Information on potential cost

[SilverSpear]

Hello, I am new here, my name is George and I live in Qatar (Middle East). My dream as a kid was to own a mahogany powerboat such as this:



I was checking the prices recently and was shocked to know that the 6-8meters run for more than $110,000 ... is such a price feasible as a number?

How much each of these boats cost their builders to provide to the marketplace?

Any help in this issue is highly appreciated, thank you.

[SilverSpear]

Bump... any help?

[Trevlyns]

Hi SilverSpear!

First off, welcome to the forum – I know you’ll find it very rewarding.

Regarding your question, we need a bit more information. You mention “a boat like this” – but there is no picture. Also if you could give some dimensions, length, power etc. I’m sure someone could assist.

Take care!

[marshmat]

Welcome aboard, SilverSpear
Seeing a photo would certainly be nice (click "post reply", then there's a "manage attachments" button there where you can upload images). But if as I suspect you're thinking about a really high-end, handcrafted mahogany runabout, then yes some of the most prestigious ones can hit a hundred large in the eight-metre size. It's not the materials that are expensive; it's the thousands of hours of labour by skilled craftspeople, working to a degree of quality that mass builders just can't afford to manage.

[SilverSpear]

Yes guys, it's the mahogany wooden boats I am talking about. Other than labor hours, I would like to know the cost of materials used in such boats. The sizes are 5.5 meters, 7.5 meters and 10 meters.

here is a link:
http://www.stancraftboats.com/showro...i_missile.html

Thank you in advance.

[Raggi_Thor]

Many of these boats are expensive because they are labour intensive and are built in countries with high wages.
Here is one in Norway, www.dolvik.no

You see, polyester is cheap and fast (when you have the mould), wood and epoxy is expensive and time consuming...

You may try to search in Turkey. I have seen some compisite boats with a wooden look built there, but don't remember the name.

[marshmat]

Yep, expensive indeed.
For example, the Stan-Craft mentioned above appears to be equipped with an MV10 engine from a Dodge Viper. IIRC that engine is worth around $45-55,000. The construction techniques used are labour intensive and require skilled craftsmen, and they're using top-grade materials. I wouldn't be suprised if the "Mini-missile" mentioned in post #5 above contains over $15-20,000 in raw materials and equipment alone, plus easily 1500 hours of labour at $20 an hour. Add that to the motor and you're up to ninety or a hundred thousand, maybe more.
Stan-Craft is a prestige brand, they are to runabouts much like Bentley or Maybach are to cars. They're classy, powerful, and damned expensive. The prohibitive cost makes them rare, thus collectible and exclusive.
If you want something cheaper, there are many builders who can do a similar look with a more civilized powerplant, for a lot less money. But it won't be a Stan-Craft, just like even the most beautifully detailed customized Taurus will never be mistaken for a Phantom.

[Raggi_Thor]

And a Lexus in not a Mercedes?

[alan white]

I just finished a '53 Chris Craft 19' (6 m) runabout. The owner paid $12.5k for it and as it sits now, complete with new upholstery it could fetch at least 35k. The boat uses about 350 board feet of (mostly) edge-sawn phillipine mahogany planking stock, some in very wide pieces. Its hardware is superbly crafted and obscenely expensive to buy (bow light, maybe $250), and I'd estimate that all the chrome and bronze hardware and parts might exceed 7k. Then there is the engine, tank, upholstery, and so on.
20k might buy the materials, I don't know. The labor is another story. 6k was spent on my labor to refasten, new rear deck, new nose pieces, wood entirely and apply 12 coats of varnish.
If I had only sanded it and revarnished, I know I would have charged at least 3k for that alone.
Yet, all that is nothing compared to building an entire new boat. I would say it would take at least 25k in labor to reproduce the whole boat ready for varnish. I'd estimate a complete new boat of that size in the 50k to 60k range, delivered. I imagine a 7 m boat would be 100k easily.
There are used boats out there that could be made "as new" for about half the cost of building new. The challenge is to find one that is sound to begin with that is worthy of a rebuild. The one I just finished was. It is actually better than new in that modern adhesives and caulks were used in repairing it. I think it should last at least another 54 years if well maintained (it will be 108 years old by then!)

Alan

[SilverSpear]

Thank you all guys for your responses, you have been more than helpful in answering my Q. This is a great forum, thank you again.