Correct Craft today

on a family level, why spend 70k when you can spend 40k on family fun...they really are "boat specific" and have nothing to do with demographics, people will drive 1200 miles to buy a Correct Craft. as with everything else in this world pricing didnt follow suit and that pretty much got out of hand. wakeboarding became very popular in the last 15 years an the demand increased for this style of boat(tower boats) but the guy's that want to go out wakeboarding are not necessarily (boat specific guy's)...they never heard of a CC, they saw the towers and identified, so now you have competition. same as a pair of Michael Jordan Nike's, its still a shoe, maybe some capitalizing there....until he retired, and now the demand is not there for his shoe anymore....they want a Lebron shoe, you know the guy, he's from Cleveland Ohio

eric lavine wrote: on a family level, why spend 70k when you can spend 40k on family fun...they really are "boat specific" and have nothing to do with demographics, people will drive 1200 miles to buy a Correct Craft. as with everything else in this world pricing didn't follow suit and that pretty much got out of hand. wakeboarding became very popular in the last 15 years an the demand increased for this style of boat(tower boats) but the guy's that want to go out wakeboarding are not necessarily (boat specific guy's)...they never heard of a CC, they saw the towers and identified, so now you have competition. same as a pair of Michael Jordan Nike's, its still a shoe, maybe some capitalizing there....until he retired, and now the demand is not there for his shoe anymore....they want a Lebron shoe, you know the guy, he's from Cleveland Ohio

I agree it seems like everybody is getting in on the act. I was at the Louisville boat show sun and saw every brand with a version of a wakeboat. If you put a tower,racks and speakers on a IO its looks like the real thing.At a price sometimes 1/2. I can see how it is very attractive to the average family .Inboards have always been a narrow slice of the boat market if you don't live to pull on water you will probably find a runabout better suited for crusing,fishing and gen purpose use.

I understand a Nautique is for a certain kind of person, but i also think that CC needs to play a more competitive roll in the market so they stay around for everyone to enjoy. The fewer boats they produce the higher the cost, and as we all know they are pretty pricey (but well worth it). I don't think there is anything wrong with producing an all purpose boat if means they keep making my 196. Im not worried what anyone does on a boat but me. If those beer drinkers want to drink on a Nautique, let them. they help keep the cc alive as much as we do.

220nautique wrote: Im not worried what anyone does on a boat but me. If those beer drinkers want to drink on a Nautique, let them. they help keep the cc alive as much as we do.

I dont care much either...except when they cruise down the cove, when we are running a course, do a few donuts are plow out at 15mph! Idiots.

Riley wrote: I think they ought to have some non ski specific models like the Malibu LSV that would compete with Colbalts. There are people that like high quality, performance boats with classic gel schemes and not all the boarding stuff all over them. They could call them Correct Crafts.

I like that idea Bruce,it would be like in the 70's,more choices. I wonder if CC has gone the way of a lot of companies ie too big. When it was family owned I'll bet they could change directions alot easier. Seems like if wakeboarding falls out of style,then what?

Most people that are in wake board boats are just annoying. They get them becuase wakeboarding is the (cool thing to do, I hate the coool thing). They say they can wakeboard but the majority of them cant even wake to wake on one. They are just in the way of the serious boarders/skiers. Like many of you said correct craft needs to make a more entry level priced boat to compete with the rest of the average boat makers out there today that isnt 70k. There would need to market this boat heavily to get its image out into that particular market. Most people that are into watersports seriously know that correct craft is the best of the best in competition tow boats, but the average family getting into boating just knows what the local marina has and it looks like it will suit their needs just fine and the price isnt bad either.

The boat wouldnt even need to have balast or any of the things that make them expensive because of the market that it would be in the people dont care about that. Even with an entry level 305(260hp) like my aunts sea ray has, an inboard or V drive would outperform any entry level IO boat ten fold. They could even get away with a 6 cylinder with the gear reduction transmissions of today and still out perform IO boats and probably help in the price and the economy standpoint. CC had 6 cylinders back when so why not today?

They could make a stripper version boat and it would still look and perform better with better quality than other brands for the same prices. All they would need to make it appeal to the younger crowd would be nice graphics and some bangin speakers on a nice tower and they are in. They would just need a way for familys to try their boat out and realize how much better it would perform for them when compared to other boats in the price range.

You are preaching to the choir.......

I would hate to know or be on board the CC ship that goes under on my watch.The CEO has a game plan to scale back hours and production to "FIX" the loss of sales.
A newer lower priced boat would be a solution to this problem,they could even do a little creative advertising to help with a known name .
Something like CorrectCraft, kinda far out there isn't it? Maybe some cool names for this "new line of "ECONO" boats.....
Barracuda
Mustang
American Skier
Classic
Atom Skier

NAH!!!!!!!!! This marketing plan would not get even a mention at a Corporate Board Meeting. Sure sounds like a good idea tho.
The next word we here fron Yeargan is the bonuses will be paid for a banner year, but we have to close the doors............Boat dr

WOW it sounds like you guys want a CC version of Bayliner[Not a bad boat for the money]
Its taken me a long time to upgrade into a Nautique I like all the amenities and quality
of the build. I am not sure I want a cheap
Nautique in the line. I could have bought a Moomba or Axis witch is kinda what you are talking about.
If you are looking for a less expensive Nautique there plenty of low hour used Nautiques with top quality and all the trimmings.

A stripped boat is still going to be Correct Craft or Nautique quality. But, it would broaden their line and they would bring buyers in that they otherwise wouldn't. And if they took the current boats they have now and made civilian versions of them and pushed their quality and performance, it would broaden their line and they would get some of the sportboat buyers. Right now their sales are limited to the high end skier/boarder market which is a very limited market.

They had to have been selling far more boats in the 60s and 70s when their line was so much broader.

That and cutting their overhead, which is hard to do when you have a new factory to pay for. The boating industry is hurting. Even the highend. Hinkley in Maine announce a lay off last week. And their sales aren't usually bothered by a recession, but this one has even hurt the wealthy.

   

I thought that the Orange Crush was the basic ski boat offered by CC.
Is that not correct ?
I appears to be a nice basic ski boat. Is there more to it than I have seen ?

Thats excatly what I was saying boat doc, and riley. Much better quality with all the same features for around the same price.

Bayliner is and never was and never will be any kind of comparison to CC boats.

Mike we arent concerned with price of the boat for ourselves we already have boats. We are concerned for the future of the company. Only making low sales numbers of high end boats isnt going to cut it much longer in this economy. They need to get into as many markets as they can.

Cuddy nautique, fish nautique, bass nautique, sea nautique. Look at all the old brochures and see how wide their range of different boats was.

It just so happens one of the biggest markets it has a chance to still enter into is the begenner boater with the family that wants a quality boat at a price appealing to their income. This would be the easiest and most cost effective market for them to get into because they have existing boats they could turn into boats that would be more appealing to the lower price range market.

So mike. People are going to be more apt to buy a cheaper version of a boat they already make that one thats expensive. It wouldnt take any money other than some time going into lesser options on boats that are already produced.

They are still in business so why not try something cheaper for little cost to the company. Its never a given that people will buy what you make.

Nobody mentioned that they need to stop making boats like yours. I would be all over a newer boat if I werent a poor college student.(a CCF edition would look nice behind my cabbin) I give you props for being able to own such a nice and pricey boat. Thats why im in school so someday I can buy things like that if I want. Ill never give up me first love though

Like I said before not many of us on this site would be interested in a boat like we are proposing but we are a breed apart in the boating world as seen by stringer projects, etc. People that restore old wood boats arent going to go out and buy a new one that looks old just like us.

These boats would be for familys who want a quality boat for a good price to hit the water. Hell who knows getting these people into the correct craft brand and quality might lead them to buy some of the upper scale boats as their income grows as time passes.

I'm not a fan of Bayliners but could anyone share some really bad experience with one of them? because there are many around here and I'm yet to see one with a major hull/ structural failure.

   Billy, I read just fine thank you and my comments were not directed toward you personally.Sorry if you took it that way.
   I'm not saying they don't need to do something about sales.I'm saying that no matter what they do,there still may not be any buyers.I own a business and I am fully aware of what is happening with the struggling economy. I think it's great that you have ideas about what they can do to survive,but I think you totally missed my point.
   Buyers that have excess cash to spend on a boat in this economy aren't necessarily looking for price point boats.They are looking for loaded boats for stripped prices.Maybe this economic crisis will change peoples outlook on what they really need in a towboat, but until that happens I don't know if they'd sell. That's all I'm tryin to say.I'd be willing to bet that the average "new boating family" would walk into a dealer,look at a base model and still go buy a Bayliner because it has more features etc,even though it is a POS longterm. FWIW Correct Craft has a stripped model already.All they need to do is lower the price.
    Phatsat, thank you for the compliment on my boat.I never took from context that anyone thought they should stop making them.You are welcome to go for a pull anytime . For me ,it was the right boat at the right time for the right money.Simple as that.

   Mike

Mike, I slalom Ill let my little brother and cousin take my tow card behind your boat they kneeboard hah. I would drive it tho:).

Anywho just ideas. It wouldnt cost anthing to cheapin up a pre existing boat and they have nothing to loose so go for it.

Like I said the only thing motivating people to buy currently are deals.(deals:loaded boats for stripped prices). My family ownes a used car dealership and if the paper or trader puts a miss print about a year too new or a price to low the phones ring off the hook other than that business is hitt and miss.