When do Boat Prices Fall? HOLD ON TO YOUR TRUNKS!

[Sportin' Wood]

Mighty and Powerful RDP members, please share your wisdom and predictions of when we see the great boat market crash.

OR if we don't? I've not yet seen a rush to sell toys.

Since it is after Labor day, I suspect we will see an uptick in the resale market inventory. Curious if new orders have been impacted; the good stuff seems to be moving. Lead times for new boats always surprise me, which provides some protection on resale values.

Will Magic deck boats fall from the six-figure safe space?
Erosion of the Toon market?
Where do the Mid-Cabin 25-footers land?
21-foot open bows back in the middle-class territory?
Credit tightening?


I still get amazed that twenty-year-old boats can pull upward of six figures and mid 90's boats fetch the kind of scratch people are asking for, but they seem to remain on the market longer these days. The folks that bought those Magic's back in 2005 and still have them did pretty well. I recently saw the same year make and model jet bote we sold in 2009 on the market for more than we sold ours by about twenty percent, and it was not as nice, so I suspect we will see some price reductions soon.

Schiada and DCB get a pass as they are made from unobtainium, as we all know.

We sold our most recent boat last year when we left Reno, and I have been kicking myself since. Hope to pick something up this Fall/Winter when we return to LHC for the winter.

What say you?

 

[H20 Toie]

I was completely surprised that the prices didn't drop like a rock last year after i bought the Cigarette. i paid a crazy amount for a 11 year boat and figure the correction would happen and it would be worth half of what i paid in a year. well a year later it is worth more than what i paid. b ut don't expect it to last long

 

[J DUNN]

I don't have hard data but feel like I've been seeing more for sale ads lately. Could just be the seasonal sell off. Seems like there is more inventory waiting longer to sell and/or dropping price to sell which signals to me the market is softening a bit. That being said though, I think with the inflation across the board there won't be a huge post-covid price crash. Toy sell off will happen but I don't think prices will drop much. I also think that the loans people got into will force them to hang on for another year or two so they can sell for more than they owe or closer to what they owe, which would be achieved by paying down the loan.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

When new boats are 2x+ the cost of 20 year old boats of the same size and type the 20 year old boats are worth their original MSRP.

You aren’t getting a nice 04 Magic for $60k ever again, because Howard will
not build you a new 28’ deckboat for $150k ever again.

Pontoons and wakeboard boats will soften somewhat because they are mass produced and there will be more on the market.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

I don’t know about that. Toon and roll bar boat manufacturers got a taste of the high life (quarter mill for a wakeboard boat) and I don’t see them dropping much. They think they offer a premium product now and I don’t see it dropping or returning to the days of no frills for cheap.

Same with cars. So much crap bolted on now it’s more rolling electronics than a vehicle. That costs money so vehicles won’t get cheaper either.

 

[boatnam2]

Been wrong on just about everything last few years, might just be a wave runner grandpa, gets me where i need to go. Not dropping 100k for a 2003 anything at this time in my life, more power to the ones that can.

 

[RiverDave]

There's a flood of new boats on the market right now, that said they are still all priced high.. Not much is selling though.

There are boat dealerships in town that didn't sell a boat all last month! Inversely though there are dealerships that sold 3-5 last week... It's kind of all over the board, but I'd expect used boat prices to soften greatly over this winter. New boat prices next summer'ish when all those 1-2 year back log lists and deposits start dropping like flies.

Boat markets tend to follow rv markets... They are dropping like a rock right now. The largest rv mfg out there laid off a ton of people and those that did survive the cut worked six days last month in the factory.. New inventory is being turned away by dealers.

If you are going to sell nows the time.. If you are going to buy Jan / Feb is going to be a buyers market IMO.

The Offroad market will hold out because we are coming on season right now, and they are infinitely cheaper generally.. But I expect that's gonna correct next summer as well.

RD

 

[LuckyStrike]

I was completely surprised that the prices didn't drop like a rock last year after i bought the Cigarette. i paid a crazy amount for a 11 year boat and figure the correction would happen and it would be worth half of what i paid in a year. well a year later it is worth more than what i paid. b ut don't expect it to last long

I Think thats Going Change ..This Next year will be the Temp. Gauge For Toys, Homes Ect..

 

[RiverDave]

I don’t know about that. Toon and roll bar boat manufacturers got a taste of the high life (quarter mill for a wakeboard boat) and I don’t see them dropping much. They think they offer a premium product now and I don’t see it dropping or returning to the days of no frills for cheap.

Same with cars. So much crap bolted on now it’s more rolling electronics than a vehicle. That costs money so vehicles won’t get cheaper either.

I was drinking beers with ridge from wolf motorsports in my shop yesterday.. New X26 fully loaded is 370+K... LOL. Crazy money. Oh, and they are selling..

He sold 3 boats last week.

RD

 

[JFMFG]

Here we go another one of these threads. In my opinion are we gonna see a influx of boats hit the market? Yes we are at the end of season. Are we gonna see drastically lower pricing? Doubt it. I think the market is softening but the backlog of new builds and prices are what will keep the used boat market close to what it is. Do I think the 100k 496 magic will stay there no. I think it’ll drop to low to mid 80s. V bottoms those tend to sit longer depending on size but still selling. I’ve heard for 2 years now the market is gonna tank but have yet to see it. With fuel prices everyone said there’s gonna be a sell off and no one will be able to afford the fuel to go out. This summer was still one of the busiest I have seen. I don’t wish for a correction or downturn it affects a lot of people. Will it happen yes. When who knows. All I know is I can’t wait to see all the cash is king RDP members throw their nuts on the table and buy everything they said they’re waiting for.

 

[WhatExit?]

There’s only one barometer to watch: RD’s toon

When it sells and the price will be THE answer

 

[Cole Trickle]

Nice boats will never be cheap again.

The cost to build new is through the roof. I don't see mercury lowering the engine package prices moving forward and labor and materials are not going to get cheaper. Nobody is going to build a boat to loose money so we might see another new boat lull like we did in 2008.

I see new builds being abandoned for the average buyer with rates climbing and wages dropping. At a minimum engine packages/stereos/options will be less spectacular and the need for 250k twin engine toons and 300k wake board boats will drop.

this will stabilize the used market and keep fairly priced nice boats moving.

Ballers will ball.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Nice boats will never be cheap again.

The cost to build new is through the roof. I don't see mercury lowering the engine package prices moving forward and labor and materials are not going to get cheaper. Nobody is going to build a boat to loose money so we might see another new boat lull like we did in 2008.

I see new builds being abandoned for the average buyer with rates climbing and wages dropping. At a minimum engine packages/stereos/options will be less spectacular and the need for 250k twin engine toons and 300k wake board boats will drop.

this will stabilize the used market and keep fairly priced nice boats moving.

Ballers will ball.

This. The assembly line boats will soften just as assembly line SXS and RVs will. The margins in all that stuff are tremendous.

 

[Roosky01]

Are any of the people in pipeline at Howard, Nordic, or any of the other custom builders with a deposit down backing out yet?

Not sure if that's a very good barometer of anything, but it would be interesting to know?

 

[RiverDave]

There’s only one barometer to watch: RD’s toon

When it sells and the price will be THE answer

I have been letting Preston do his thing was selling that boat without interfering but I’m gonna start promoting it here pretty quick because I’d like to sell it right after my regatta.

If it doesn’t sell fuck it I’ll keep it.. it’s a bad ass boat. Lol.

 

[RiverDave]

There’s only one barometer to watch: RD’s toon

When it sells and the price will be THE answer

Well so much for that.. I might be needing a boat for my regatta. Lol. We will see how the day goes but I think it’s sold.

 

[RiverDave]

Are any of the people in pipeline at Howard, Nordic, or any of the other custom builders with a deposit down backing out yet?

Not sure if that's a very good barometer of anything, but it would be interesting to know?

I haven’t heard if anyone backing out of deposits because of the economy just yet..

That said I do believe it’s coming

 

[Sportin' Wood]

Well so much for that.. I might be needing a boat for my regatta. Lol. We will see how the day goes but I think it’s sold.

Whaler for the win.

 

[RiverDave]

Whaler for the win.

Lol You never know I might just bring it out

 

[RaceTec]

I think used boat prices are dropping more that the normal end of season amount. I picked up my Hallett for a pretty great deal in my opinion. I still have all of my searches that have been running since spring and it seems that the prices are dropping pretty significantly. New boats is an entirely different deal, but I have been looking at new center consoles and there are some pretty good deals to be had in the under 27' single engine boats... Not any of that baller stuff you guys buy!

 

[Gonefishin5555]

I hang out on the nautique forum sometimes I stole this from over there. No chatter about cancellations or people suddenly having a shorter wait period for delivery

 

[Sportin' Wood]

Here we go another one of these threads.

Yet you clicked on it. Wait until February this place should get real spicy threads.

I'm not trying to stir the pot, I'm curious what enthusiasts think the market is going to do with these luxury vehicles. I'm already seeing the production runabouts for cheap. That is not a surprise, but many of these boats are like sports cars. Some are going to hold value, some are not.

A local car show this summer had some pretty nice cars, and 20% of them had For Sale signs. I overheard a couple of local club members in their late 60s talking about how the market is going to be crap since the younger folks don't want old cars.

 

[RiverDave]

Yet you clicked on it. Wait until February this place should get real spicy threads.

I'm not trying to stir the pot, I'm curious what enthusiasts think the market is going to do with these luxury vehicles. I'm already seeing the production runabouts for cheap. That is not a surprise, but many of these boats are like sports cars. Some are going to hold value, some are not.

A local car show this summer had some pretty nice cars, and 20% of them had For Sale signs. I overheard a couple of local club members in their late 60s talking about how the market is going to be crap since the younger folks don't want old cars.

I’m gonna own a hot rod on the cheap.. lol.

And a bad ass center console

 

[Sportin' Wood]

I’m gonna own a hot rod on the cheap.. lol.

When you compare the costs of "Hot Rods" with the price of an early 2000s Super Duty or RAM, these cars seem an incredible value right now.

 

[4Waters]

2 weeks

 

[MooreMoney]

I’m gonna own a hot rod on the cheap.. lol.

And a bad ass center console

Ill be right there with you on a center console. ill keep waiting

 

[DMF]

There's a flood of new boats on the market right now, that said they are still all priced high.. Not much is selling though.

There are boat dealerships in town that didn't sell a boat all last month! Inversely though there are dealerships that sold 3-5 last week... It's kind of all over the board, but I'd expect used boat prices to soften greatly over this winter. New boat prices next summer'ish when all those 1-2 year back log lists and deposits start dropping like flies.

Boat markets tend to follow rv markets... They are dropping like a rock right now. The largest rv mfg out there laid off a ton of people and those that did survive the cut worked six days last month in the factory.. New inventory is being turned away by dealers.

If you are going to sell nows the time.. If you are going to buy Jan / Feb is going to be a buyers market IMO.

The Offroad market will hold out because we are coming on season right now, and they are infinitely cheaper generally.. But I expect that's gonna correct next summer as well.

RD

I'm watching the motorhome market closely. I think if I hold out till this time next year there will be some deals for sure.

 

[Roosky01]

I’m gonna own a hot rod on the cheap.. lol.

And a bad ass center console

I believe you are correct. Once the rich Boomers no longer roam the Earth (or are living the script of The Notebook), that market is going to go right off a cliff. A really tall one that you can’t see the bottom…with lots of fog and stuff.

 

[samsah33]

We didn't have this level of general inflation the last time around, so I don't think toy prices are going to crash as much as they did in the past (relatively speaking...). Definitely some softening since they're discretionary, but the rising tide is raising the cost of everything...

 

[Singleton]

I haven’t heard if anyone backing out of deposits because of the economy just yet..

That said I do believe it’s coming

Tons of folks backing out on RV deposits these days. The RV model I wanted stopped production for 2022. Same floor plan is available in a more expensive model, but that is 75k more. Cant find a used one yet I am willing to purchase. All the 2020 through 2022 i see for sale I am not touching (toms of QC issues). 2019 to 2016 or 2023 it where I will land.

 

[DMF]

Tons of folks backing out on RV deposits these days. The RV model I wanted stopped production for 2022. Same floor plan is available in a more expensive model, but that is 75k more. Cant find a used one yet I am willing to purchase. All the 2020 through 2022 i see for sale I am not touching (toms of QC issues). 2019 to 2016 or 2023 it where I will land.

I'm in the same boat or rv...hahaha

 

[retaocleg]

havent seen back outs......even a few new, which is kinda rare for end of season

 

[retaocleg]

if i am buying, it is up.........if i am selling, they are down, and that is with everything ......my timing sucks balls

 

[Roosky01]

if i am buying, it is up.........if i am selling, they are down, and that is with everything ......my timing sucks balls

That was the absolute story of my life up until I hit about 35’ish. After that it seems that I may have got my shit together. Knock on wood…

 

[squirtnmyload]

Everything is crazy out there, I don’t know if this will ever end. As long as there are buyers it won’t.

The 2023 south bay toon i just bought was 22 percent more expensive than the pricing that was out when it was ordered last year. South bay wouldn’t even commit to a cost at that time either…. And my 2019 south bay is going to sell for what it was new, if not more.

 

[Orange Juice]

Everything is crazy out there, I don’t know if this will ever end. As long as there are buyers it won’t.

The 2023 south bay toon i just bought was 22 percent more expensive than the pricing that was out when it was ordered last year. South bay wouldn’t even commit to a cost at that time either…. And my 2019 south bay is going to sell for what it was new, if not more.

Sounds like a pyramid scheme.

 

[Wmc]

I don't know. Sold mine toon and bought another. I was going to hold out, but kinda got cold feet thinking I was going to be boatless for awhile.

 

[707dog]

another element is a lot of people "overpaid" for their boat/rv/ classic cars...etc. they will be listing them for what they paid or more to clear the funds used so prices may probably stay high for awhile.

 

[COCA COLA COWBOY]

I had a lower river Ultra Stealth 22 that I sold last year for $31,000. I was looking through Facebook marketplace last night and saw a very similar boat for $17k. The decline has already hit the smaller boats, but hasn't quite hit the 25 and up yet.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Been thinking of listing my Hallett so I can order new. May as well throw it on the market and see what happens.

 

[LuauLounge]

The next couple of months are the best boating months. Crowds are down and temps are cooler.

 

[NicPaus]

I had a lower river Ultra Stealth 22 that I sold last year for $31,000. I was looking through Facebook marketplace last night and saw a very similar boat for $17k. The decline has already hit the smaller boats, but hasn't quite hit the 25 and up yet.
[/QUOTE]

I got 15k 6 years ago for mine. Last year a river neighbor bought a 21 Ultra non stealth with small block and alpha for 37k green and purple. I had 454 bravo 1 with much nicer gel.

There is actually one similar to my old but yellow listed for 36,500 with 496 mag. Very clean. So I would agree it is coming down. Saw the one you mentioned and it was priced to move for sure.

 

[c_land]

Mighty and Powerful RDP members, please share your wisdom and predictions of when we see the great boat market crash.

OR if we don't? I've not yet seen a rush to sell toys.

Since it is after Labor day, I suspect we will see an uptick in the resale market inventory. Curious if new orders have been impacted; the good stuff seems to be moving. Lead times for new boats always surprise me, which provides some protection on resale values.

Will Magic deck boats fall from the six-figure safe space?
Erosion of the Toon market?
Where do the Mid-Cabin 25-footers land?
21-foot open bows back in the middle-class territory?
Credit tightening?


I still get amazed that twenty-year-old boats can pull upward of six figures and mid 90's boats fetch the kind of scratch people are asking for, but they seem to remain on the market longer these days. The folks that bought those Magic's back in 2005 and still have them did pretty well. I recently saw the same year make and model jet bote we sold in 2009 on the market for more than we sold ours by about twenty percent, and it was not as nice, so I suspect we will see some price reductions soon.

Schiada and DCB get a pass as they are made from unobtainium, as we all know.

We sold our most recent boat last year when we left Reno, and I have been kicking myself since. Hope to pick something up this Fall/Winter when we return to LHC for the winter.

What say you?

Custom boats seem to be in their own world, I have no idea. The assembly line skiboats, wakeboats, pontoons, etc. would probably move with RVs.

Think they would lead used car prices following the busy season? It makes sense that someone would dump a boat before their main source of transportation, but a boat is recreational, car is usually necessity.

 

[K-DOG]

I had a lower river Ultra Stealth 22 that I sold last year for $31,000. I was looking through Facebook marketplace last night and saw a very similar boat for $17k. The decline has already hit the smaller boats, but hasn't quite hit the 25 and up yet.

I got 15k 6 years ago for mine. Last year a river neighbor bought a 21 Ultra non stealth with small block and alpha for 37k green and purple. I had 454 bravo 1 with much nicer gel.

There is actually one similar to my old but yellow listed for 36,500 with 496 mag. Very clean. So I would agree it is coming down. Saw the one you mentioned and it was priced to move for sure.
[/QUOTE]

The one for 17k is not in the best condition so I think that is effecting the price.

 

[Havasu blue label]

Looking for a Daytona

 

[traquer]

Everything that goes up must come down! It'd be interesting to research history and see what happened in other countries with regards to the pricing of luxury items and non-necessitates during periods of big inflation/hyper inflation. Or looking at it another way, I don't think it's the inflation that matters, it's what happens alongside the inflation or because of the inflation. I have a feeling that middle class toys in Europe aren't moving very quick these days, with all the talk about the coming energy crisis

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Can it hold out a couple more months so I can get the Lavey gone? I need to make room for the Spectra!

 

[RiverDave]

I had a lower river Ultra Stealth 22 that I sold last year for $31,000. I was looking through Facebook marketplace last night and saw a very similar boat for $17k. The decline has already hit the smaller boats, but hasn't quite hit the 25 and up yet.

I got 15k 6 years ago for mine. Last year a river neighbor bought a 21 Ultra non stealth with small block and alpha for 37k green and purple. I had 454 bravo 1 with much nicer gel.

There is actually one similar to my old but yellow listed for 36,500 with 496 mag. Very clean. So I would agree it is coming down. Saw the one you mentioned and it was priced to move for sure.
[/QUOTE]

If they are still fetching almost mid 30’s I’d say it’s still way high. Those boats were 30’ish brand new for a stealth / small block bravo package..

When they get back to the low 20’s I’d say the market has fully corrected and that’s ten years later than the last time they were 20’ish.. lol

 

[2Driver]

I sold my 04 21 Stealth for 23k in 2018. Man I liked that boat, perfect for Parker. I don’t think the new owner has put 25 hours on it.

 

[pkbullet]

I haven’t seen a change in listing prices for the type of models I follow, but definitely more MTI 390x’s, DCB M31’s and Doug Wrights currently for sale. This is probably more of an end of season deal. Of the ones that have sold they had high listings but who knows what they sold for? I believe large segments of the economy are still having their best years ever.