Slowing of wakeboat market?

[Kenv]

Didn't all the Texas boats wash over a dam....That may explain enough boats to sell out on inventory.

Srock....all the boats thst went over the dams in the Highland lakes chain...mostly Lake LBJ....are fixed and serviced by Sail and Ski Austin/San Antonio. Buxton probably fixes or replaces very few of these Central and South Texas Nautiques.

[SoCal G-Man]

And I think its coming SOON!

Judging by what I have seen on the water, Nautique owners tend to be insulated from recessions...

[semi]

Although i am not seeing a slowing around here, and based on the fact that my SC dealer said they did lots of new orders for 2019, i do think there is going to be a slow down. There has to be. These boats are getting really expensive just compared to 5 years ago. There has to be a correction. Maybe it will take a recession but right now mfg's are putting these big price tags on boats, and people are buying them. It has to hit a ceiling.

[Tallredrider]

I haven’t had a huge issue in first year depreciation yet. I have been worried the last few years, for exactly the reasons you are pointing out.

local dealers know I buy every year, and they are all pretty aggressive on pricing. My worst first year loss was 11k on my 2016 G23. The rest have been less than that. This year, I payed 144k for my XStar, and sold it for 138k.

one of these days, I am sure I am going to have a big hit..... thank god I didn’t buy a M235. First year depreciation on that boat is like 30-40k, and that’s if you got a screaming deal when you bought it new. I think they probably level out after that.

I wouldn’t have thought they burned 20+ gallons per hour, but I guess I wouldn’t be super surprised. All Bu’’s burn a ton of fuel because of dragging the wedge around.

My local MC dealer told me that a really good price for the X23 was 165 that they just sold. I don't know if they saw my eyes glaze over and look for the exit right then and there, but that's what happened. It may sound arrogant, but they know that I buy new boats pretty regularly, so I expected better. I am somewhat timid when it comes to negotiating, my greatest asset is that I can walk away. If the price starts that high, I just leave. (Sorry, Off topic a bit). So yes, I think Wayward got a great deal.

nyryan2001 , Do you have a thread on the Malibu crew where someone suggested the fuel burn was that high on the M235?

[beamons]

I have been wanting to start a thread like this for a while but with the topic of "Who the heck can justify the cost of these new boats?"
I live in Utah like Tallredrider and see the strong market that we have and I grew up with a boat. I also just got my own first boat about 2 years ago and I am on my way to purchasing my third here soon. At first, the thought of spending anything more than what I thought was a reasonable price for a boat(20kish) was crazy, so I bought a 35k one. Now, I am looking in the 60k range so I guess I am adjusting but honestly I cannot fathom the cost of these boats you are all talking about. To hear that people are comfortable spending the numbers nyryan2001 was talking about when buying new or trying to sell their newer model is staggering.
There is no denying how awesome these boats are but if your season is short and or you don't use your boat more than 100hrs(which is a lot) per year, your cost per hour is huge.
Somebody help me with this, I would love to buy a new boat.

[Wayward]

Tallredrider - Thats crazy on a X23. I don’t blame you. I kinda ran into a similar scenario at the new local Malibu dealer last week when I stopped. They had a freshly New and loaded 25LSV. I had purchased a pontoon from this dealer last summer, so when I asked what the pricing was, he said “””Well, you just bought a boat from us, and we know you do a new one every year.......so, with the end of year Malibu incentives, I could do that boat for $178,500.”” My eyes glazed over as well.

The boat had an MSRP that was north of 225k, so he was showing a pretty big discount. However, I think the paperwork had been tweaked a bit. On top of that, they had a 7500.00 freight and prep charge!!

No way I’d be able do my normal turnover with that boat.

On a a side note, I really like the new 25LSV. Such an awesome boat. Malibu still needs to do something about hinging their seat bases, and finishing compartments/bilge/wiring better. But overall, they did a crazy good job with it. They are definitely still building the sharpest looking boats on the water.

IIRC, you have a new 25LSV coming, right? You are gonna love all the improvements over the last gen. That boat is really sharp.

[swc5150]

Just wait until 2028, when everyone will wish they would've bought now, while prices are still under $200k. I remember it well, when $30k was "going to be the ceiling" for inboard tow boat pricing.

[GMLIII]

Just wait until 2028, when everyone will wish they would've bought now, while prices are still under $200k. I remember it well, when $30k was "going to be the ceiling" for inboard tow boat pricing.

So true

[SoCal G-Man]

I have been wanting to start a thread like this for a while but with the topic of "Who the heck can justify the cost of these new boats?"
I live in Utah like Tallredrider and see the strong market that we have and I grew up with a boat. I also just got my own first boat about 2 years ago and I am on my way to purchasing my third here soon. At first, the thought of spending anything more than what I thought was a reasonable price for a boat(20kish) was crazy, so I bought a 35k one. Now, I am looking in the 60k range so I guess I am adjusting but honestly I cannot fathom the cost of these boats you are all talking about. To hear that people are comfortable spending the numbers nyryan2001 was talking about when buying new or trying to sell their newer model is staggering.
There is no denying how awesome these boats are but if your season is short and or you don't use your boat more than 100hrs(which is a lot) per year, your cost per hour is huge.
Somebody help me with this, I would love to buy a new boat.

It does seem crazy, but when your passion lies at the end of that rope behind your boat, it is easier to justify. I try to be disciplined and sell at 5 years (@ 1,000 hours), and never have a boat loan. The philosophy is also why I never pursued a pilot’s license, as I would be broke.

[Adrenaline1]

Tallredrider - Thats crazy on a X23. I don’t blame you. I kinda ran into a similar scenario at the new local Malibu dealer last week when I stopped. They had a freshly New and loaded 25LSV. I had purchased a pontoon from this dealer last summer, so when I asked what the pricing was, he said “””Well, you just bought a boat from us, and we know you do a new one every year.......so, with the end of year Malibu incentives, I could do that boat for $178,500.”” My eyes glazed over as well.

The boat had an MSRP that was north of 225k, so he was showing a pretty big discount. However, I think the paperwork had been tweaked a bit. On top of that, they had a 7500.00 freight and prep charge!!

No way I’d be able do my normal turnover with that boat.

On a a side note, I really like the new 25LSV. Such an awesome boat. Malibu still needs to do something about hinging their seat bases, and finishing compartments/bilge/wiring better. But overall, they did a crazy good job with it. They are definitely still building the sharpest looking boats on the water.

IIRC, you have a new 25LSV coming, right? You are gonna love all the improvements over the last gen. That boat is really sharp.

$7500 prep charge. Did they have to install the entire interior of the boat when they received it? Cmon, that is just gouging, isn't it?

[Tallredrider]

I have been wanting to start a thread like this for a while but with the topic of "Who the heck can justify the cost of these new boats?"
I live in Utah like Tallredrider and see the strong market that we have and I grew up with a boat. I also just got my own first boat about 2 years ago and I am on my way to purchasing my third here soon. At first, the thought of spending anything more than what I thought was a reasonable price for a boat(20kish) was crazy, so I bought a 35k one. Now, I am looking in the 60k range so I guess I am adjusting but honestly I cannot fathom the cost of these boats you are all talking about. To hear that people are comfortable spending the numbers nyryan2001 was talking about when buying new or trying to sell their newer model is staggering.
There is no denying how awesome these boats are but if your season is short and or you don't use your boat more than 100hrs(which is a lot) per year, your cost per hour is huge.
Somebody help me with this, I would love to buy a new boat.

I justify the cost like this: I sold my 2016 G23 at a cost of about 24K less than I bought it for after 3 seasons, so the boat did not cost me 6 figures, it cost me 8K per year. I do not keep a loan on the boat, and only get the options I really use. I put about 100 hours per year on the engine, but easily spend 3 times that much time hanging out on the water with the engine off, and that isn't counting a week at Lake Powell, where having the boat is necessary, but it sits quite a bit more. With gas, I can round the total cost to about $100 per hour, but that sometimes is entertaining 10 people at the same time, and like I said it does not include time when the engine is not running.

Fortunately, I have a recreational budget that allows me to spend 10-12K per year on the boat. Maybe that is justification, but I don't look at it like a six figure expense. During the recession, I bought 2 used boats and later sold them for the same price I bought them for, so my boat costs were very low then.

Bringing it back around to the topic at hand, my yearly costs will go way up when the bottom drops out of the market, but how much and when that will happen are speculative. My crystal ball doesn't work, but it is obvious from the tone of this discussion that those of us who lived through the previous recession are a bit paranoid. I think there are reasons to believe that the next market downturn will not be as bad, unless there is a major catastrophe, like a war or some other giant political upheaval.

[Wayward]

$7500 prep charge. Did they have to install the entire interior of the boat when they received it? Cmon, that is just gouging, isn't it?

Definitely price gouging. I am pretty sure they are also fluffing the Malibu MSRPs.

[GMLIII]

I justify the cost like this: I sold my 2016 G23 at a cost of about 24K less than I bought it for after 3 seasons, so the boat did not cost me 6 figures, it cost me 8K per year. I do not keep a loan on the boat, and only get the options I really use. I put about 100 hours per year on the engine, but easily spend 3 times that much time hanging out on the water with the engine off, and that isn't counting a week at Lake Powell, where having the boat is necessary, but it sits quite a bit more. With gas, I can round the total cost to about $100 per hour, but that sometimes is entertaining 10 people at the same time, and like I said it does not include time when the engine is not running.

Fortunately, I have a recreational budget that allows me to spend 10-12K per year on the boat. Maybe that is justification, but I don't look at it like a six figure expense. During the recession, I bought 2 used boats and later sold them for the same price I bought them for, so my boat costs were very low then.

Bringing it back around to the topic at hand, my yearly costs will go way up when the bottom drops out of the market, but how much and when that will happen are speculative. My crystal ball doesn't work, but it is obvious from the tone of this discussion that those of us who lived through the previous recession are a bit paranoid. I think there are reasons to believe that the next market downturn will not be as bad, unless there is a major catastrophe, like a war or some other giant political upheaval.

BTW if you sold your current 2016 G what boat did you purchase?

[swc5150]

Justification is the second strongest emotion. My buying decision is likely easier than most of yours, since DD ski boats aren't priced nearly where the big G's are (although the new SN is getting there). However, the justification remains the same. There's an opportunity cost to boat ownership, but to me, the enjoyment with my family and my passion for skiing is worth every penny. Every time I'm on the water with my family, and we're all on cloud 9, I think to myself...this is why I work my @ss off. Life is short, buy the boat!

[cedarcreek216]

BTW if you sold your current 2016 G what boat did you purchase?

Believe he got a Malibu, LSV if I recall.


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