Factory fitted electronics on a new boat. rip off?

[nickfabbri]

I am toying with the idea of buying a new Hanse 350. After talking to the rep at the boat show he provided me with a list of electronics that can be factory fitted. The problem is these items are sometimes upto three times the price you can get them online. Are they ripping people off, or are there genuine benefits from factory fittings?As an example. VHF SIMRAD 68 £850 from Hanse, £250 online.

 

[oakum]

Wouldn't have thought it would cost £600 to fit which is basically what they're charging you. £200 tops for fitting if subbie marine sparks did it I guess, plus say £100 admin so yes reckon you're getting truly stuffed.

 

[Norman_E]

When the boat is rigged, and the rigger has to go up the mast, its a good idea to get him to fit the VHF aerial and anything else (like a wind instrument) that you want at the top of the mast, if you missed the opportunity to fit them before the mast was raised. If you are reasonably handy you can fit everything else yourself, and will probably save a lot of money. When I investigated buying a new boat a couple of years ago I noticed then that dealer fitted electronics had a big mark up to cover fitting cost, with labour evidently costing a substantial hourly rate.

 

[FullCircle]

Yep, prob a rip off. When I bought my Jen, I asked for credits on the standard fittings like ST60 Tridata and RD68, including parts and labour.
Then I went to Excel and passed the following to all the electronics suppliers/chandlers for best prices, and bought the items on the day. Of course, this list was what I wanted, and offered the whole thing to one supplier, which made them sharpen their pencils somewhat.
I also gave this list in advance to the Jeanneau dealer and had them give me a price from the yard to fit it all. Then I decided who would fit what, and I did a fair amount myself before launch, and rented other non yard contractors to do things like the extra stainless steel work.


Full Circle - J Dew / L Robertshaw

Jeanneau 35 Sun Odyssey Lift Keel

Delivery due 1st week March 2005

Supplier:


Safety Equipment Best price
Liferaft 4 man Coastal to ISAF with cradle
2 x Lifering and light with cradles
30m lifesling
Folding Danbuoy, cruising spec
2x x10.5m Webbing Jackstays
Panic bag inc contents
Budget EPIRB

Anchoring
Bruce recommended for 38ft & 15m 10mmchain with 30m Anchorplait or similar
15m 10mm chain
30m Anchorplait with eyesplices & s/s shackles
Long snubber


Radio
Silva S15 with Navtex Antena
Masthead Antenna with wind indicator

Budget Handheld VHF
1 & 5w with separate battery pack
12v charging
waterproof to 1m for 1/2 hour



Radar
JRC1800CP inc GPS & Antenna
15m Cable
C Map+ wide, Wash to Ijmuiden & South to Solent/Cherbourg
Scanstrut transom mount


Instruments
Navman 3100 or NMEA equivalent
Log
Depth
Digital wind
Multi repeater
Navbus interface with 10m cable
Fishfinder Budget for seabed reading - lift keel!

Miscellaneous
Electric bilge pump min 1750GPH
Bilge switch
Gas Detector single point
Compass Binocom Binoculars
Antislip tread 2m x 75mm


Other (not Chandlers)
Kiwiprop
Stripper
Cruising chute
Storm Jib
Trysail
Total

 

[boatmike]

You will find a similar rip off on any equipment fitted by the vessel manufacturer I am afraid. Their main interest is to sell you the boat. They often don't fit these bits themselves but get an outside contractor to do it, therefore you pay
1. Material cost
2. Labour cost
3. Contractors profit on both
4. Vessel manufacturers mark up on total

In short, buy and fit yourself. If you can't do that buy from an electronics supply co and get them to fit.

 

[FullCircle]

I found certain things to be good value, where after fitting is a pain. The Webasto heating springs to mind here.

Just be very canny with it.

 

[wotayottie]

Still think the Northshore one was the best - from memory, £5k for the launch and handover! Half a day.

Dont remember paying anything for a handover last time I bought a car, or a house.

 

[FullCircle]

You were lucky, mine was 6 grand for 'delivery and commissioning' including 4 fenders, 2 bow/stern lines and 2 springs, a 'standard' Jeanneau imitation CQR and 30m of chain.
I hadnt thought that a warps, fenders and anchoring pack could contain so little.

 

[jmac]

You got me thinking so I checked on the system that I am having in my Broadblue 415. (Raymarine E80/gps/radar). Using an on-line supplier - (claiming to be the cheapest in Europe) they say £3500. Broadblue are charging me £3680. I don't consider that a rip off at all considering that I can call them up and tell them its broke and they have to come and fix it!
I'm not so sure that we can generalise that boat builders have rip off pricing.

Ask me about blinds and other fittings and thats another matter though! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[EdEssery]

I bought a new Hanse a year ago and was on a tight budget. I also didn't want the standard factory Hanse.

If it's the same now as it was then, the boat will come with a factory fitted Log/Depth. Everything else was fitted in the UK.

Speak to Hanse ask them to do what you want - they are very accommodating and provide excellent service in comparison to other manufacturers I heard about.

I wanted TackTick instruments. I sourced them on the Internet along with my choice of GPS. I gave the boxes to Hanse and asked them to do certain bits - run the GPS aerial cable, do the cabinetry work for the GPS, take out the Simrad instrument head and fit the TackTick hull transmitter - and I asked them to leave the rest to me. They did this and quoted what I thought was a reasonable price for the labour involved. Best of both worlds.

Ed

 

[EdEssery]

PS If you are thinking of buying a Hanse 350, make sure you have seen pictures of the new internal layout with an aft heads before you decide which model to go with.

Enjoy!

Ed