Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 25-05-2012, 14:45   #1
Registered User
 
avb3's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Florida/Alberta
Boat: Lippincott 30
Posts: 9,904
Images: 1
Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Out of interest, I went to Google Maps to see the locations of various boat builders, including Hunter, Bavaria and Catalina in Florida.

In all of those cases, they are not anywhere near being on the ocean. In fact, Bavaria and Hunter are far inland.

The thought comes as to why? One would think transportation costs would eliminate any other benefits. I believe Beneteau, Jeanneau and most cats are actually built beside the ocean.

Thoughts?
__________________
If your attitude resembles the south end of a bull heading north, it's time to turn around.
avb3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 14:59   #2
Registered User
 
rebel heart's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,185
Images: 3
Re: Why are major boat builders far from an ocean?

Labor, transportation, environmental costs, and real estate. Takes a lot of room to make boats, store them, and store the materials.

My guess anyway. Whenever I look at commercial ventures it's appalling how much it costs to be near the water.

And it's not like they're going to get any business being directly on the water.
rebel heart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 14:59   #3
Registered User
 
xeon_tsd's Avatar

Join Date: May 2011
Location: "Out There" (mailing Austin TX)
Boat: Lafitte 44
Posts: 418
Re: Why are major boat builders far from an ocean?

Hurricanes
__________________
hopefully I will keep this updated.... https://svchapaai.com
xeon_tsd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 15:56   #4
Moderator
 
Jim Cate's Avatar

Join Date: May 2008
Location: cruising SW Pacific
Boat: Jon Sayer 1-off 46 ft fract rig sloop strip plank in W Red Cedar
Posts: 21,134
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Well, builders of large boats don't have many walk-in customers! Typically they will need to ship their products to a distant customer anyway, so there would be little value in having a high cost location near the sea.

Cheers,

Jim
__________________
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
Jim Cate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 16:08   #5
Registered User
 
zeta's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Murrells Inlet, SC
Boat: mt34dt
Posts: 308
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

$$$$$$$
zeta is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 16:24   #6
Registered User
 
Cheechako's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Skagit City, WA
Posts: 25,453
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Waterfront real estate cost. many builders have their own transportation scheme. Cats are wide....
__________________
"I spent most of my money on Booze, Broads and Boats. The rest I wasted" - Elmore Leonard











Cheechako is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 18:17   #7
Moderator Emeritus
 
David M's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Boat: Research vessel for a university, retired now.
Posts: 10,406
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Everything near the water costs more. But being boat owners, we already know that.
__________________
David

Life begins where land ends.
David M is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 20:26   #8
Marine Service Provider

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: north carolina
Boat: command yachtsdouglas32
Posts: 3,113
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cate View Post
Well, builders of large boats don't have many walk-in customers! Typically they will need to ship their products to a distant customer anyway, so there would be little value in having a high cost location near the sea.

Cheers,

Jim
after 4 yrs and only one walk in customer I realized I didnt need to pay rent on a commercial building,moved everthing to the house and started working out of a brief case and a computer..DVC
tropicalescape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 21:25   #9
Registered User
 
sww914's Avatar

Join Date: May 2009
Location: Punta De Mita
Boat: Vagabond 39 Hull # 1
Posts: 1,842
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Rent. A nice 3 bed 2 bath on the water in socal will be 6k a month, 10 miles inland it will be less than half, maybe 1/4th. Trucking is a once per unit cost but rent is every day. I'd rather have my manufacturing business next to a major freeway, I guess. Well, not rather, but should.
__________________
Steve
https://www.landfallvoyages.com
sww914 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-05-2012, 21:42   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Montegut LA.
Boat: Now we need to get her to Louisiana !! she's ours
Posts: 3,421
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

And besides Fla. is a narrow state anyway so its semi close to the water no matter where they are !!
__________________
Bob and Connie
bobconnie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-05-2012, 02:49   #11
Armchair Bucketeer
 
David_Old_Jersey's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 10,012
Images: 4
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Building on the shore only made sense when selling to the local area - and the facility was also needed as a boatyard, and the local area was the main source of skilled workers......and when shoreside property was not sold at a premium.

If selling nationally and internationally physical location does not really matter - pros and cons to everywhere, all about overall cost.
David_Old_Jersey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-05-2012, 06:16   #12
Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
 
Wotname's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,241
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Quote:
Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey View Post
Building on the shore only made sense when selling to the local area - and the facility was also needed as a boatyard, and the local area was the main source of skilled workers......and when shoreside property was not sold at a premium.

If selling nationally and internationally physical location does not really matter - pros and cons to everywhere, all about overall cost.
China!
__________________
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangereous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence
Wotname is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-05-2012, 08:39   #13
Registered User
 
Blue Stocking's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: St. Georges, Bda
Boat: Rhodes Reliant 41ft
Posts: 4,131
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Tax incentives and beneficial environmental allowances.
__________________
so many projects--so little time !!
Blue Stocking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-05-2012, 18:19   #14
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between the devil and the deep blue sea
Boat: a sailing boat
Posts: 20,420
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

Plenty of Scandinavian, Dutch and French boats are actually built on their waterfront facilities.

But, you know, waterfront costs ...

b.
barnakiel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-05-2012, 20:42   #15
Registered User
 
Captain Bill's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Punta Gorda, Fl
Boat: Endeavourcat Sailcat 44
Posts: 3,168
Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?

One of the main reasons fiberglass boat buiilders locate in Florida is that fiberglass curing requires relatively warm temperatures. One does not have to pay much for year round warm temperatures in Florida. Most Monohull sailboats are actually trailerable. Not your typical boat trailer you haul with your family sedan perhaps, but trailerable not the less. Since one has to transport the boat from where ever it's manufactured to where ever it's sold, it doesn't really matter where your located if you have to haul it by truck. Much of the cost is just the process of loading and unloading it anyway so distance may be less of the transportation cost that one would expect. Besides that Florida probably has one of the biggest markets for boats in the US so locating there minimizes transportation costs.

Cats are built near the ocean because for the most part they are not trailerable. The usual road limit is 16 feet in the US which corresponds to the width limit for mobile homes and even that requires special permits and escort vehicles. Only the smaller cats can manage that, though a few can meet this standard if placed on a trailer diagonally and I have seen that done. With wide cats tilting them enough get the width down to 16 feet means they're too high to pass under highway overpasses. This means that most cats are delivered on their hulls or the deck of a freighter. In either case, it still requires the factory be on the water.
Captain Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 23:16.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.