The Price of Boats

Had the chance to attend a "boat show" this past weekend, and when I put the "boat show" in the "" its because, well, it may as well be a space shuttle show, or a flex capacitor show, or any other unattainable product show.

Maybe, and the possibly it decent, that I am ignorant, but, holy shit boats are obscene. Not like, naked ladies all over them or a Vivid Video sponsored X-Star, but, just the general entry level type ski boat is like 60,000 dollars! Thats like, American money...I was stunned.

I don't know why I thought this, but, after wandering around and checking out a zillion boats that were ocean bound boats with cabins and nuclear motors and everything that clocked in at a cool 1/2 million, I figured it was time to go get some sanity and go see some Malibus or Mastercrafts or whatever the third major boat company is.

BOY was I mistaken.

From a simple asthetic standpoint, these boats are frickin cherry, they all were decked out in some rad electronics and esoteric dials and gauges that I would never fully understand.

Let me frame it better, a Malibu Response with a little tower on it, had a dash board with a LCD type display and a wicked rad stereo in it, which I hope to hell got better stations then the shit I deal with where I live now, and basically, if it weren't for all the people was basically sex on a trailer.

However, a response is, in my head, the base type Malibu, the entry level, the Chevrolet, etc, and it was...after discount, 60,000.

Judging by the general flow of people around the event, they were looking at four things.

1) Fishing Boats
2) Fishing Demonstrations
3) Wake Skates
4) Beer

I was at the show for three or four hours, untill my desire for BBQ got the best of me, and I never once saw anyone look at a ski boat...other then walk by, roll their eyes and walk on.

Maybe, just maybe, I am a moron and don't know what I am talking about, but as asserted in some previous posts, the price on these boats is, while not an issue, its a contributing factor to what I see as a possible "barrior to entry" (to use some marketing on your ass) to our sport.

And don't bother with the "buy used" argument, I sold my old boat, a 1995 prostar 190, 8 years ago for a certain price, if you were to look them up now, 8 years later, they are more expensive.

8 years later.

Its amazing. I mean, these are big and smart companies that know what they are doing and by now means is it their responsibility to make boats that I can afford, its just a commentary.

Which, leads me to my final point, if someone had the gumption to try something crazy, I would look and try to find a non-existent boat company, like, Ski Brendella or something and get their fiberglass molds. put them in a wharehouse somewhere and make a small batch of 20-30 thousand dollar, three-event type, specific boats.

You could have a little pro-shop with towers, stereos, fat sacs, etc, etc, that you could mod-out your boat. but, that would eleviate that "entry-level" fear, as well as the "buyers remorse" aspect of someone mortgageing their souls to purchase a boat for their kid who will use it like I used mine.

For putting around, drinking beer and getting girls.

Take it and run CRB-etariat. I just want 5% of profits.