and their brand loyalty from customers.

Hatteras really lacks from having a more "entry level" boat in the 40foot range. Something in the 30's would be even better. The margins may not be so great, but we ALL know of people that have "moved up" in size and started out smaller.

Without giving these buyers in the 35-45foot range something to buy, how are they going to become loyal to the brand and move up to the 50'+? Again, Sea-ray does this very well. People buy smaller boats when starting off and trade in and move up as time goes on.

 

[tom5518]

Look at Sea-Ray and their brand loyalty from customers.

Without giving these buyers in the 35-45foot range something to buy, how are they going to become loyal to the brand and move up to the 50'+? Again, Sea-ray does this very well. People buy smaller boats when starting off and trade in and move up as time goes on.

Sea Ray has mastered their market better than any company in the history of boating. Their client base is new to boating or have only been doing it a short time and know little about it except for brand recognition. The percentage of new boaters who stick with it and become yachtsmen (and women) is small. It always has been and always will be. Very few people who enter boating are still doing it 20 years later. So, most Sea Ray buyers are loyal customers for a few years then they move on to camping or hang gliding or going to dog shows or some other activity they think is the hot thing to do. A small percentage stick with boating and move up beyond common cookie cutter boats. It isn't limited to Sea Ray, but they are by far the biggest.

One of the best boating ads I ever saw by any boat manufacturer was a print ad by Hatteras in all the boating magazines in the late 1970's. I can't remember what model was featured or if there was even a picture of a boat in the ad, but I remember the title:

"Isn't it time to become a yachtsman?"

The customer base for Hatteras or the custom builders is small. There isn't anything that will ever change that.

 

[krush]

Sea Ray has mastered their market better than any company in the history of boating. Their client base is new to boating or have only been doing it a short time and know little about it except for brand recognition. The percentage of new boaters who stick with it and become yachtsmen (and women) is small. It always has been and always will be. Very few people who enter boating are still doing it 20 years later.

I really disagree. I only have anecdotal evidence, but I have seen many people go up up up in size with the Sea-Ray brand. The largest Sea-Ray dealer in the world is in my backyard on the Potomac. I would never own a sea-ray, but I can't help but admire their marketing and business acumen.

 

[tom5518]

I really disagree. I only have anecdotal evidence, but I have seen many people go up up up in size with the Sea-Ray brand. The largest Sea-Ray dealer in the world is in my backyard on the Potomac. I would never own a sea-ray, but I can't help but admire their marketing and business acumen.

You may be right, and I don't doubt that many buyers buy several Sea Rays over their boating years but I still think most are out of boating after a few years, be it 5, 10, or 15 years.

 

[carolinacoast]

I used to own a Sabre, which I loved. They kept data on how long their customers had been in boating, and how many boats their owners had owned or run before a Sabre. It was never published because I suspect, it would sound snobby. Apparently, this particular NE dealer would get his brokers to find that info out first, because they NEVER sold a Sabre used or new to a first time buyer.

I went from the Sabre to the Hatt, once I had a family without the same love of Fiberglass in the blood. The infrastructure has been fabulous, and the build quality is similar.

It is also interesting that I owned an '89 for 10 years, moved to power and a Hatt, and the factory still keeps me on their list. I sold that boat 10 years ago.

The marketing point is that there are many niches within the industry, and I doubt there are any that own Sea Ray after Hatteras.

I had a slip neighbor years ago, with a diesel Sea Ray 40 something, who told me one day he wanted a Hatt. His dealer had sold him that boat for 350K, and told him that Hatts were too hard to operate for less than 20 year salty people because you should never own a boat without a warranty. He started in Bow Rider on a lake and 2 trades later was in that thing for a lot of $$$.

The Sea Ray marketing and psychology machine is amazing.

 

[Tim Powell]

I really disagree. I only have anecdotal evidence, but I have seen many people go up up up in size with the Sea-Ray brand. The largest Sea-Ray dealer in the world is in my backyard on the Potomac. I would never own a sea-ray, but I can't help but admire their marketing and business acumen.

They are a diffrent breed.This past summer one ran aground in the sound and he was towed off by sea tow. Towed to Oriental i went by when he was towed off about a 50 or so. He wound up at Morehead city at the Mariner where i keep my boat. One bent shaft and both props got it. Had the chance to talk to him it was the chart was incorrect per him. He came to Morehead because of time frame faster than Oriental. Turn around time he was in a hurry. Going south!

 

[hatteras 1985]

Without giving these buyers in the 35-45foot range something to buy, how are they going to become loyal to the brand and move up to the 50'+? Again, Sea-ray does this very well. People buy smaller boats when starting off and trade in and move up as time goes on.

Most production boat manufacturers are building fewer boats and charging customers more per boat than 10 or 15 years ago. This applies to brands from Bayliner all the way up to Viking or Hatteras.

Yet I almost fell out of my chair when I looked at the Viking website and saw that the Viking 42C starts at $1,115,000 and the Viking 46C starts at $1,505,000.