Price Difference

[dom w. forte]

I just wanted to get an opinion from everyone on where they think the cost difference comes from ,on the various manufacturers.
The way I see it is everybodys hardware, stainless, brass,alum, etc, has to be close.
Then vynles , foam , plastics close.
Then there is only a couple of instruement companys used between them.
Then the engine manufactureres , close.
Then gel coat, resins, and synthetics, close.
Then screws, washers and bolts and nuts.
Then labor.
Then R&D.
So all that being said and if I left anything out please chime in, is there 10, 20, or 30,000 dollars difference , to justify paying for say a MC,CC,BU?
Having been on the water in all those brands over the years with, pros, and semi pros, is there a drastic performance difference, between them to justify the price, or is it name status that gets paid for?
Now I didnt start this thread to start a pissing contest, only wanted to see everybodys honest opinion.

[robert theisen]

Athlete endorsments,More Management employees,More sales force and event sponsorship and other advertising.Not saying this covers all the difference,but they are additional expenses.Also their higher number of units sold helps cover additional expenses.

[Nobody]

When Dom told me Natique sold for $30K more, I too had to scratch my head and wonder. An extra $30K times 400 boats renders a cool 1.2M.......I can easily see how a giant corporate mouth to feed with big corporate sponsorship, promo's, advertising, and giant commissions could eat up an extra 1.2 to 2.0 mil. They're all doing Tige a big favor if we think of Tige as an underdog. By judging the Z3, Tige is by no means an underdog.

[Bruizza]

I know all MC's come prewired for EVERY option. So even if you don't order it you can add it later. Like say underwater lights or observer's heated seat. Also the MC's come with a switch to control every single thing you can do so if your BIG screen goes out you lose 0 functions.

[iamcdn]

Malibu's and Tiges are similarly priced in my town...trying to decide between the two right now.

[dom w. forte]

I know all MC's come prewired for EVERY option. So even if you don't order it you can add it later. Like say underwater lights or observer's heated seat. Also the MC's come with a switch to control every single thing you can do so if your BIG screen goes out you lose 0 functions.

Tige also comes pre wired , except the tower, however you can order it pre wired, also ballast, nav. lights, bilge and blower, have switches under the dash for over ride.

[talltigeguy]

Malibu's and Tiges are similarly priced in my town...trying to decide between the two right now.

I have found Malibu and Tige to be very similarly priced as well. MC has been higher in general, but I think it strongly depends on time of year and if the dealership has leftovers.

In MC's case, I think some of the extra money is going to dealerships rather than corporate. And I might add that last month, I saw the MC dealer advertising a new 2012 X30 for 79K. It is rare to find an MC without the usual options. I do know that Utah Water sports does not order them with anything less than the 6.0 because of the high altitude lakes. So I think in some instances, Tige is not necessarily 30K cheaper than MC.

[IDBoating]

When we toured the Nautique factory, the guy pointed at the molds and the folks finishing the hulls and said "That's where the money is. That's why these boats are so expensive."

Just passing the comment along....

[JreisRZR]

Up here tige is 10k short of Malibu 30k short mc and nautique. A little bit more than supra. It's easy to see where the money goes in an MC. Billet billet billet. Nautique a just feel high quality. Tiges do as well, about on par with the other brand perhaps a step behind mc and cc in fit And finish.

[IDBoating]

It's easy to see where the money goes in an MC. Billet billet billet. Nautique a just feel high quality.

Yep, that's pretty much how we felt too. Since we refer to ships as "she", I'll use female metaphors to describe what we found when we were shopping in 2010.

MasterCraft felt like they're just throwing money at things trying to out-fancy the other gals. Like a high-maintenence girlfriend - the money buys window dressing. Some egos need that on their women and boats (and cars and club memberships and...).

Nautique felt refined, classy, with a "don't need to prove anything" feel to it. Like the wife who is comfortable with herself, knows what she's doing, and doesn't care WTF other women think.

Tige struck us as the techie chick. Smartest girl in the room - and knows it. Not afraid to get her hands dirty. Cares more about substance than style but can play the role when necessary. Her confidence makes her comfortable with experimentation. And her man better be able to handle her when the door closes.

We went with Tige!

[kko]

Yep, that's pretty much how we felt too. Since we refer to ships as "she", I'll use female metaphors to describe what we found when we were shopping in 2010.

MasterCraft felt like they're just throwing money at things trying to out-fancy the other gals. Like a high-maintenence girlfriend - the money buys window dressing. Some egos need that on their women and boats (and cars and club memberships and...).

Nautique felt refined, classy, with a "don't need to prove anything" feel to it. Like the wife who is comfortable with herself, knows what she's doing, and doesn't care WTF other women think.

Tige struck us as the techie chick. Smartest girl in the room - and knows it. Not afraid to get her hands dirty. Cares more about substance than style but can play the role when necessary. Her confidence makes her comfortable with experimentation. And her man better be able to handle her when the door closes.

We went with Tige!

LOL!! Have you ben reading 50 shadees of grey or something!!!!!!

[Bruizza]

Tige also comes pre wired , except the tower, however you can order it pre wired, also ballast, nav. lights, bilge and blower, have switches under the dash for over ride.

There is a switch to empty ballast under the dash. My understanding is it does not also fill ballast. There is literally a switch to control every single function you can get on a MC. You could unplug the BIG throw it in the water and still use your boat all day long with no problems. I guess you would lose your rider presets but that would be about it.

[talltigeguy]

There is a switch to empty ballast under the dash. My understanding is it does not also fill ballast. There is literally a switch to control every single function you can get on a MC. You could unplug the BIG throw it in the water and still use your boat all day long with no problems. I guess you would lose your rider presets but that would be about it.

On the MC without BIG, you would still have cruise control?

The last Tige I crawled under the dash was a while ago...but I was thinking I saw a single ballast switch to control all of the tanks, so if the touch goes out, you can fill all or empty all, and that is it?

[Bruizza]

I am not positive but I am about 95% sure you can set the cruise control from a gauge on the dash.

I feel like I was told you could only empty the tanks with that switch. I have never had to use it so I am certainly no expert on how it works.

Clearly we thought Tige was the best value for us. Just trying to throw out some reasons a MC is more expensive. Heck you can't even get a heated driver's seat on a Tige. You can get a heated driver's and observer's seat on a MC. My brother's MB that costs less than the Tige has a heated driver's seat. It has been put to good use this season in Colorado.

[dom w. forte]

Im just wanting to compare boat to boat option to option, and see where the difference comes in on over all priceing, everybodys opinion, I understand there will be addtional features which could drive up cost , is the drastic jump in cost justifiable.
I havent addressed resale because in studying that they all hold about the same percentage, some models command more.