SIBS - last hurrah?

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According to the latest hype, SIBS visitors were only down 5% compared to last year and boat sales held up. Well, on the day that we went, it was much quieter than previous years and other visitors who went on other days I talked to said the same.
Anyway, let's say we believe them but my question to the panel is whether this can continue? Reading last Sunday's papers was dismal indeed and every informed commentator seems to be forecasting several years of economic gloom with higher unemployment and higher taxes. Even if we manage to keep our businesses or jobs, we can hardly look forward to a comfortable old age because most of our pension schemes are fecked. I don't want to go all gludyesque but, whilst the super rich will always be able to afford the boat of their dreams, it seems to me that the average boat buyer is going to find it a lot harder to justify splashing out on a new boat in the next few years.
So was SIBS the last hurrah for the UK boating industry before the economy crashes or is it business as usual?
 
I dont know. I guess it depends if you believe the dour forcasts or not.

Right now, I dont have any less money in my poket than I did a year ago, but I feel a lot less inclined to spend any of it. The reason, in case they are right, in case it gets worse, in case I take a pay cut or whatever.

That is the real problem and confidence is something for which there is no quick fix.

I fear this might have just been the last hurrah...
 
Was discussing this morning with well known old standing british aft cabin dealer who took one order at the show.
We went on Friday it was very sparce till the afternoon, there seemed to be more Failine staff around than punters, we went on quite a few boats that in years past we would not have got anywhere near.

I must say that after never looking at the Absolute range I was very impressed with them, though I could not use one in this climate and I still feel a flybridge is for me.

I also heard that fee tickets were being given out on the streets of Southampton to boost the figures.

To be fair everyone i spoke to seemed positive for the future, if everyone keeps positive im sure we will see it through.

However if we see a large influx of used boats on the market next year then things will change, I think that people who are brave enough to trade up will get a bargain from the dealers who have used trade in stock, just to put cash back into the system.

I do wonder what the finance houses at the show had to say about things? anyone care to answer.
 
What day did you go?

There were two very quiet days, Sunday (first) and Tuesday the rest were busy the last Fri, Sat and Sun very busy.

The front of our stand can be manic then two mins later dead then manic again.

For what its worth I believe the numbers and it is audited so time will tell when they post them.
 
Everyone I've spoken to said it was quiet, unless they were an exhibitor or connected to the marine industry. Not that I'm surprised by the differing views (but perhaps by the way that some on here leap to say it was busy, really, honest!). I went on the last Friday and it seemed far quieter than the same day last year. My perception of course - I'm sure I'll be told I'm wrong.

Seemed to be far more tickets available free on here too - generosity, or an effort to get numbers up?

I'm sure Fairline used to do more than 30boats in a show too.

Rick
 
do people really turn up and say,, ohh I think I ll buy a boat today? Surely, most people have been looking, talking,deciding and maybe down to a few narrow choices. Or maybe I m just too poor to spend £00000's on a whim!
I dont know how many SBS boats are for UK market? Do many foreigners turn up to see the UK builders, or do they choose at a foreign show, I wonder.
One dealer mentioned it was the 50-100k pocket cruiser market that sucks.. once you got into bigger boats, there still seemed ok interest.
 
[ QUOTE ]
was SIBS the last hurrah for the UK boating industry?

[/ QUOTE ]Nah, they'll just shift their sales towards China, Russia or South America.
PS: and they'll exploit the local crisis as an excuse for some restructuring, at the same time.
 
I wont tell you your wrong but I get the sneaking suspicion you are wanting me to!

All I know is as an exhibitor it had quiet days and very busy days or should that be times?

The show, is remember laid out differently to that in the past few years and this has had a dramatic change in traffic flow so there are areas that are not as busy as they used to be.

And the pontoons have been enlarged which means that the main "fairline" row is not the main through route now there are several other options.

Oh I am not worng I am never wrong.......
 
China is hard, very hard as they dont have much boating in there DNA so sales will be slow
Russia is ok but the recent SM slump might be negative
South Americans are the new Russians this is true

I think in a year or 2 it will be good again, especially if oil prices are sub 100 US$, UK has the red diesel issue to fight but after a year or 2 I am sure people will get used to it

in the end the new boat market was a bit self inflated in the last few years, with exagerated price increases from the various builders, so a bit of reality check does not hurt anyone
 
5% down my arse. Anyone who went to SIBS knows it was more like 50% down.

Boat sales were still strong at the top end but smaller manufacturers suffered. Anyone who pretends otherwise is telling porkies.
 
Absolutely heaving the day I went (last Saturday), and didn't look any different in visitor numbers to previous years. Can't speak for previous days.
 
OK so I am in the biz so to speak so anything I have to say will be taken with a pinch of salt but nevertheless....

For us numbers were definitley down on last year but ,.... the quality of buyer was better. Our problem last year was we were just swamped with fender kickers, those that were just curious and family day out types this year down on the toons people seem far less inclined to just step on board while we are on the water and the messers just walked on by. We had a greater ratio of Euro visitors all who said that they were here looking for a bargin with the euro being stronger.

Personally I would be quite happy if the numbers stayed down keeps out the dipsticks that want to clamber all over the boat , waste half an hour of your time while genunie people walk off, and then they have the cheek to say thanks but I'll need to win the lotto first, if I hear that one more time someone is going in the drink /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

And if you are the parent that let that little brat run wild on our 41 and scored the saloon table with his gameboy thing, don't bother coming back next year!.

Doom and gloom, well never been any different, 911 the world was on the brink , everything was going down the swanie, 18 months later the economy was back to pre 911 and even better in some areas, some even made fortunes from it.

Bit orrible of me I know but being in the property game too I will be buying the odd bit here and there as the panic spreads, some right bargins to be had shortly, buy em up, hang on 24/36 months and thats the new boat paid for. Happens every single time, people follow like sheep and believe everything they are told by the media and that includes the so called professionals who run round like headless chickens. I know big developers and property speculators that are just biding time and then their in there buying like mad. It is well known that the big players stash cash while times are good so that they have pots to spend when it all goes south again and the cycle continues.

The way I look at it, if everything is going that pear shaped doesn't really matter anyway, might as well have the money in your toys as the bank cus the bank will have gone kaput with the lot, your house won't be worth diddly and no one will have a job so just go rob some fuel ala Mad Max type of thing and go boating!
 
When the Indepence of the Seas left berth, we wondered if they were going to close the pontoons, as it seemed the entire population of Southampton were heading there! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I feel no worse off than I was last year, in fact if anything we are slightly better off having prepared for the worst which, as yet has not happened (touches head). I do however have an irrational feeling that some Birk in the city is going to cause me to loose some pennies indirectly, by damaging a customer or causing a financial institution with whom I have dealings to run into trouble. I am therefore in cautious mode until further notice.
 
I went last friday afternoon, for me most of the stands were quiet.
I got straight onto a princess, first time in at least 5 years, I think they were glad to talk to someone, same with the fairline. Have to say in both cases they employ pretty girls who no zilch about boats, waste of my time which annoys me.
I had to wait to look at Sealine f37, at least he knew his eggs but swithced off when i said i was looking for second hand. Sealine and Sunseeker seemed busiest to me. No one at all on Gobbi, stand. Absolute 41 was nice but again no one there. Windy and Doral had a few people.
Electronics hall, distinct lack of buzz. All very quiet just reps looking at each other.
There was huge flybridge on the outer rim pontoon, very nice, was discounted from 1m to 635k. Possible a cancelled order.
for me it was well down and bit sad to see like that really but i flew round and got done a lot quicker so i enjoyed it
 
If it was 50% down I would have known and we would have not sold what we sold.

Then again I guess you dropped your car off and it was taken away then you were ushered into the private area of a certain british builder and had a glass of fizz shoved in your hand...but you have to hand it to them they do it well

Bit like airport lounges (private ones) they never seem busy when you are in there.....


/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Just typical, you walk past and its the only time no one was on board /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, Actually I'd guess there was no one on either the 41 or 52 probably 30% of the time, which suits me fine, tis hard going doing eight hours non stop so a few less people made it more managable and gives you a break every hour or so. I'd concur though, some were bereft of a soul for hours. That big flybridge thing was an Aicon which I believe has been around for over a year to be sold, wrong boat, wrong market but for someone there is more to come off it I am sure and would make a reasonable med boat for the right money, flybridge is a bit skew in layout but you could change that with a bit of cash thrown at it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Nah, they'll just shift their sales towards China, Russia or South America

[/ QUOTE ]

That may help the boat builders but it doesn't help UK dealers, brokers and all the individuals and businesses that operate in the UK boat industry
 
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