Evolution..
IMHO that's more Devolution after the R107...
Evolution..
know one for sale.....
Well, first the easy part. Losses for the year US$3.4 million on sales of under $28 million.
60 Grand Banks - New Model | Bluewater Yacht Sales
Yes, I have driven M-Bs continually since 1970. The 1955 300 SL gull wing or convertible is what I lust after. Meanwhile, I will have to be satisfied with my present ride. It is the best M-B I have driven.
Well, first the easy part. Losses for the year US$3.4 million on sales of under $28 million.
Now the boat lines. It's all Eastbay and Palm Beach attitude. The existing lines have been drastically cut back. Only 2 Heritage models and 2 Aleutian left and I'm not holding my breath expecting more of them to be built. You see it all in their new 60' model, the one they're calling a Grand Banks. If you want to look at the design (none finished yet) then here's a link.
60 Grand Banks - New Model | Bluewater Yacht Sales
Interesting that it's not even on their web pages. You have to find it at a dealer's site.
Twin 725 hp Volvo's.
The hull and superstructure will be built using the latest technology in composite boat construction using E-Class Corcell and Airex foam, Duflex paneling, stitched multi-axial fabric, vinylester and epoxy resins to produce an extremely strong and lightweight hull.
65' overall and weighing only 51,500 lbs. The Aleutian 55, about the same size, weighed 75,000 lbs. Draft 3'6". And not deep enough for a real main deck and a lower deck. Just a small salon up and 2 1/2 staterooms forward and down. More an Eastbay or Palm Beach design than any Grand Banks ever built. So, rather than updating the line they've basically thrown the line out and built a new boat calling it Grand Banks. In my mind it sure isn't.
Oh as I knew would happen, they held the earnings release until the markets were all closed for the weekend. Bury that bad news.
Total market cap was down to US$27.5 million, before the release. We'll see where it is next week.
B - Did I miss something in the link?? - I wonder, what are the projected speed / fuel consumption / distance capability specs...
Good looking boat. Hope it works for GB, to pull them back up.
In 1990's Tollycraft went through a market down turn while experiencing a simultaneous financial debacle; that is, soon as the high-quality-conscious and very low-debt-ratio Tolly originator sold to some MBA mucky mucks. A very different downfall path than GB is experiencing; however, even with a then still popular boat brand, an unfortunately conclusively downfall... none the less.
That's one of the problems with the industry, not understanding that those methods are transferable. There are boat builders using them all very successfully. Coming with that is scheduling production and ordering raw materials. Waste in terms of both materials and indirect labor man hours can be drastically reduced.
Don... "lust"... a real no, no!!
I confess. I am not perfect. Art, standing beside a pristine Silver over red leather 1955 300 SL may even put a little lust in your heart.
Sad indeed. I just took a look at the newly proposed 60. Absolutely plain vanilla. Nothing at all new, in fact it looks dated, in the design sense. It has the look of every Euro/sedan model from 34'up since the late 70s
Back in the 90s I came up with a home plan that was very cost efficient. I put just enough pizazz on it that I thought would interest buyers. We put one in each of two of our developments. Boy, did I ever pay for that turkey design flop. No one wanted it. So, we took a huge loss on both to dump them. Those plans went into the trash. The market is never wrong. If you don't believe it, try to buck it sometime.
. It's almost necessary to go public to obtain the equity financing. That creates it own problem of having to answer to the quarterly report to stockholders. Much pressure there. I would not buy stock in a boat company as it is a very risky venture. Labor costs go down as volume decreases. Capital costs remain the same. It's the middle volume companies that suffer. They are squeezed by the equity financed large companies and the more flexible smaller companies. The middle volume builders find it harder to adjust to market conditions. That is true in more than just boat building.
What's the projected costof the "new" 60' GB?
Boat looks too much like 1970's/80's Tollycraft 37' sedan. Dated visuals to be sure. However, a proven model for continued appreciation by owners/buyers. The basic running-shoe/white sneaker visuals of many new boats leave me dry... however... that "modern" look/design sure seems popular to the younger crowd. Photo-shop picts on the link needs some color and excitement at the very least.
With Washington being 14th* in the top 20 markets and having annual sales at less than 175 million, compared to Florida at over 1 billion, followed by Texas and the Great Lake states, I don't think Grand Banks is looking at a group of 40 year olds in Seattle as their savior.
Marin gets it.
*2011 stats.
I'm glad you could straighten me out on the market and how out of touch I am win my generation (other than those within a 180 mile radius of my home of course). No one wants boats like this. Ask Tony Fleming.
It's a bit of a tangent, but what builders of boats in the 55'-65' range do you think are doing well from a business perspective? What about builders other than Grand Banks? Who are they and how do you think they are doing both in terms of addressing their target market, and as a business?
Builders who come to mind are:
- Seline
- Fleming
- Kadey Krogen
- Krogen Express
- Nordhavn
I've probably missed a bunch.....
I guess young folks have given up on the Grandbanks Classics.
I still like the traditional GBs-- I think the 42 is great! But this just proves the point of the whole thread. I will be 62 in about a week and I guess young folks have given up on the Grandbanks Classics.
JohnP