Report from the Boat Show
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:14 am
Went to the Nashville Boat Show last night, and have the following observations:
1. The most active floor traffic was centered around pontoon boat dealers.
2. Much of the floor was taken with 20-24' inboard and inboard outboard bow rider boats, few of which were being looked at by potential customers.
3. Relatively few bass boats were on the floor. The Skeeter dealer's 21' bass boat with Merc. 250 was $61K. Oh!
4. Bennington was the class of the pontoons, followed by Manitou, Premier and Cypress Cay. Fit and finish of these boats is incredible.
5. The dealers appeared to be pretty aggressive on prices, and made it clear they were willing to deal.
6. The Bennington dealer's prices were affordable on the 22' to 24' models with 115 hp and 150 hp engines. All included premium trailers, full covers and stainless props. The prices quoted were often in line with lesser quality boats.
7. The fiberglass pedestal drivers' consoles are incredibly nice, but they take up so much room. Many boats are being ordered with them, however. You feel like you're sitting in a Peterbilt seat--but who needs so many gauges.
8. Many high line pontoons are now equipped with rear facing sun beds--doubles and triples. It's the new trend.
9. The fit and finish of some of the second tier pontoon boats were not so good--sitting next to the "big 4". There was a noticeable difference in the quality of welding and the structure of the transoms on the premium pontoons.
10. The new Mercury 150 engine appears to be a magnificent engine--perfect for pontoons. The boat salesmen are all having to go to school on the engine, benefits and how to sell'em.
11. Few ETEC's were mounted on pontoons--Yamaha's were dominant (due to the specific dealers' franchises.)
12. The dealers appear to prefer the regular Yamaha 200-250 hp engines, due to torque, gearing, etc. They said the 20" VMax SHO's are great for bass boats, but the other models are better on pontoons.
13. One high line pontoon dealer also sells Suzuki motors, and he was especially high on their 140 hp model.
14. Pontoon boat dealers that used to sell numerous brands are now carrying only one brand--if it's a premium boat. The get more return out of marketing one full line brand over 4-5 brands and not doing a good job selling any.
14. There were only a couple of large fiberglass cruisers there. Nobody brought in any of the 80' aluminum barge houseboats (from SE KY) for the show due to their being too expensive to move.
15. The mid level inboard dedicated ski boats were running about $75K. I think the cheapest was $45K There were just too many dealers trying to sell them, and I'm doubtful many of these dealerships will be successful.
16. Floor traffic was a little slow due to unusually cold temperatures. It should improve today with a sunny 46 degree day.
17. Don't stop by Maggiano's Italian Grille before going to the boat show. We were miserable, and still brought home enough food for 3 big meals. If we'd had a couple of bottle of wine, we'd probably proud owners of a new Bennington.
If you're in the market, or if you're not in the market--go to the Boat Shows. It's an education.
1. The most active floor traffic was centered around pontoon boat dealers.
2. Much of the floor was taken with 20-24' inboard and inboard outboard bow rider boats, few of which were being looked at by potential customers.
3. Relatively few bass boats were on the floor. The Skeeter dealer's 21' bass boat with Merc. 250 was $61K. Oh!
4. Bennington was the class of the pontoons, followed by Manitou, Premier and Cypress Cay. Fit and finish of these boats is incredible.
5. The dealers appeared to be pretty aggressive on prices, and made it clear they were willing to deal.
6. The Bennington dealer's prices were affordable on the 22' to 24' models with 115 hp and 150 hp engines. All included premium trailers, full covers and stainless props. The prices quoted were often in line with lesser quality boats.
7. The fiberglass pedestal drivers' consoles are incredibly nice, but they take up so much room. Many boats are being ordered with them, however. You feel like you're sitting in a Peterbilt seat--but who needs so many gauges.
8. Many high line pontoons are now equipped with rear facing sun beds--doubles and triples. It's the new trend.
9. The fit and finish of some of the second tier pontoon boats were not so good--sitting next to the "big 4". There was a noticeable difference in the quality of welding and the structure of the transoms on the premium pontoons.
10. The new Mercury 150 engine appears to be a magnificent engine--perfect for pontoons. The boat salesmen are all having to go to school on the engine, benefits and how to sell'em.
11. Few ETEC's were mounted on pontoons--Yamaha's were dominant (due to the specific dealers' franchises.)
12. The dealers appear to prefer the regular Yamaha 200-250 hp engines, due to torque, gearing, etc. They said the 20" VMax SHO's are great for bass boats, but the other models are better on pontoons.
13. One high line pontoon dealer also sells Suzuki motors, and he was especially high on their 140 hp model.
14. Pontoon boat dealers that used to sell numerous brands are now carrying only one brand--if it's a premium boat. The get more return out of marketing one full line brand over 4-5 brands and not doing a good job selling any.
14. There were only a couple of large fiberglass cruisers there. Nobody brought in any of the 80' aluminum barge houseboats (from SE KY) for the show due to their being too expensive to move.
15. The mid level inboard dedicated ski boats were running about $75K. I think the cheapest was $45K There were just too many dealers trying to sell them, and I'm doubtful many of these dealerships will be successful.
16. Floor traffic was a little slow due to unusually cold temperatures. It should improve today with a sunny 46 degree day.
17. Don't stop by Maggiano's Italian Grille before going to the boat show. We were miserable, and still brought home enough food for 3 big meals. If we'd had a couple of bottle of wine, we'd probably proud owners of a new Bennington.
If you're in the market, or if you're not in the market--go to the Boat Shows. It's an education.