Just curious......it seems that boat prices went up a year ago or so when aluminum went up.

Correct me if I am wrong (River), but aluminum is back down quite a bit.



Will boat prices follow?

Oil is down also but stop buy at your local Autozone and look at the price for a quart. I doubt the prices are gonna go down much if any.

I doubt it also. Would be nice though since I am in the markert for a new rig.

Aluminum is 50-60% less than what it was a year ago.



You do the math.

heres my opinion...

there is always someone that makes a chit ton of money when prices change.

It may not be the actual boat builder, but I'm sure there are several sales of the raw alumn. before it gets to the builder. And you can bet your ass that someone is pocketing the cash from the price change. And it wouldn't suprise me if they were in politics!

May be that the suppliers have stock bought up at higher prices and need to recover their $$. (I don't know if the boat man. buy in bulk or as needed)So they sell at prices of stock they bought. Little brother bought some expanded metal the other day and got a 10x4 sheet cheaper than 8x5 because the metal place had bought the bigger sheets earlier at a cheaper price.


I cannot afford to have a boat built right now but I was wonderig the same thing about prices and was considering buying a sheet or 2 of material and having one of the builders fab me something out of it later if it would save me some $$$$

When costs are rising, people tend to buy to stockpile. When they are falling, they tend to sell to avoid losing more later. I doubt many mud hull builders buy too far off market value. I would think the crappy economy and less available wholesale money in the finance world would drive boat prices down. Raw material and labor costs are a factor, but on items like boats and 4-wheelers, demand drives the sale price.

as long as we keep buying these things prices will hold steady. When we stop buying and start holding more of our money the builders will try to stimulate us with lower prices.

^^^ he said stimulate.

No Obabma fan here. But like I said, if we as consumers keep buying, the prices will stay where they are. There is no reason for builders to lower prices until they have to.

btw..when's walmart going to start stocking mudmotors?

Maybe they will service your PD with this????

Just like half of the other worthless products they sell....

Hizzoner, I agree with your theory of competition and market share expansion but it simply doesn't work as easily in our little sport. We are in such a specialized market with these rigs that a new builder has no real reason to charge less than what the others charge. Besides, show me a new builder, some of this competition. Heck, even someone out west with deep pockets can't even figure out a way to get an established boat company back up and going after a devastating loss without having enormous restart costs to recoup. Imagine what a first time business owner would be going through and what his product would have to cost just to make his bank note, assuming he could sell his boats. I still don't see prices changing despite lower aluminum prices until boat sales fall off. All the mud hull guys are booked solid right now.