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WHO'S WHO POWER BOAT MANUFACTURERS / WHAT BRAND SHOULD I BUY/ PT 2
There are several different groups of power boats in today's market. They include Fishing Boats, Utility Boats, Ski and Wakeboard, PWC, Pontoon, Cruisers and Yachts. Many of the manufacturers have product lines that stretch across all market needs, some even include Sail Boats. However are the boat builders who specialize in one portion of the market better than the builders who try to make the full spectrum. Yes they are these builders have a specific audience, they spend time and money on R and D to capture as many buyers in their niche as possible. These builders also understand the needs and demands that their boats will face (more market feedback and more real world testing).
MY RANT!
When builders start to stray away from their core line up and provide too many models the whole line suffers for it. A great example of this was Bayliner ( to broad a range to many brand names), and today it is Sea Ray a brand that has been known for its cruisers and yachts. When manufacturers like Brunswick start to buy up the competition the boats begin to share technology and become too much alike,(it will be interesting to see what happens to Chapperal) a comparative line to Sea Ray now owned by Brunswick. There are very few Cruiser and Runabout builders that really provide a unique design and boating experience. Chris Craft is one of those production (Production; means volume builders not custom) boat companies that has kept an independent brand design and experience, but your going to pay for it. Cobalt and Mariah market their boats as unique in design and they do have some tells but across the water can you immediately pick one out of a crowd? One disappointing fact is that most Power Boats and PWC are so similar in design its hard to tell them apart, if you took the name off the side and could you really tell them apart? There is nothing more mind numbing than buying a new boat and the only way you can pick yours out is the name on the back, as a technician for years I wandered many a dock trying to find a boat without a name to set it apart. Come on boat builders do we really need the same designs and colors over and over, lets see something that sets you apart from the crowd!!!!!
Who's Who?
Back to the subject at hand:
In 2011 there were 1394 boat builders registered with Manufacturer Identification Codes
Consider that there have been around 690 car builders around the world now and in the past.
THE BOATS THAT MADE THE BOAT VALUE GUIDE 2011
Alumacraft = In Production
Arriva - Out of production
Baja - In Production
Bayliner - In Production
Bennington - In Production
Boston Whaler - In Production
Cadorette - Out Of Production
Campion - In Production
Carver -Now Carver Yachts/ In Production
Celebrity - Out Of Production
Century - In Production
Chaparral - In Production
Chris Craft - In Production
Cobalt - In Production
Crestliner - In Production
Crownline - In Production
Cruiser Yachts - In Production
Cutter - Out Of Production
Delta Jet - Out Of Production
Donzi - In Production
Doral - Out Of Production
Edson - Out Of Production
Excel - There is an Excel Boats, This one Out Of Production
Four Winns - In Production
Generic Trawler
Glastron - In Production
Grew - Out Of Production
Harbercraft - Out Of Production
Invader - Out Of Production
KMV - Out Of Production
Larson - In Production
Legend - In Production
Limestone - In Production/ Medeiros Boat Works
Lowe - In Production
Lund - In Production
Mainship - In Production
Malibu - In Production
Mariah - In Production / UK
Mastercraft - In Production
Maxum - Out Of Production
Monterey - In Production
Moomba - In Production
Nautiques - In Production
Nitro - In Production
Peterboro - Out Of Production
Princecraft - In Production
Profisher - Out Of Production
Prowler - Out Of Production
Ranger - In Production
Regal - In Production
Rinker - In Production
Sea-Doo - In Production
Sea Ray - In Production
Seaswirl - Stripper Boats/ In Production
Silverton - In Production
Smoker Craft - In Production
Spectrum - Tracker Marine/ In Production
StarCraft - In Production
Stingray - In Production
Sun Runner - Out Of Production
Sunbird - Out Of Production
Sunray - Out Of Production
Sylvan - In Production
Tahoe - In Production
Tempest - In Production
Thompson - Out Of Production
Thunderbird - Formula Boats/ In Production
Thundercraft - Out Of Production
Tige - In Production
Tracker - In Production
Trojan - Out Of Production
Vanguard - Out Of Production
Vectra - StarCraft Boats/ In Production
Wellcraft - In Production
Wilker - Out Of Production
As of 2011 a full 1/3 of the boat manufacturers who were listed in the Boat Value Book in Canada were out of production. You need a Play by Play book to keep track of the market. The interesting thing is that several of the manufacturers that are on this list that we associate with building cruisers are no longer in that segment. Two great examples are Carver and Wellcraft, Carver is only building five boats and they are all yachts. Wellcraft is a fishing boat line. Actually the fishing boats seem to rule the market.
This has to make you wonder how used cruiser values will be affected by this change. It is this type of shift and continuous market change that has created a place for Boat Nut. Names like Scarab are back but they are jet boats now, Scarab is a line of jet boats that were formerly Sea Doo a couple of years ago. Keeping track of where to get factory replacement parts and manuals will become a full time job. There are a lot of other manufacturers not on this list, however this list reflects the Power Boat market today, Boats are being built in Mexico (Bayliner), Europe (Mariaha) all over the world and imported back to us as the brands we recognize as North American. This along with the entry of Sail Boat builders who have introduced Power Boats. This will create some interesting service issues for owners and technicians who are not used to negative switching for example ( Jeannue Power Cat Yachts) . As we move forward into the future the Power Boat market is and will start to resemble the automotive industry. Boat systems will become a package, warranties will be virtually the same materials and designs similar, you will need to be more than brand loyal to buy a new boat. As the quality and prices amongst the top builders close in factors like ergonomics, ride quality and after purchase cost of ownership will become deciding factors in buying a boat. That is were Boat Nut comes in we will provide the best most accurate information for you the boater. We want you to enjoy your time on the water not stress over uninformed decisions that you will need to make.
BEING INFORMED IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER!
WE WILL MAKE A BOAT NUT OUT OF YOU
Author CC
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