Game Changer

63 Skier wrote:    New boats now have to have perfect pass, ballast systems, high end stereos, towers, electric/hydraulic wake systems, heaters and showers, on and on and on. The equipment buildout on a modern boat is pretty huge. We talk about it endlessly here, if my boat does everything I want it to, and I've got around 20 grand into it now, would I buy a new Sport 200 for 60-70 grand? No. But I get it why people do.

Had this conversation with Dave Hart last weekend. My neighbor at the lake just bought a 20' Malibu VTX. Sticker was $98k. Beautiful boat......but a $100k for 20'? C'mon man!

He traded in an 04 21' Centurion Lightning that did everything he needed it to do with plenty to spare. Some people just have money to burn and those are the people who spend it when the economy dips so manufacturers cater to them .

I've been in the VTX twice now and while it is very nice it would take you days to figure out how to run the thing properly. The amount of *************** in it is just crazy. Surf gates, wedge, 4 or 5 ballast tanks, speed control, bluetooth, rider memory, etc all done through a digital touchscreen.

Not really my cup of tea and while it may be more convenient to do certain things once you figure it all out the boat doesn't really do anything my 210 won't do at the level most people do it. It just takes a little more effort which is no big deal.


Mike

Chevy350 wrote: The average price out of 80 boats on this site is exactly $8446.30. If anyone cares. I got through 13 boats on planet nautique and was at about 400k, average price of $31k.

Attaboy Justin. So like I'd guessed the average price across the site is less than 10K.

Bottom line for me is this:
CC keeps improving their best selling products (like the ski/sport in the past), while still offering the traditional ski/sport/airs
They don't seem to compromise on quality and that is something one can tell as our boats still run/look great and thus they ask for a premium compared to others.
I did a fluid change last week with the boat on the wash rack next to mine being a brand new top of the line axis (100k plus) and the gel coat alone looked worse than mine or any new G for that matter...same for the interior
And they seem to be selling quite a few G's based on what I saw during the factory tour last time I went (and almost no skis)
So while the gamechanger might not be appealing to us and what we do, it keeps folks employed and sells boats
I understand that and maybe one day when folks are back into skiing (I seem to see mor folks trying it again), that trend might be reveresed and we get a new ski/bfn
LOL that was long

The average price out of 80 boats on this site is exactly $8446.30.

If anyone cares.

I got through 13 boats on planet nautique and was at about 400k, average price of $31k.

If it sells well for Correct Craft, it's good news for them. However, I wouldn't be caught dead owning a "spork-bow" boat, even if I had the money. I think I'd sooner buy an i/o, and I don't really want to do that, either...

When I think back on my first experiences seeing Nautiques, certain things remain in memory: simplicity, durability (they were the first gas engine hour meters I saw in excess of 2000 while working on the gas dock!), graphic design that had an instant brand connection, and an overall aesthetic that uniquely says "this is a Nautique", even from 100 yards away.

People look at our boat when it's all cleaned up, and still think it's cool-- we get compliments all the time. Everyone seems to think the boat is much newer than 19 years old. If I could wave a magic wand and change anything about our Sport, I'd want a little more interior room, a few inches more freeboard, a little better rough-water performance, a less sloppy helm electrical system, and maybe a walk-through to the bow instead of flopping into the playpen.   

Now, 99.8% of us (here at CCF) will never get a G-whatever as our next boat, but we're brand-loyal, so let's look through the rest of the Nautique lineup for the things I desire in my next boat. Should I get a new 200 Sport? Looking over the "features" list on their website:

Hullside exterior: Absolutely hideous. A bad re-imagining of "retro", with chroma graphics that look like they came from a 1983 Glastron. Does it also have the idotic brand appliqué that protrudes from the side of the hull? This was not designed by a boater who has ever kept a boat for more than two years...
Removable center pylon: Awesome for the way I use a boat.
Built-in cooler: Nice. My current boat already has one, which I use for storage instead.
Transom walk-through: Nice. My boat already has this, though it's less wide.
Cockpit rear storage: More storage is always a good thing, though I don't like to run heavier than I absolutely have to.
Rear trunk storage: Great.
Wakeboard racks: Hate these, aesthetically. Also, hit my head on one in the showroom. If we have to have them, can they be made easily detachable for people that like boats that look like...boats?
Helm: This is a terrible design that no experienced boater will ever want. You're putting all your eggs in a proprietary, digitally-controlled basket that only displays through one screen? Call me in 10 years and let me know how that's working out for the current owner... Also, I have to take my eyes off the horizon to look at the screen or press a button. Not smart.
Tower speakers: I usually listen to the stereo when sitting down or swimming, so high-mounted speakers are not something I need. Does it double as a loud-hailer or something?
Bow seating: Yes. It has bow seating, just like every other bow rider ever made.
Transom stereo remote: Ok. I wonder how long it will last, exposed to the elements?
Observer seat storage: Every Sport Nautique has had this since what, 1990?

Herein lies the problem. I think I solve my "wants" list just as effectively by getting a 1999 Super Sport in good condition, so long as the parts supply for the GT40 is plentiful and reasonable. I'm not quite the age and income demographic that the company is probably targeting, but I'm close enough that they should be slightly concerned with the direction things are headed...

What the boat cost to buy and what the boat costs to run are very different things, and quite rapidly the latter will eclipse the former. Still, all things equal, a more expensive boat is likely more expense to run on an absolute basis.

Speaking of the Great Recession, I don't know if this strategy is what got them out of it and I am also not confident that such a strategy won't lead to their downfall when the next one hits.

I bought my 89 BFN new. It's a great boat.

63 Skier wrote: You may be right. I suppose every time the Benjamin or Hart clans buy a gem in the rough for 900 bucks it drags the site average down!

$hit, by the time I'm done pushing the 15 figure back up to reality.

63 Skier wrote: I'm guessing average purchase price for a boat on CCFan is $15,000, average price paid on PN is $45,000. Anyone think I'm close?

I think your CCFan number is high, and your PN number is low.

74Wind wrote: I'd be curious how many CCFANS actually bought their boat new, I suspect very few. also be curious the average sale price across the site, I would guess less than 10K? Then be curious on both for Planet Nautiquers. Quite different I'm sure.

That would be an interesting figure. I'm guessing average purchase price for a boat on CCFan is $15,000, average price paid on PN is $45,000. Anyone think I'm close?

I'd be curious how many CCFANS actually bought their boat new, I suspect very few.
also be curious the average sale price across the site, I would guess less than 10K?

Then be curious on both for Planet Nautiquers. Quite different I'm sure.

Now you've got me real curious how much my dad paid for my Mark II in 75......Hmmmmm. What I do know is that after a long line of Resorters he succumbed to    mom's request for a "normal" family boat so they got a Century Raven, which he hated. A few months later they saw this shiny new red hot rod at the marina, my mom jokingly said "red...it'd match the cottage". That was just the opening he needed. ...
bought it on the spot...

63 Skier wrote: I enjoy thinking through stuff like this about the wake boats and the cost. CC's were never exactly cheap. I don't want to go through the exercise of adjusting boat prices from the '60's forward to see what the equivalent is, but if someone is willing to do that I'd be curious what a '75 Ski Nautique, '85 2001, and mid '90's Super Sport would be in today's dollars.

No math needed, there are websites for that!

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

Be forewarned, be prepared to be depressed at how badly the dollar has been devalued. Regardless of purchasing power, boats are more expensive. For instance, a well-optioned new SN back in 1995 was roughly $28k (I remember my dad complaining at the boat show how much more expensive Correct Crafts were, lol), which equates to $43,844 today. I'm pretty sure you can't score a new SN 200 for under $60k. Conversely, a $100k boat today would have cost $63k back in 1995.

PO put mine in, a pretty slick setup actually, 4 Bose Marines. Recently tried it for the first time in a long time and the cd kept skipping and so just turned it off and turned on the 4-barrels..

Tim D wrote: The "ground breaking" advancements include a new hull and interior design.. New helm command controller, and an optimized Nautique Surf System along with the all-new Nautique Surf Select; a remote wave customization system controlled from behind the boat by the surfer. Nautique has also teamed up with JL Audio to deliver a new level of sound with the exclusive Nautique WaveFront speaker technology.

Not a Correct Craft employee are we ha ha? The ground-breaking advancements on mine includes such high tech features as this round thing that amazingly when you spin it, the boat automatically, and instantly, changes course toward the intended direction. And this stick thing that you simply push, and somehow, thru the wizardry of engineering, the boat instantly accelerates. I don't know how they came up with it, but it's just PFM !

Oh..and also...a stereo that is rarely played. Plus, how could you hear it behind the roar?

LPSL

Nautique needs a reality check-For those who obviously can afford a second mtge for 15 yrs to pay off a boat-congrats,but they should look back and realize what made them the company they are today-a quality AFFORDABLE three event boat.No bells and whistles that I question where the support/replacement parts will be for the current line 10-12 years down the road?
I would love to see a plain vanilla no frills ski or sport nautique. at a reasonable price point.Just my $ .02 cents.