Wake tractor

[JLG]

Thought this was a joke until I researched some more and saw some for sale at dealers Check them out new model of inboard boat.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMXXJvMAOZs

[IDBoating]

I've seen one in person, on the trailer but not in the water.

This is the embodiment of the "entry level inboard" that we've heard so many people ask for. Zero frills, very basic upholstery, etc. Totally function over form. And come on... it could have been functional without the hull being so UGLY!

Contrary to the naming confusion, this does not use the "Wake Tractor" reverse I/O drivetrain that is on the market. The one we saw had a standard inboard propshaft and strut.

I think there's a place for boats like this in the market, but it's a narrow niche.

[BCRider]

I get the idea of these and agree that there is a potential need in this entry level market but in a way we already have that market.....the used market. I'd rather have an early 2000's VD or DD than this thing. I also believe you would have a very hard time trying to sell it.....kinda like Epic owners.

[007]

I see the need, but it should be called the WTF-1! Less than 18 feet w/o platform and UGLY. Plus you need to supply your own tablet. $47k fully equipped (w/o your table) is not that great of a bargain if you ask me.

It will appeal to millennial buyers though or people who don't want to ditch their midsized SUV or who don't boat on a big lake.

[SKSailboatshop]

Meh, you can get into a brand new R20 for less then 60 grand. And if you shop around you can get a pretty nice V drive inboard for in the 40's thats not that old.

[JohnnieMo]

I like it. Anything that brings competition is good. I don't find it ugly at all. My only issue is the seating. It doesn't look very comfortable or social.

[jslayde1]

... but in a way we already have that market.....the used market.

Exactly - nothing wrong with having a used boat!

[NICKYPOO]

I would by a used boat before that thing any day. First off, it's absurd looking. Why? Do they really think this thing is going to attract more buyers than it repels? If you're going to make a simple boat, just make a simple boat. I love the concept. This particular execution leaves me perplexed just on looks alone.

[Bryan]

I totally get their train of thought, a new boat at lower price is really going to appeal to people fresh out of school and starting a family. Maybe they grew up on the lake and love the memories and want to start making their own with their kids.. Or maybe they're in an older age group and just don't have the kind of pockets it takes to get into these ridiculously priced new tow boats. All the major players have a price point boat, but even that price point is still high for a lot of people. When it comes down to brass tacks, how much do these boats really cost to make? I've seen the build process pics, and I'm not saying I could build one, but do these boats really need to cost 6 figures??

[JLG]

boat kinda reminds me of this scene if a person were blind that is! maybe this is the market they will chase


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7rWRatmvZE

[BurnMac42]

I totally get their train of thought, a new boat at lower price is really going to appeal to people fresh out of school and starting a family. Maybe they grew up on the lake and love the memories and want to start making their own with their kids.. Or maybe they're in an older age group and just don't have the kind of pockets it takes to get into these ridiculously priced new tow boats. All the major players have a price point boat, but even that price point is still high for a lot of people. When it comes down to brass tacks, how much do these boats really cost to make? I've seen the build process pics, and I'm not saying I could build one, but do these boats really need to cost 6 figures??

I asked that same question to one of the dealers around me...I specifically asked him why boats seem to have exponentially increased in price after the recovery from 2008...he said that costs have climbed a little from natural market increases/inflation however he said the big thing is the fact that they just don't make as many any more so the per unit cost to the manufacture has steadily gone up however they are making less boats so they have to charge more because companies revenue requirements haven't decreased either....

Not sure how much truth there is to that without comparing production #'s pre and post 2008 crash but it made sense to me.....

[IDBoating]

We did some extensive market analysis last year and yes, 2008 and 2009 were the low years. Shipments REALLY dropped off from their peak in the 2006 timeframe.

However, sales have been roaring back. I haven't seen the numbers for the last ~10 months, but estimates were for about 10K new inboards for model year 2016. We were at about 8K new units for 2015, which itself was a nice growth over previous years.

The argument that the price increases are driven by manufacturer's "fixed baseline costs" is nonsense. Sure it would be painful to downsize, but they can and do downsize all the time. They can idle whole sections of their production line(s), furlough their workforce, etc. They can't go to zero, of course, but there's no such thing as minimum "revenue requirements". Heck, I'd love to have a minimum revenue requirement... "I require one million dollars in salary every year". {looks around for piles of cash} Hmm, isn't working for me, and doesn't work for anyone else (but government) either. Businesses scale up and down as conditions change.

Furthermore, even IF that argument worked in the lean 2008-2009 years, it most certainly doesn't apply these days with 8K-10K new boats shipping each year. By that "logic", prices should be DROPPING since volumes are increasing. Anyone here gotten an announcement of price drops thanks to increased volume? Me neither.

[Coop]

We did some extensive market analysis last year and yes, 2008 and 2009 were the low years. Shipments REALLY dropped off from their peak in the 2006 timeframe.

However, sales have been roaring back. I haven't seen the numbers for the last ~10 months, but estimates were for about 10K new inboards for model year 2016. We were at about 8K new units for 2015, which itself was a nice growth over previous years.

The argument that the price increases are driven by manufacturer's "fixed baseline costs" is nonsense. Sure it would be painful to downsize, but they can and do downsize all the time. They can idle whole sections of their production line(s), furlough their workforce, etc. They can't go to zero, of course, but there's no such thing as minimum "revenue requirements". Heck, I'd love to have a minimum revenue requirement... "I require one million dollars in salary every year". {looks around for piles of cash} Hmm, isn't working for me, and doesn't work for anyone else (but government) either. Businesses scale up and down as conditions change.

Furthermore, even IF that argument worked in the lean 2008-2009 years, it most certainly doesn't apply these days with 8K-10K new boats shipping each year. By that "logic", prices should be DROPPING since volumes are increasing. Anyone here gotten an announcement of price drops thanks to increased volume? Me neither.

This is probably a thread hijack, but IDBoating, is that 8K-10K new inboards per year across all manufacturers? Any idea what Tige's market share is? I've always been curious about how many boats Tige sells per year.

[BCRider]

Definitely going a bit off topic but just going with the last few threads. You know prices of both new and used are getting out of hand when my 09 is now almost worth what it was new in 09. Up here it would be worth close to $ 60k this year. Which is $16k more than I paid 3 years ago. The last couple years used boats have been climbing steady.

[IDBoating]

This is probably a thread hijack, but IDBoating, is that 8K-10K new inboards per year across all manufacturers? Any idea what Tige's market share is? I've always been curious about how many boats Tige sells per year.

Yes, those figures are across all inboard manufacturers. We estimated that in 2015 Tige would ship roughly 800-1000 new boats. Using that number, it would suggest Tige has roughly 10-12% market share. Keep in mind that is a (barely) educated estimate, because while we do have pretty accurate data for the industry as a whole our vendor-specific numbers must be derived from various sources. I bet we're within +/-15%, though.