markpierce
Master and Commander
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Messages
- 12,557
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Carquinez Coot
- Vessel Make
- penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
tinped;459557 ... There simply is no place to enjoy the outdoors.[/QUOTE said:
tinped;459557 ... There simply is no place to enjoy the outdoors.[/QUOTE said:
Or maybe "Get Ducked!"..I can see the add campaign now for Seahorse. My wife is suggestion slogans like "Duck me." I was thinking more along the lines of Get a Duck. Everyone needs a Duck....
Direct sales of a generally unknown line of boats from a Chinese factory just isn't a very good business model. There's one Coot to see in Sausalito. No other Seahorse product available for viewing and walking.
It's a plan that will sell a boat or two a year and perhaps the same in other markets. Not a plan that will ever build volume.
I would contend that it is a great business model if the company is happy selling a couple boats a year.
Why has Nordhavn discontinued the N35?
It seems to be more livable than the Coot and arguably more practical for coastal navigation with the SD speed potential.
People aren't willing to pay Nordhavn's prices for a 35' plus they can make more money on larger sizes.
The competition in the 35' range is a few relatively small builders and then the dominant player in the field, Sea Ray.
...
The competition in the 35' range is a few relatively small builders and then the dominant player in the field, Sea Ray.
From a traditionalists point of view there are really only two choices of boat construction materials; wood or steel.I like to compare those two materials to brick and stone in buildings, and GRP to concrete and PVC in modern commercial structures.
When I think steel I think of the iconic cruise liners, right down to little cute Dutch sailing barges and Tajks, not forgetting the pretty tugs fishing trawlers and work boats.
To my way of thinking GRP boats are replicas of the genuine article; pastiches in plastic. Rather like comparing genuine teak wooden furniture to cheap patio plastic tables and chairs.
So... If full displacement coastal cruisers were so marketable, why did almost all manufacturers either quit making them, or increase the horsepower to make them SD boats (in the case of several flat bottomed boats that now have higher hp engines)????
So far in left field I don't know where to begin.
What are the current production numbers of all types of hull materiels?
If wood and steel are 10 percent I will be amazed.
I love traditional, but I love doing more than, planning and maintaining.
Sea Rays. ..
Poor marketing.
Ted
The ultimate example of boat marketing is the Krogen Manatee. Not in any way knocking the Manatee. But you can't tell me the first 10 or so that were sold, weren't because of marketing.
Ted
How many Diesel Ducks are sold compared to Coots? They have the same level of marketing. Common sense suggests that cheaper models should be sold in larger quantities. All things being equal, there should be many more Coots out there than DD382 and DD462 combined.
How many Diesel Ducks are sold compared to Coots? They have the same level of marketing. Common sense suggests that cheaper models should be sold in larger quantities. All things being equal, there should be many more Coots out there than DD382 and DD462 combined.
The pricing is more acceptable in the size of the Diesel Duck than the Coot size. Yes, more Ducks are sold, but it's still a very low volume boat. I have yet to ever see a Diesel Duck in person or to know that I have, in all my boating.
How many Diesel Ducks are sold compared to Coots? They have the same level of marketing. Common sense suggests that cheaper models should be sold in larger quantities. All things being equal, there should be many more Coots out there than DD382 and DD462 combined.
Marketing.
George Buehler the architect of both boats was marketing Diesel Ducks a decade before Seahorse started building them and Coots. DDs had a cult following before the Coot was ever drafted.
Ted
Maybe you are right and the results are statistically insignificant. Or maybe there is something else. For my next boat, the Coot checks many boxes except the livability. I need a boat I can live on full time. I think I can do it on a DD382, but I am not sure about the Coot. The only tangible advantage the Coot has in my eyes is the ease of singlehanding.
I think the Ducks and Coot are very interesting. However, I think many would have a difficult time living with their maximum and cruising speeds. Only you can figure out if the DD382 meets your needs. I think their boats are all very unique and it takes a special type person for them to be a good match.
Yes, but for a potential buyer like me that history is not important if not completely irrelevant.
Maybe for you. There are a lot of people who buy their boat for the wrong reasons, marketing, popularity, history, and perceived reputation are some of the most common.
Ted
So far in left field I don't know where to begin.
What are the current production numbers of all types of hull materiels?
If wood and steel are 10 percent I will be amazed.
I love traditional, but I love doing more than, planning and maintaining.