What would you like to see on a 40 ft day cruiser?

Many thanks your valued comments. I mentioned 120,000 was reasonable because I accept that construction material and skilled labour plus development costs are not cheap. Any less is not realistic.

But a daysailor is a daysailor, if I want to fancy cruiser there are many to choose from so I would expect a basic layout, fitout and equipment list because anything else is wasted on a daysailor. Again there are top notch marinas for the Haves and regular marinas, ports and floating moorings for the rest of us Have Nots.

My friends and associates sail yachts with less than glossy hulls and do their own maintenance, a lot of them sail wooden classics similar in concept to the Wally Nano which is why that design will always be a winner. This is the market I want to see a 40´daysailor aimed at so the price must be aimed at the middle class boat buyer not the folks with way above average salaries.

A sturdy, good looking yacht that can take a knock and serve the majority of sailors. A sailors boat, not a marina caravan.

 

Daysailer 40'

By the lbs. this boat is $100,000.00.
Except, with fancy material and the lifting keel, the tab is $200,000.00.
I forgot the sails, safety gear and taxes.
After so many years, I notice the boxy look of the house. But of course, the required full headroom was a problem to achieve a more sexy look.

 

When the boat builders get hungry the business model will return to the "old" model.

Today the builder wants 20% to 40% profit per boat , and his dealer "needs another 20% to 25%.

The "old way" was that the entire boat yard would cover all costs and make 10% per year.

Really hard to do today on borrowed cash , but that is a gone concept for many businesses.

FF

 

Ahhh the voice of reason.


It also strikes me that if Beneteau, Bavaria etc.. can make 38´cruising yachts for the masses coming out at $125,000 basic prices then a day sailor would be both possible and cheaper to produce.

 

For smaller plastic boats (massproduction) around 20ft the above margins are about right.
The range we are talking has narrower margins. Yards have (and must have) about 15 to 20 and dealers between 12 and 15%.
A Manufacturer (not a yard) like Bavaria naturally has a market power over his suppliers, a routine and efficiency, a supply chain etc. a little boatbuilder cannot compete. As everybody understands, its just impossible to provide an equal product for the same price. If a busy little yard buys 24 winches p.a. they have to fight for a 15% discount. Bavaria buys 40 per day! What do you assume they have to pay ? Right, 50%
But, as always, there are possible ways towards a solution.
Choosing labour intense techniques (instead of efficient but high priced materials and tooling), and producing at low wages (although high in the country of origin) is one.
just my two cent ..... 0,02€ ... naturally
Regards
Richard

 

interesting read guys
as I read this I keep thinking that more traditional materials may be in line to make a comeback
simpler is cheaper

did I hear a bird
cheep
cheep
cheep

cheers all
B

 

One possible solution is to unite forces. One little boatbuilder can obtain 15% discount because he buys only 3-4 winches a month? Then a consortium of, say, 10 small boatbuilders could place an order for 30-40 winches and obtain 30-40% discount.
In order for this thing to happen, small boatbuilders will have to overcome their "your death is my life" mutual attitude and understand that acting together is a matter of their collective life or death.

The other solution is to dig each their own niche, pursue the highest possible qualitative standards and sell their super-equipped boats as unique, high-value, luxury goods.

 

There is a limit to how cheap you can go if you are not a big, automated, mass-production industry. Boatbuilding is a very specific branch of manufacturing. It takes highly specialized (and therefore properly payed) workforce to create a decent-looking vessel. Talking about pleasure crafts, not work boats.
A client who wants to buy a pleasure boat is pursuing visual aesthetics too, not just a functional object. That means that a boatbuilder has to take care about a thousands of small particulars because every imperfection could mean one client less.
Before we've embarked here into building boats I knew that it wouldn't be simple. But I could never, never have imagined how many small, stupid particulars are there to be taken care about. And it's all handcrafted stuff which means time, a damn lots of time.
So who pays for that time?
We've been expositors at Venice boat show last year... Clients would step on the boat and would then start to look around and behind every corner, touch every wooden surface, open all the hatches, sit on every bed, on every seat, peek into the engine room... You need to have excellence to survive in a market like that. The excellence requires top-class materials and lots of work hours that need to be payed.

 

Nice theory, the former statement (#22), but, you know, theory! I´m not willing to waste my time amalgamating individuals that are convinced their way has to rule the others!

So I have chosen the latter of your solutions! Ages ago.

I fully agree with your post #23.

Regards
Richard

 

maybe a surplus type approach
a consortium agreeing to buy overstocked or mis-ordered items and run by time share or a common employee

with an obvious leaning toward items typically used in some quantity by all
the rest could be sold to the public for a modest mark up

just throwing it out there
we did that way back when, when I lived deep in the mountains and we didnt want to drive down to town for groceries and supplies
saved us about a hundred mile round trip and the stuff ended up cheaper cause we bought so much of it we could go straight to the suppliers
ended up a nicely stocked little market

 

Maybe you dealing only with St Tropez (or where ever is the jetset fooling around nowadays) kind of customers. A middle clas point of view, is more practical allthough more diverse too..
What I'm looking first (in any boat) does the deck stand the abuse of scuba tanks or can I scrub fishy slime and blood from it with bucket full of seawater and a broom. Where to toss all that soaking wet gear to dry.. I know I'm in the other end of the spectrum but a lot of daysailers have atleast a bit of somewhat similar concerns..

 

Haven't read all the threads.... but

Since it's a bad omen to have females aboard a ship according ancient myths (checked), but a good one to have a naked one aboard.

My answer would be I would like to see lots of naked females an a 40 ft day cruiser.

 

ROTFL!

Can we ask to IMO and Coast Guard to make it become a mandatory equipment?

 

Only if we can tie them up and tickle them.

 

Eric, you have designed a seriously pretty boat. That, I think is crucial in a non-essential luxury purchase. Look at all the $200K+ supercars out there. The kind of beauty that compels one to posess it because it is so satisfying. And enough high tech to brag about. And the handling to gratify even the jaded fantasies of those who can afford such a purchase. All the guys want to be you and all the girls want to be with you when you are at the helm. Everything else is negotiable, within reason.
BTW, I complement you also on the G45. Hard dodger and pilothouse. All the berths parallel to the centerline, wow. I could sleep without becoming wadded up at one end of the berth. If I weren't disabled I would have given you a call by now.