The boat market is crashing

[Swinghead]

I’m still waiting on the crash. I’m in the market for a newer used boat and still stupid high. 

[airshot]

Prices will stay up as long as people are buying..  When people start realizing they can't really afford the toys, then prices will come down.  If boat mfgrs used leasing like the automakers do it might be different but we long time boaters know that would never work.

Keep saving up and watch the market closely, there will be some down times so be ready to jump.  When spring rolls around don't expect any good buys after folks have spent all winter dreaming.  Mid to late summer might bring out some deals, depending on much worse the economy gets....patience my friend !

 

[A-Jay]

Boat motor and trailer package prices may vary slightly from time to time. Might even save a few bucks.   However I Never expect them to drop drastically. Ever. 

Especially to where something is not affordable now, but could be later.

Nope.  Life is short, get it now if you can.

A-Jay

 

 

[gim]

I intend to go to the Minneapolis Boat Show which starts one week from today.  I will be sure to take some photos and post them here.  A guy can dream.

[slonezp]

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

I intend to go to the Minneapolis Boat Show which starts one week from today.  I will be sure to take some photos and post them here.  A guy can dream.

Chicago show started today. Haven't decided if I'm going to go yet. The style of boat I'm considering are not popular in the Great Lakes region as of yet. I'm seeing a few pop up in Sturgeon Bay only not the manufacturers I've been looking at. Going to have to go to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale boat shows

[Born 2 fish]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

Chicago show started today. Haven't decided if I'm going to go yet. The style of boat I'm considering are not popular in the Great Lakes region as of yet. I'm seeing a few pop up in Sturgeon Bay only not the manufacturers I've been looking at. Going to have to go to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale boat shows

What style boat are you looking at? 

[MN Fisher]

7 minutes ago, Born 2 fish said:

What style boat are you looking at?

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, Born 2 fish said:

What style boat are you looking at? 

Hybrid Bays. I'm leaning towards Sportsman. I like everything I have researched about Everglades but it's too much coin for me at this point in my life. Sportsman has a great layout IMO and family friendly. 

 

I want to see the boat in person 

 

[DaubsNU1]

My brother gave $25k for his 2020 Alaskan 1800. 

 

 

@A-Jay is right, "Life is short, get it now if you can."

 

[airshot]

Was into Bass Pro the other day, they had a stack of small jon boats for sale.  The smallest...a 10' was 1150.00...  I bought a brand new one when I was a kid in 1962, for 95 bucks tax and tittle out the door.......

[gim]

9 hours ago, airshot said:

The smallest...a 10' was 1150.00...  I bought a brand new one when I was a kid in 1962, for 95 bucks tax and tittle out the door.......

 

I bought a 12 footer in 2014 for 400 bucks.  Split it with my Father.  Still have it too.  Use it to float a small, shallow river for smallmouth and I also used it to duck hunt.

[Born 2 fish]

21 hours ago, slonezp said:

Hybrid Bays. I'm leaning towards Sportsman. I like everything I have researched about Everglades but it's too much coin for me at this point in my life. Sportsman has a great layout IMO and family friendly. 

 

I want to see the boat in person 

 

That’s a good looking boat my buddy has a bay boat similar and really likes it. He fishes lake geneva often and he pulls it down to the keys and tarpon fishes.

[Stratocat_Joe]

20 hours ago, airshot said:

Was into Bass Pro the other day, they had a stack of small jon boats for sale.  The smallest...a 10' was 1150.00...  I bought a brand new one when I was a kid in 1962, for 95 bucks tax and tittle out the door.......

To be fair, $95 in 1962 is equivalent to around $1,000 today...

[FishTank]

On 1/12/2024 at 7:32 PM, Stratocat_Joe said:

To be fair, $95 in 1962 is equivalent to around $1,000 today...

 

 That sounds about right. 

 

After I got a job my first job in 1986 at a video rental shop, my mom told me she made $1.25 an hour (around 1962) at a department store and not to fuss about the $3.50 an hour I was getting.  

[MN Fisher]

54 minutes ago, FishTank said:

That sounds about right. 

Ya - working part-time at a gas station in 1977 I think I was making $2.25 an hour.

[treble hook]

I was at a fishing show over the weekend and the boat prices did seem to be slightly down. I hope it’s a trend because I want a new boat in the next year or so.

[Dwight Hottle]

1 hour ago, FishTank said:

 

 That sounds about right. 

 

After I got a job my first job in 1986 at a video rental shop, my mom told me she made $1.25 an hour (around 1962) at a department store and not to fuss about the $3.50 an hour I was getting.  

 

My first job in the early sixties was @ $1.25 an hour around 1962 or 1963. That was minimum wage.

[padlin]

Mine was in 70, if we don’t count the paper routes, I got $1.50 hr as a dishwasher soda jerk at Friendly’s. For some reason I got an even cut of the tips the waitress’s got. Poor girls got something like $.75 an hour.

[MN Fisher]

22 minutes ago, padlin said:

a dishwasher soda jerk at Friendly’s

I miss Friendlies...the one on West Boyston in Greendale was within biking distance from our house...we'd go over often as kids.

[Tackleholic]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

My first job in the early sixties was @ $1.25 an hour around 1962 or 1963. That was minimum wage.

.90 cents per hour, 45 hour week, 1958 in a men's wear store.

[volzfan59]

On 1/12/2024 at 6:32 PM, Stratocat_Joe said:

To be fair, $95 in 1962 is equivalent to around $1,000 today...

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Susky River Rat]

I was talking to the boat shop I purchased mine from. He said you’re going to see it stall out and not crash. He also told me the demographic that is generally buying new boats is 50 plus white males. Outside of that is very slim. They rarely see someone in their 20 or 30s purchase a brand new boat. He said you did see a slight uptick during covid with younger people buying boats. The boat demand is still high in this area. You aren’t going to walk in and out with a boat. Most times you are going to have to order one unless you’d go to a place like BPS.

[T.J.]

I’m in south jersey. When I picked up my boat from maintenance in December, the dealer had about 50 new boats on the lot between 23 leftovers and new 24s. Almost all were fishing rigs or pontoons  He’s a small mom and pop shop with one tech doing repairs. They are a ranger, tracker, nitro dealer and only 30 minutes from BPS in Atlantic City. They do seem to sell a lot of boats. The owner is a super nice guy and I was feeling a little anxious about how much he must have tied up in inventory. Hope things don’t stall out for him. 

[Susky River Rat]

@TJ there is 6 boat dealerships within 20 minutes of each other.  One being a bass pro. I ordered my 24 in July. I was suppose to get it around Labor Day and didn’t get it till Halloween. They only got their last 23 in sept.  That dealership could have experienced the same. Got their last of the 23s two months before the 24s.
 

I’d be willing to bet as a tracker dealer he has to purchase a set number of boats under the tracker marine umbrella.  You also figure the different motor configurations, colors, lengths, ranger has Al and fiberglass, tracker/ grizzly tracker. It’s not a lot of boats. My boat came rigged with the motor from factory. I do not know if they do the same. If they have x amount of tracker 170s with 25HP but you want a 50 you may not be able to get it from him.  Just an example of what could happen if tracker does the same. 

[Junk Fisherman]

BPS around Chicago had a nice selection of boats this past Sunday.  Definitely their best inventory since the pandemic.  They had a 2023 Z19, Z20, and a Z21 all at 5K or so off.