Why Are Bass Boats So Expensive.

[barroncooper]

I just can't fathom why bass boats are so expensive. Comparitively speaking, if you bought a car of equal value. say... 65,000 dollars, you'd have a marvel of modern technology. I personally think that automobiles have evolved at a much faster rate than boats. vehicles offer so much more for the money. Whats 65000 get you in a boat? vinyl seats, a tub of fiberglass, some carpet and minimal electronic circuitry compared to a car. We are the fools for showing boat manufacturers that we will pay as much as we do for a dang fishing boat. yeah i know the engines are a large bulk of the cost but still, you can't tell me that a 2 stroke or 4 stroke outboard is worth 20,000 dolars.

[freebie]

the key word you used here is BOAT. boats are a luxury item and they come with a luxury price. when you think of a 65000 bass boat you need to compare them with a top of the line sports car to make the playing field even. I get what you're saying that as Americans we pay way to much for things in general but as long as the money spending public continues to buy at these prices we are stuck with it.

[barroncooper]

I agree with you. but the price doesn't fit with what you get as far as materials and technology offered. I know its like comparing apples to oranges though

[tomustang]

the key word you used here is BOAT. boats are a luxury item and they come with a luxury price. when you think of a 65000 bass boat you need to compare them with a top of the line sports car to make the playing field even. I get what you're saying that as Americans we pay way to much for things in general but as long as the money spending public continues to buy at these prices we are stuck with it.

Cars are luxury items too, some don't realize this since they are just about everywhere, the point here is a boat is a toy and has one specific purpose so the demand warrants a higher price.

[NCLifetimer]

supply and demand. because its more profitable for them to sell x amount at 60k then x+y amount at 40k. If no one bought a boat over 50k, then all the current models would max out at 50k. Bass boats are like cars. You can get a mercedes for 80k or a toyota for 30k, only difference is quality, but not usually 50 thousand in quality. Same with a ranger vs a nitro.

[herefishy42]

The above poster nailed it. There just isnt enough people out there to buy boats at a lowered price and still try and make a profit

[Michael DiNardo]

NCLifetimer knows a thing or two about Economics. Good answer.

Mike

[Glenn]

I think it's a volume thing. A car manufacturer sells tens of thousands of cars of a single model per year, whereas bass boat manufactures sell a few hundred of each model per year.

[Long Mike]

And people wonder why Tracker sells more boats than any other manufacturer. They build Toyotas.

[Fishing Rhino]

There is a simple answer. Cars are made out of parts stamped from metal, or molded from plastic. Cars continually get lighter and more efficient.

Boats need to be built to withstand conditions in which most people will never use them. While boats can be built on an assembly line of sorts, most of the process in building boats involves intensive hand labor. Parts are assembled and welded together by robots in auto manufacturing.

If you want a "fair" comparison, check out the prices of automobiles which are built individually by skilled labor. Ferrari, Lamoborghini, etc., come to mind. Boats hulls and components are not stamped out or vacuum formed like hot tubs.

The most hostile environment for any conveyance is the marine environment. When a plastic stamped out canoe or kayak, with no means of propulsion can be sold for thousand dollars or more, consider this.

Take the Nitro Z-8. The basic Z-8 with no options goes for a tad over 30 grand. The standard 200 HP Mercury Optimax Pro XS sells for more than 15,000 dollars. That means the rest of the rig, boat, trailer and all components costs the customer about 15,000 dollars.

If you really think the prices are outrageous, answer this question. Why have so many of the top names been merged into conglomerates in order to survive, let alone thrive?

A more reasonable comparison would be to compare the price of a bass boat to the price of custom cars or motorcycles that are custom produced by Chip Foose or the custom chopper shops. Heck, a paint job on those cars which is comparable to the metalflake gel coat finish on bass boats will set you back more than the cost of a complete bass boat package.

[Fishing Rhino]

It's all in perspective. I can remember when bread was 12 cents a loaf. I can also remember my parents saying they could remember when bread was two cents a loaf.

At that rate, two or three generations prior to that, the stores must have been paying people to take the bread off their hands.

[SirSnookalot]

I think Glenn is right, we may see a lot of boats but the market really isn't that big. If you want to spend a buck on a boat, try a sailboat, or cabin cruiser.

[J Francho]

Why spend so much? You don't need to spend $65K. I spent $7K on mine, and finish in the money all the time. I take my kids, friends, relatives, the occasional soldier, etc.

[clayton86]

It's all in perspective. I can remember when bread was 12 cents a loaf. I can also remember my parents saying they could remember when bread was two cents a loaf.

At that rate, two or three generations prior to that, the stores must have been paying people to take the bread off their hands.

wow your old lol

[barroncooper]

Why spend so much? You don't need to spend $65K. I spent $7K on mine, and finish in the money all the time. I take my kids, friends, relatives, the occasional soldier, etc.

there is no way in hell I'd spend that much money on a toy that depreciates the way they do. I'll buy one thats 5-8 years old maybe older if its a good boat.

[SirSnookalot]

You don't need a half dozen Loomis NRX's and 6 tackle bags full of lures to catch fish either. People that can afford an expensive boat, all the power to them. Is a Bentley worth 150K more than a Chevy, most likely not, but it's a darn sweet ride and so is a $50,000 boat.

I had a 34' Carver, great boat and I didn't even fish out of it. I fished from a rowboat with 6.5 Elgin hp ob, cost free, people left it with the home.

[200racing]

there is a number of people who want the best of whatever.equally there are plenty of people who are not scared of being in debt.

i dont understand spending that much but hey.............life,liberty and pursuit of happiness!

i wouldnt have it any other way.

[Michael DiNardo]

Nonetheless, the laws of supply and demand set the price. If noone would pay 65,000 for a boat, there would not be a boat that cost $65,000.

Mike

[barroncooper]

what amazes me is some of the rigs I see at local tournaments. the newest of new top of the line boats with two 1198's, two powerpoles, all the bells and whistles while being pulled by a brand new jacked up diesel with obnoxious rims and tires. I make a d**n good living and still couldn't fathom paying1/4 of what some of these truck/boat rigs have to cost. but yeah who ever said it is right... to life, love, and the pursuit of happiness and debt. i guess I'm a bit jealous but I'd love to know how people afford these things, especially if they have children.

[flippin and pitchin]

what amazes me is some of the rigs I see at local tournaments. the newest of new top of the line boats with two 1198's, two powerpoles, all the bells and whistles while being pulled by a brand new jacked up diesel with obnoxious rims and tires. I make a d**n good living and still couldn't fathom paying1/4 of what some of these truck/boat rigs have to cost. but yeah who ever said it is right... to life, love, and the pursuit of happiness and debt. i guess I'm a bit jealous but I'd love to know how people afford these things, especially if they have children.

Loans with terms of 360 years.

[GrundleLove]

The problem that i see is , i think that boats are just flat over priced. period. i bet the time and material tha goes into, lets say, a nitro Z8 is no where even CLOSE to 34k the asking price. Frankly, the most expensive part is the engine, which is TOPS probably 10k with parts and labor (i also think outboards are freakin way over priced) so you are telling me the rest of that boat is like 22 grand? Go screw. I dont believe it. The problem is that its a collective overpricing. from the boat maker, to trolling/outboard motor maker...etc...everyone is over pricing, thus we suffer. there is no way a rep from Tracker Marine or Triton/Stratos the most overpriced boat ive ever layed eyes on, and says "Actually Grundle we are only making like 500 dollars in profit" yea right, its probably like ******* 10 grand.

[Fishing Rhino]

A 200 HP Mercury Optimax runs about 15,000 dollars. If you want the 250 on a Z-8 it will cost you another five grand. Three grand more for the 225 HP engine. Half the price of the boat with 200 HP is for the engine.

Why is it most folks feel they are underpaid, and most things are overpriced?

Unless you know what the profit margin is on a boat, or anything else for that matter, you have nothing other than guesswork to say anything is overpriced.

I can tell you this much about any fiberglass products that are laid up by hand. They will cost much more per pound than items such as bathtubs or shower stalls which are "laid up" with chopper guns. In addition, when I started doing fiberglass fabrication in 1994 I could buy a five gallon pail of black or white gel coat for around 70 dollars. Today, the same product, from the same distributor costs about 260 dollars. Polyester resin which was about nine dollars per gallon is over thirty dollars per gallon.

I'd hazard a guess that the cost of labor has also increased significantly in the past 18 years.

Unless you have access to the books of these companies building bass boats, statements about them being overpriced is only an opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.

[WookieeJedi]

I don't think boats are that expensive. NEW boats are expensive, but used boats seem to be very reasonable. I checked out my local internet ad site and found more than a few nice rigs for under $8K. Most of those boats won't depreciate much more over a 4 year period, meaning you could get most of your money back on a resale later on. A new boat takes a 30% hit just by being purchased. A new boat seems like a poor investment, even worse than a car.

["BRB"]

Nonetheless, the laws of supply and demand set the price. If noone would pay 65,000 for a boat, there would not be a boat that cost $65,000.

Mike

Couldn't agree more if people keep buying them...

[RyneB]

iv always been into cars. I have owned nice and fast boats and nice and fast cars. Here my theory. You can buy a bone stock corvette ZR1 with 700 horsepower for $100,000. Or you can buy a $2,000 piece of junk. Both get you from point A to point B. One does it faster and with a lot more attention. I sold all my fun toys except for my 2004 GTO. I had tons of modifications in to it. It was my baby, but i sold it to get a brand new bass boat. But after i sold it i realized that my 2002 Tracker Pro Crappie does me just fine. Yeah, it doesnt have the storage, deck space, and "look at me" factor as a brand news Ranger. But i upgraded the electronics and it does what it has to do. Boat manufacturers are just like car manufacturers. If i lived on kentucky lake or guntersville, i could justify buying a $50,000 boat. But I live in Illinois and fish strip mines and small rivers. For instance, if i lived near the Autobahn, id own a modded out Porsche GT3. As long as there are people out there willing to pay, theyll keep selling.