Sealine - Slimmed down range

2

[2068]

...
Joined
19 Sep 2002
Messages
18,113
Visit site
Compare the website to last year's brochure, and three boats have disappeared from the '09 range!

Deleted:
- S25 Previously the Sealine starter boat
- S29 Open version of SC29
- SC39 Hard top coupe version of S38

dv.
 
hmm, ok but I was thinking that the diesel S25 was around 60k. OK, so this morning we found out that cranchi have slashed prices so now the Z28 is around that price, but probably with a petrol and the Bav27 is quite a bit of dosh too.

Its a shame that the last of the big four has finally abandoned the grass routes boater.

Makes you wonder when the 29 gets old if they will replace that, or go the Fairline route where the entry level boat is a 38....
 
When times are hard, it's got to make sense to delete slow selling or low margin models from the range and concentrate on higher margin models. For sure it's a shame that Sealine seem to be abandoning the starter market but, if there's no profit in it, what's the point?
 
It isn't always the case that each product has to be a big moneyspinner in itself, the classic example being airline "feeder" route where an airline will discount a small hop to a hub to get the punters onto the more lucrative long-haul flight.

Similarly, boats like the S25 make very little money for them, but a percentage will stick with the brand when they trade up. Of course, another percentage will never be able to make the next jump, or will jump to another brand anyway, so it's not an easy call to make.

dv.
 
Just clearing out a draw and found a build list for Sealine in Jan 95.

They built 14 boats 210 / 240 / 270 that month and all but 1 were export, and Jan was a quet month.

How times have changed.

Brian
 
I think Brunswick is only seeing numbers in this downturn, and sometimes this is plain wrong IMO

but hey they are the owners, I think in the last years many builders have been sold to financing companies who dont know a dime about boating so they we will see some of the companies go bust, and then may be Mister ChungYang or Mr. Abu Dhabi will come and buy the brand...
 
Yup, I'm well aware of that argument but I think there is less brand loyalty out there than there used to be. Certainly Sealine dealers have been promoting sales in the past by giving artificially high p/x's for people trading up to bigger boats in their range but that can only work in a buoyant market where the margin on the new boat subsidises the loss on the p/x but in the current market, it is a quick way for a dealer to go bust and the owner finds he's going to take a huge hit when he eventually trades out of a Sealine to another marque. I think buyers are now more aware of this
 
But in the days of the high PX, Sealine did there own sales, so lower mark-ups were possible. Plus as the factory was quiet around Christmas, they could use the labour to refirb the trade in boats.

So by combining all functions, the whole thing was good for the customer, and kept down the price.

Brian
 
[ QUOTE ]
So by combining all functions, the whole thing was good for the customer, and kept down the price.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't agree with that. Whether the sales outlet is dealer owned or manufacturer owned, the overheads are going to be the same and in either case, will probably operate as a profit centre. I don't see any advantage for the customer except maybe security of payments
 
[ QUOTE ]
I don't see any advantage for the customer except maybe security of payments

[/ QUOTE ]
As a new boat customer of Sealine in 2002 from their owned Hamble sales office I felt advantaged by the "factory connect". Problems were solved quickly by the involvement of factory people and there was never a hint of whose budget would it come out of. Also an easy rotation of staff led to a lot more knowledge in the Sales office.
It felt good to me!
 
A sad fact of live then, Tom thought a lot about Sealine, his boats and owners. He allways wanted the best deal for both, a thing that has gone out of British business I am afarid.

Brian
 
I wouldn't deny that only to say that a good dealer might be even more customer focused because his livelihood depended on it and some manufacturer's sales operations lose that. But the original point was that prices would be lower with a manufacturer's sales operation rather than a dealer operation and I was arguing against that
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top