Best and worst ideas....

[wake_fun]

CC

Boat prices WAY to high.......60-110K for a fricken boat??? Come on now! You don't need to have 30K in mark-up for MSRP. MSRP should drop at least 20K. It sucks when a dealer pays CC 60K for a boat that has an MSRP of 95K. Then you think you got a great deal when the dealer sells it to you for 80K

[ronskal]

CC

Boat prices WAY to high.......60-110K for a fricken boat??? Come on now! You don't need to have 30K in mark-up for MSRP. MSRP should drop at least 20K. It sucks when a dealer pays CC 60K for a boat that has an MSRP of 95K. Then you think you got a great deal when the dealer sells it to you for 80K

We all agree that WB/Ski inboards are too expensive. Just the economic fact of life in a low volume/hi-margin business compared to autos where you have hi-volume/low-margin.

[j2nh]

We all agree that WB/Ski inboards are too expensive. Just the economic fact of life in a low volume/hi-margin business compared to autos where you have hi-volume/low-margin.

My issue is not the low volume/high margin model. I agree it is a fact and always has been. But how much of the recent pricing increases are now related to almost all (CC, Malibu, MC) getting greedy and vastly increasing their manufacturing capacity while maintaining that same low volume/high margin model. Now that sales are in the tank, down 22% again in June, the customers that are purchasing are expected to cover the spiraling overhead of less than visionary manufacturers. Regardless of the business model as a consumer I want value, that does not necessarily mean cheap but when I make the purchase i want to feel like I got my moneys worth. Rant off.

[swc5150]

Jim nailed it... I priced out a Prostar 190 in 2006, which came in around $36k. The SAME boat in 2010 is over $50k. That hull hasn't changed since 2001, so buyers are paying for something other R&D and CPI wage increases. The justification for a 30% price increase in 4 years escapes me. I believe the top of the bell curve has been reached, and sales will continue to slide, and it's not just the economy's fault.

[unclejessie]

worm,

No, not really... many of the boats you mentioned have some things about their 'layout" that I never understood... the primary one being the obeserver seat being on an angle... I really can't stand sitting in those! Also, the cooler locations in the BUs I have been in are pretty good. CC coolers are a joke... have these designers ever had a boat load people in their boat... you need a big cooler! Also, trunks that are open to the compartment in front of them are nice things as well. All those boats you mentioned do most of these things differently.

-Uj

[tdc_worm]

i completely agree with you on coolers...but i think i everyone has it wrong. a built in cooler adds an extra step when loading the cooler, and extra step when unloading the cooler, and requires somebody to get up when they are sitting on the cushion that hides the cooler. you could add in a built in yeti that brews its own beer and i would still use a soft side cooler for ease.

on the layout, fair enough...i have never really considered the angle of the observer's seat, as it hasnt been an issue for me, but to each his own. to that end, i looked up each manufacturer's top wakeboat to see how they did it...the results may disturb you. Malibu is angled just like Centurion, Tige, Calabria, Supra and Moomba. The only ones not angled are CC and Mastercraft:


Malibu---angled

[unclejessie]

hahah.... wow, my bad!!!! I guess I never sat in that seat before. I have only spent a few times in a VLX and I really did like it (very roomy), but I probably never sat in the observer seat I guess. I have spent time in other boats with angled seat and I hate them... I get a neck cramp watching riders.

-Uj

[srock]

Those on board coolers are better at melting ice than keeping drinks cold. Mine could not hold ice for more than a couple hours but it does make a nice storage bin.