Boat cost by size

[ricky_s]

Why do boats cost so much more when they increase in size? I know bigger engines etc. but that doesn't explain the extra cost if the boat is a single engine, just a bit longer.

 

[Zagato]

I was wondering the same, roughly 2k per foot a lot of the time for older boats. Then there is the question about how much more newer boats are compared to something say 20 years older and is it really worth 40K more Wealth is relative but are they really that much better

 

[duncan]

because increases in length result in much greater increases in volume, weight, power and complexity - and of course as the costs go up the quality is expected to improve (further increasing the costs!)

 

[Searush]

Didn't you do maths at school? Length is only one dimension, boats are thre dimensional. So longer boat means a wider & higher boat. So a 10% increase in length will mean a similar increase in the other dimensions - the volume & mass increases by a cube law.

OK so it's simplistic, but a 50' boat is not twice the size of a 25' one, it's more like 6-8 times the size.

 

[MYAG]

The LOA/price of boats can be deceiving (pulpits, platforms etc). The displacement figures will give you a better idea on the bang for the buck between two boats.

 

[ricky_s]

So does at 30 foot grp mold cost more than a 25 foot grp mold?

 

[Tranona]

So does at 30 foot grp mold cost more than a 25 foot grp mold?

You don't seem to have grasped the fact that length is only one dimension of a 3 dimensional shape - and not a good comparative measure of change in size either. By definition an increase in one dimension provided all other dimensions are increased in proportion will increase volume by cube. Volume equals weight of materials equals cost. It is only an approximation as other variables may also change, such as the thickness of hull, amount of strengthening etc to cope with larger size and greater speed potential, larger engines, more sophistacated fitout with extra equipment, but is a good general rule.

An example (a sailing boat, but similar principle). Same designer, same basic design, three models a 32, 36 and a 40. 32 to 36 difference in length (both hull and waterline) 12%, difference in design displacement 34%, difference in basic price to similar spec 49% 36 to 40 difference in length 11%, displacement 24%, price 33%.

You can do similar comparisons with many other designs. There is always a bigger jump in cost in the smaller sizes because small increases in length give so much more scope for "more" boat. Just go from a 32 to a 36 next to eachother at a boat show and it is obvious.

These differentials generally hold true when the boats enter the SH market, but it is not true that market price is a function of size when looking across diferent designs and years. So there can be lots of cheap big old boats of less than popular design and other smaller boats achieve higher prices because the market deems them more desirable.

 

[Searush]

So does at 30 foot grp mold cost more than a 25 foot grp mold?

Yes & it clearly requires far more than 20% more GRP & laying up time!

Go have a look at a few cars, compare the length & cost of, say a Fiesta & a Mondeo with the same trim level. I suspect a similar effect will apply. probably true of caravans too.