Why is it so expensive for yachts ?

[martymcfly]

This year I will be looking to buy my first boat having been introduced to sailing by our friends. But on doing a lot of looking and comparing different makes is it just me but do you not think yachts of all shapes and sizes are expensive for what you get for your money.

[MarkJ]

Yes! I expected a 100 footer for the money I paid for my 39 footer. And the all girl crew too!

[Kettlewell]

They are mostly handmade and in very small numbers--not mass produced like cars. Used boats offer the best bang for the buck, as we say over here.

[martymcfly]

Yes I want 100 footer as well but think i will settle for 37 to 39 ft but I'm not looking to have it gold plated !!!

[bobconnie]

Thats a good thing ya don't want Gold Plated, cus it might not float to well that way !! and as my daddy said :ya get what ya pay for " and thats a for sure with boats !!!

[tbodine88]

Small is Beautiful by Larry Brown

As Larry Brown said, especially for first boats, smaller is better.

I understand there are quite a few west wight potters up your way. You can probably get these for less money.

[skipmac]

Well consider that boats are pretty much hand made, very low volume and combine all the function and features of a house and a car in a package sturdy designed to survive the rigors of going out in the ocean and also be made out of stainless, bronze and other expensive materials to resist the corrosive effects of salt water.

So, to get all that usually doesn't come cheap.

[David_Old_Jersey]

But boats still cheaper than a Delorean. and probably cheaper to maintain (there has to be something that is!).

Anyway, welcome to CF. In 2013 .

[martymcfly]

Kettlewell, there are thousands of boats for sale so will see what I think will suit my budget.
A lot looked mass produced to me as they all look very similar.....

[martymcfly]

Skipmac I'm beginning to realise that lol... You get what you pay for..

[Kettlewell]

A lot looked mass produced to me as they all look very similar.....

Other than Beneteau and Hunter there aren't many sailboat companies that make even 100 boats a year. Over here on our side of the pond there are lots of companies that make less than 10 boats a year. Even a Beneteau is mostly built by hand following patterns and such. They aren't like cars where the manufacturer is making tens of thousands of the same model over and over and can benefit from standardization, bulk purchasing, etc. Still though, there are lots of 30 footers out there used that cost less than an economy car.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by martymcfly

Kettlewell, there are thousands of boats for sale so will see what I think will suit my budget.
A lot looked mass produced to me as they all look very similar.....

Mass produced boat might be 20 or 50 or a couple hundred. The largest volume models ever built might have been about 1000 total over a multi year production run.

The major car companies sell more of a popular model in a month.

So boats, no economy of scale, all hand made ie no high volume assembly line production.

[martymcfly]

Handmade ??? I better get my wallet out :-))

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Other than Beneteau and Hunter there aren't many sailboat companies that make even 100 boats a year. Over here on our side of the pond there are lots of companies that make less than 10 boats a year. Even a Beneteau is mostly built by hand following patterns and such. They aren't like cars where the manufacturer is making tens of thousands of the same model over and over and can benefit from standardization, bulk purchasing, etc. Still though, there are lots of 30 footers out there used that cost less than an economy car.

lol... when I passed the Bendi factory near La Rochelle, France on the train in 2011 there were 300+ lined up in rows... that I could see....different sizes, models..

[martymcfly]

When you look and see whats for sail on the internet It just appears that there are loads of boats/yachts for sale. I hope its a sport that growing in popularity or is everyone jumping ship... lol