First To Fail?

[shake-n-bake]

Which boat manufacturer is going to be the first one to go under?

[yllw20]

are you talking dirct/vdrive co's? if in general some already have. I was told beachcomber pontoons is out now.

[Razzman]

That's nice, more positive thoughts to help all of us along in our day. I'll remember this one as i send out my unemployment form today.

[shake-n-bake]

I was refering to the direct/vdrive class of boats. I had heard rumors that a couple of them are in deep trouble!

[xpjim1]

That's nice, more positive thoughts to help all of us along in our day. I'll remember this one as i send out my unemployment form today.

My unemployment check I recieved today had my stimulus bonus. I get $475 a week instead of $450. I am going out celebrating

[Razzman]

My unemployment check I recieved today had my stimulus bonus. I get $475 a week instead of $450. I am going out celebrating

Bwahaha! Heck i can retire then!

[JUST-IN-TIME]

you are talking wake and ski only
because some are done already!

i will say MB or Sanger

[MoneyPity]

That's nice, more positive thoughts to help all of us along in our day. I'll remember this one as i send out my unemployment form today.

Ditto. I understand what you are going thru. As of today I effectively am no longer full time. VP position has been reduced to part time, no benefits etc so I can be a good loyal idiot and train one of my managers to be aware of issues related to the development department that he had no need to deal with before. And it screws with unemployment allotment I could draw. I feel for all that are caught in the economic nightmare especially many of us in our 50's and up. Wonder when I will see stimulus money.

[illiniboarder88]

JIT, any reason you throw out those two names?

[MoneyPity]

Sanger Web Page is stuck on 2008 boats. A little hint here but maybe they=just forgot

MB Sports is still there, they have 2009 website and when phone rings it gets answered

[highrock]

I dont think Sanger will fail. If you look at Epic's website its not much either.

I think all these smaller companies will hang tight. Look at Gekko last year they went under and now are back again this year since someone else bought them out. I saw a new 09 at the greensboro boat show in the centurion booth.

Mastercraft is having the most trouble I believe, none of them are doing any good right now I dont care what anyone says. Tige may have a better situation then most but that doesnt make them indestructable in this economy.

In NC it seems no one is buying new boats and I would expect that all over, if that is the case then all of them will have trouble, but I do believe all the big companies will make it, it will just be hard on them.

[Razzman]

Sanger is rock solid and if anything will be the last to fail. They are probably the only one to operate pretty much on a cash basis having been where they are forever and they only build an average of 300 boats a year when times are good. They've been in business since the mid fifties and know how to weather this economy. Between the Davidson's and Scott Pelatin they are extremely savvy on the boating market.

Mastercraft, CC and Malibu are a different story altogether. Don't know about MB Sports.

Skiers Choice (Moomba & Supra) is still selling boats consistently and has not layed off any employees.

Centurion (Fineline) has cut back employees as well as gone to an abbreviated work week.

[Razzman]

BTW Sanger is notorius for not maintaining their web site for a few years.

[illiniboarder88]

Unless anyone has some semblence of credible data, it seems to be a little harsh and in my opinion irresponsible to hypothesize about someone going under. I have zero personal knowledge of any of these companies. I just find it strange that somehow, Sanger and MB get brought up. Both are Cali companies that seem to have stronger regional presences on the West Coast than in the midwest and east. As such, I'd assume they have smaller dealer networks, which likely means less inventory. In a bad economy, that's going to be a good thing. I never seem to hear anything but good things about Sangers, and I spent some time on an MB last summer that I was a big fan of. I know of two 09 MB's that will be arriving at my small lake in IL this summer, so there's proof they are building 09's. I hope everyone survives bc it's good for our sport to have innovators out there.

[Tequilasun]

I wish them all luck in these tough times. Without knowing how the are financially leveraged it's all speculation at this point.