Why are Inboards more Expensive

Coming from the I/O world and now seriously considering an Inboard ski boat and probably a CC, I now am left without a good answer my wife's question of "Why are they so much more expensive?"
I know CCs have a reputation of being very well-built boats, but beyond that, what makes Inboards in general, so much more expensive than a similarly-sized I/O?
Can you help?

Thank you!!

This is a generalization, but it's my take on it: In an I/O, a manufacturer can take any hull, cut a huge hole in back, drop an I/O powerplant in and be good to go. The hull can be a deep V hull with lifting strakes a-plenty because who cares about the wake? The trim-able outdrive will compensate for how the hull rides and no real performance is expected wake-wise and driving wise. You drive around, pull some tubes, and have a "boat". The steering and propulsion systems are all-in one drop-in units so there's no R/D there on the manufacturer's part. Maintenance is tedious and expensive on the outdrive.

Now take a ski boat. For starters, the hull has to be engineered such that it trims and rides correctly with a fixed drive and rudder. Not only that, but generally the wake either needs to be non-existent for slalom or very existent in the case of wakeboarders, with a specific shape and everything. An inboard customer expects performance- just take a few high-speed turns in a ski boat and you'll understand. Everything has to be over-engineered to endure extremes. It's a specialty product that is engineered for a specific purpose for very demanding customers.

So, in a nutshell you have either a generic hull with a pre-fab propulsion/steering unit (I/O) VS. a specialty product designed from top to bottom to please very demanding customers (Inboard).

britdog wrote: Coming from the I/O world and now seriously considering an Inboard ski boat and probably a CC, I now am left without a good answer my wife's question of "Why are they so much more expensive?" I know CCs have a reputation of being very well-built boats, but beyond that, what makes Inboards in general, so much more expensive than a similarly-sized I/O? Can you help? Thank you!!

Tell your wife to do some research on resale value of an IO VS. a quality ski boat such as a Correct Craft or MC.

Tim

the best thing that ever happened to these big ski boat companies was the coming age of wakeboarding, if not for the popularity of it they would still be peddling mediocre (no towers, no ballast...you get the point) 100 boats a year. they are quality boats but... on a scale of 1 to 10 they are in the middle jmo.. there are things that could be improved on and things that are top quality. lets say even the shifters there are $100.00 shifters and there are $1000.00 shifters and ski boats are more towards the $100.00 shifters
they are pricey because every kid in town that wants one has a dad with a big bank role to back it, and it drives the price of them up. 15 years ago you could slap 20 grand down and get a nice damn ski boat, the equivalant today would be 45k, that surpassed inflation so i think it comes down to supply and demand. this is only an opinion

ripsaw wrote: I've yet to hear of anyone regretting owning a correct craft.

Neither have I

just like kids in tennis shoes, they arnt going to wear 9.99 walmart shoes to school which are just as good...they want 150.00 nikes which you know that there is no way on earth a pair of shoes is worth 150 bucks...but you gotta have em

if you want to ski and have years of service with respect of servicing the boat you buy a CC, it is an all around good quality boat. the new boat prices have got way out of hand, lets face it these boats do one thing....pull a man on a ski, they did it well 40 years ago and still do it well today, they hold value because of the supply and demand and dont let a deal go sour over 500 bucks. its do or die time with boats right now alot of people are dumping them because of the current economy and gas prices, so if you lift some carpets and look in the dark corners you should be able to find a nice CC in the 10 to 20k range

Good advice.
The one I'm looking at looks very clean...the only blemish I have seen is a couple of cracks in the rear seat trim. I've not yet taken it for a ride, but am going to before any commitment
It's a 1999 Sport Nautique with 400 hours on it and the GT 40 engine.
It's listed for $23,500 at a dealer who specializes in CCs.
What would you consider a fair deal on this boat?

correct crafts seem to bring whoever want's them the most. When I bought mine 10 years ago, I got in a bidding war in the drive way with another guy. I ended up paying $100 dollars more than he was asking. No regrets though still the best money Ive spent. Check the for sale boats on this site. Most of them seem pretty fairly priced, might give you a ball park of what the 99's are bringing.

I at least hope he does.

Thats a fact Jack!!!!      I mean Keith.

Inboard ski boats used to be the best buy out there because there was a lot of competition and a limited amount of buyers. You got a top quality boat for a very reasonable price.   Then wakeboard specific boats were invented and created huge demand for the manufacturers. Now they've been able to crank the prices way up because the demand for wakeboat boats is so strong, and they're basically doing us traditional 3 event boat buyers a favor by still making them.

As far as why they are better, drive one and like the old saying, if you need to ask, you wouldn't understand.

ripsaw wrote: Maybe the IOs have changed some with the jacks on the back, but they never seemed to plain out until 20 mph. Ive met them coming at me pulling kids and your not sure if they can see you or not.

Nope, you haven't missed any great leaps forward in I/O technology that solves that issue :)
That's definitely in the long plus column for the inboard.

Aside from cost, really one of the few negatives in the inboard list is low speed maneuverability. We have to pull into a challenging slip in pretty shallow water and back out with a rocky shoreline just feet off starboard. It can be tricky in an I/O especially with some wind. Not sure how it'll be with an inboard.

Is wakeboarding turning in to a fashion show was meant to be a ?. If I need to elaborate I will.