Nick14
Guru
I went to the Newport Boat Show yesterday just for fun (live so close by and have been going for years, somehow would feel left out if I didn't stop by). Heard there's a new owner of the show and this was their debut. FWIW I think they did a very good job. The show was bigger, with more boats, and better organized, than in recent years.
What struck me most strongly was a general impression of how expensive new boats have become. A new American Tug 39, with a three year wait for delivery, is now about $1 million.
Outboard power is all the rage with seemingly most mid-sized boats up to about 40-ish feet. I thought outboard power would make a boat less expensive than diesels, but no. A Nimbus C11 (33-ish ft) day boat, nice, well-built, looks like fun, fast, capable, but rudimentary all fiberglass and plastic cabin and basic accommodations, with options was $770,000 . A True North 39 outboard downeast style cruiser with triple outboards was a cool $1.1 million ! A similar outboard powered North Coast 41, with four 300 hp outboards (!) was also a staggering $1.1 million ! The smaller True North 34 outboard (twin engines) downeast style, nice boat, good looking, great for short trips though with a microscopically tiny 'wet head' I could barely fit in, was $700,000 . This is for boats with little real wood inside, mostly just trim, and primarily some kind of composite materials.
The show was well-attended, crowded for a first day. The prices didn't seem to be scaring most people away. I guess my wallet has been left behind in the new world order of boat prices (or my brain is still stuck in the prices of the 1970's).
What struck me most strongly was a general impression of how expensive new boats have become. A new American Tug 39, with a three year wait for delivery, is now about $1 million.
Outboard power is all the rage with seemingly most mid-sized boats up to about 40-ish feet. I thought outboard power would make a boat less expensive than diesels, but no. A Nimbus C11 (33-ish ft) day boat, nice, well-built, looks like fun, fast, capable, but rudimentary all fiberglass and plastic cabin and basic accommodations, with options was $770,000 . A True North 39 outboard downeast style cruiser with triple outboards was a cool $1.1 million ! A similar outboard powered North Coast 41, with four 300 hp outboards (!) was also a staggering $1.1 million ! The smaller True North 34 outboard (twin engines) downeast style, nice boat, good looking, great for short trips though with a microscopically tiny 'wet head' I could barely fit in, was $700,000 . This is for boats with little real wood inside, mostly just trim, and primarily some kind of composite materials.
The show was well-attended, crowded for a first day. The prices didn't seem to be scaring most people away. I guess my wallet has been left behind in the new world order of boat prices (or my brain is still stuck in the prices of the 1970's).