Boat Buying Season in High Gear
New Models From Sea Ray, Chaparral and Others Impressive
Feb 12, 2008
Boat Shows Offer Great Deals
The large crowds in attendance at the recent San Diego Boat Show have helped to dispel the myth that our nation's current economic slump would damage the boating industry. True, there were probably a good deal more shoppers than buyers in attendance but there was no question regarding buyer interest in every area of the show. Boat shows are very helpful for buyers looking to compare product lines, specific features, prices, and get helpful literature to review. What may take days of visiting boat showrooms to compare product lines can be accomplished in a few hours at a major boat show. Boat shows also offer some of the best buying opportunities within every spectrum of the market as manufacturers look to sweeten the deals in exchange for moving last year's inventory and getting a jump on early season sales. Buyers can see discounts in the range of 10-15% with additional options included to help close the deal.
Boat Manufacturers React to Difficult Market
The economy is in the tank, gas is pushing $4 per gallon, home equity is squeezed and a recession is looming. What does the Boating Industry do? The answer is offer more bang for the buck, continue to innovate and get creative on their product offerings to take market share from the competition. A good example of a company looking to expand into a new boating sector is Chaparral. This well run company has done an excellent job throughout their product line in building top quality boats for specific price points. Chaparral has taken one of their most popular boats called the Sunesta and added many of the elements that wakeboard purists demand such as ballast tanks to increase wake size, 'perfect-pass' a kind of auto pilot for wakeboard speeds, logos, wakeboard towers complete with racks and speakers and other custom features. This boat called the Chaparral Sunesta Xtreme combines the hardcore watersports required by the younger set with the creature comforts like hot water showers at the swimstep, onboard head, refrigerator, massive storage, and other interior layouts desired by the adults. The pure ski /wakeboard manufacturers like Correct Craft are producing "crossover" models of their own such as the Nautique 211, a ski and wakeboard boat designed to appeal to the head of the household as well.
Mid-Size Market is Hot
For the boat buyers looking to move upstream into the 26-40 foot Express Cruiser category there is a vast selection to choose from. Again manufacturers like Sea Ray make their presence felt with both their Sea Ray Sundancer and Sedan offerings. Chaparral continues their high quality standards with their Signature Series, some of the best laid out cruisers we have seen in this size range. The market for this type of boat is exploding and companies like Four Winns, Regal, Maxum, Cruisers, Bayliner, Formula, Monterey and many others push the competition with increased features and performance at specific price points. This class of boat has begun to see major changes in propulsion systems, electronics and powerplants. One of these innovations called IPS (Inboard Performance System) is a combined engine and outdrive system with built in electronics featuring two forward facing pods and propellers in the stern of the boat. The interesting thing about this system is that while underway it has proven to be more economical and quiet than traditional propulsion systems but also can be joystick controlled to provide superb handling around docks and tight spaces.
Consumer WinsThe ultimate winner in this boating battleground is of course you, the consumer. If you are a first time buyer, move-up candidate, or seasoned salt the time is now to see what's new in the industry and your nearest boat show is the place to do it.
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