Factory Refurbs

[MeaCulpa]

As to taking the boat back to the factory, why would I when there is an excellent boatyard 100 feet away, let alone all the great ones like Osmotech on the Hamble

If you have an excellent yard nearby and if their prices are fair then it's a no brainer. My point is that the big builders could use their name/oem status to capture some after sale cash and maintain a relationship with the customer that might translate to a sale when the economy picks up. Best case the builder will be able to keep skilled labour on the payroll.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

it is now getting impossible as the price is change is 3 times what I used to pay to upgrade - and when the upgrade only part equates to a new Princess 43 plus £200K change there is something wrong somewhere.

That is the crux of the problem. The secondhand market is no longer able or willing to support the new boat market. For nearly every potential new boat sale there has to be a secondhand boat sale to support it and the greater the difference between the values of each transaction, the less likely it is that the new boat sale takes place. Whilst, as jfm puts it, there may be a few new boat buyers 'clever' enough not to care about the depreciation on their purchase, I'm pretty sure the majority do indeed care about it which is why new boat builders are struggling to shift their products at a reasonable profit margin

 

[dj43]

If you have an excellent yard nearby and if their prices are fair then it's a no brainer. My point is that the big builders could use their name/oem status to capture some after sale cash and maintain a relationship with the customer that might translate to a sale when the economy picks up. Best case the builder will be able to keep skilled labour on the payroll.

Completely agree with you as per my previous post, builders might be able maintain there workforce when times are slack, and also build on customer loyalty , at present seems that the size of discount or part ex that a broker can squeeze out of the builder is more important than brand,
Someone who is fortunate to change boats every year or so, is not going to be requiring the services or skills to carry out a major refit, yes there are some good boatyards about all we are saying is the factory's that manufacture these crafts could also benefit in there aftercare

 

[benjenbav]

This barrel is in the imagination of the beholder. Used boat buyers see the first guy pay £2m or whatever and sell for £1m or whatever and think he has been bent over a barrel, and aren't they clever for buying a 3yr old minter @ £1m. That is a valid view if you're looking through the second guy's lens, and second guy is indeed clever/smart. But the first guy doesn't want a used boat. He has the £2m and takes pleasure from buying his new boat exactly how he wants it and couldn't care less about dropping a million for a few years of fun. There is no barrel in the world seen through his lens. He doesn't accept that the second guy (who is smart, don't get me wrong) is smarter because first guy doesn't think you measure smartness by getting the minimum depreciation on your boat (otherwise he too would buy a used boat; he must be smart enough because he has the money to buy 2 used boats).

I think this is bob on. Historically, boats were a terrifically expensive waste of money but beautiful playthings for the über-rich. In the 15 years or so pre-Lehman people who had worked for their own wealth were able to get on board (as it were).

Post-Lehman they got culled so that the market remains open to the über-rich (who don't want your DNA on their mattresses, unless you are real pretty) and the squeezed enthusiasts.

Which isn't much to play for for the builders.

 

[rwoofer]

I get the Linssen magazine and it is quite clear that the factory do a refurb service that seems to be quite well used. If you look at 2nd hand value of Linssens they also seem to hold up surprisingly well. I wonder if the model works for them because the machinery is proportionally a much smaller part of the cost?