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25-05-2012, 14:45
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Florida/Alberta
Boat: Lippincott 30
Posts: 9,904
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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.
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25-05-2012, 14:59
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,185
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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.
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25-05-2012, 14:59
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2011
Location: "Out There" (mailing Austin TX)
Boat: Lafitte 44
Posts: 418
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Re: Why are major boat builders far from an ocean?
Hurricanes
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25-05-2012, 15:56
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#4
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Moderator
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
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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
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Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
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25-05-2012, 16:08
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Murrells Inlet, SC
Boat: mt34dt
Posts: 308
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Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?
$$$$$$$
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25-05-2012, 16:24
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Skagit City, WA
Posts: 25,453
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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
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25-05-2012, 18:17
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#7
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Boat: Research vessel for a university, retired now.
Posts: 10,406
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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.
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25-05-2012, 20:26
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#8
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: north carolina
Boat: command yachtsdouglas32
Posts: 3,113
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Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cate
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
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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
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25-05-2012, 21:25
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Punta De Mita
Boat: Vagabond 39 Hull # 1
Posts: 1,842
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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.
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25-05-2012, 21:42
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Montegut LA.
Boat: Now we need to get her to Louisiana !! she's ours
Posts: 3,421
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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
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26-05-2012, 02:49
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#11
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Armchair Bucketeer
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 10,012
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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.
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26-05-2012, 06:16
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#12
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Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,241
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Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?
Quote:
Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey
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.
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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
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26-05-2012, 08:39
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: St. Georges, Bda
Boat: Rhodes Reliant 41ft
Posts: 4,131
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Re: Why are Major Boat Builders far from an Ocean?
Tax incentives and beneficial environmental allowances.
__________________
so many projects--so little time !!
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26-05-2012, 18:19
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between the devil and the deep blue sea
Boat: a sailing boat
Posts: 20,420
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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.
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26-05-2012, 20:42
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Punta Gorda, Fl
Boat: Endeavourcat Sailcat 44
Posts: 3,168
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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.
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