Boats at the Boat Show!

[robp]

There's been much made of the fact that some volume builders can now provide larger boats cheaper than ever before. Coupled with the Sterling/Euro relationship, some apparent prices have dropped dramatically . Was it just me, or did anyone who has visited the Soton Boat Show, notice that fit out quality has rapidly deteriorated? I mean sole/floorboards that curl up at the edges and rattle, Galley removable sufaces that don't anywhere near fit, Woodwork with shoddy D.I.Y. varnish, Chart table lids that have already warped, Wood panelling to hulls that just flaps., etc. etc. These items are just noticeable superstructure. What other corners are being cut to get the "edge" even more on prices.

Anyone else notice this, (particularly this year), or am I just getting fussy in my old age??

 

[geewalker]

It wasn\'t just the little bits!

You were right about the little bits but the boat hull & deck mouldings were pretty tatty this year. Voids, heat distortion ripples and frankly "p**s poor" moulds were the common horrors that were spotted on many stands. Numerous cases of cracking were also detected.
If that's the best they can do for a boat show then the QA managers should be shown the door.

 

[billmacfarlane]

Any particular boat yoou had in mind ? (NM)

!

 

[robp]

Re: Any particular boat yoou had in mind ? (NM)

A few Bill but mainly newly introduced models. Maybe not fair to isolate these but it was my feeling with Benjanbav's.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Hull Moldings

I noticed that the Large Bavaria 43? had what looked like a huge join in the hull amidships! there was a significant ridge all round the hull

 

[billmacfarlane]

Re: Any particular boat yoou had in mind ? (NM)

I didn't look too closely at the boats this year having decided on my new boat last year. I did look very closely at last years's SBS when I was actively looking. The undercurrent then was much the same i.e the finish on production boats was poor. I looked at practically every model in production around 36'. I thought the finish on the Beneteau I looked at was good, but the Jeanneau was a tad shoddy, things like gaps in corner joints etc. Looking through the sailing reviews in the mags for the last 6 months confirms what I thought. Beneteau were praised for their finish , Jeanneau's weren't and the worst seemed to be Hanse. When YM makes comments like Hanse have improved the standard of finish and now it's average for a production craft , it's makes you wonder what it was like before. The Bav's I looked at I thought were a curious mixture of good looking woodwork and glaring bad mistakes. Lest anyone think I'm a member of the XSC ( Xenophobes sailing club ) , I was a very happy Jeanneau owner for 11 years. Suppose it's a sign of intense competition - instead of looking at ways of improving the boats they look a ways of cutting production costs to the detriment of the boats themselves.

 

[paul]

There's no doubt that some of the production builders are cheapening their products in order to gain price advantage. As a previous Bavaria owner I am amazed at the amount of sealant they use around bulkheads etc. It makes the boats look like badly fitted bathrooms.

 

[robp]

Re: Any particular boat yoou had in mind ? (NM)

Yes, I'm a Beneteau owner and in general I think it's very well put together. (3 yrs old). However I couldn't say that of the new Oceanis 393. True, the Jeanneau had mis-fitting panels and the wood on the Bav is not like it was.

It just seems that there has been a quantum leap downwards within the past few months. I would not have bought any of those boats this year, whereas I would have thought seriously even last January.

I wonder what S/H buyers will be saying in ten years time?

 

[Bergman]

Re: Any particular boat yoou had in mind ? (NM)

Perhaps more significantly what will current owners be saying when they find out how much their pride and joy has depreciated.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: Any particular boat you had in mind ?

I'm always impressed/depressed at how many BenJenBavs there are in the brokers' ads which are only a season or two old. Surely not all of their owners were so delighted with their boats that they are immediately trading up. There must be a lot of disillusionment hidden in the used boat pages.