Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Perhaps she was only pregnant for 9 out of those 24 months.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Oh.....................................

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

the state of the economy is not in a normal "downturn". This is very different. This one is a little scary. I've been steady, but thats it. Things are deff slowing dramatically.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

True, but I wonder for how long. If Brunswick is not selling Bayliners for $20K this years, what makes them think that they'd be able to sell them for $22.5K next year? :)

For me I'll makes cuts in the household budget to have a boat. I don't have a boat right now...weekends are very SLOW. Two weeks ago my wife tricked me into going to Pier One Imports. She starts looking at candles and other useless junk. I said to myself...that's it I've had we need another boat...soon!

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

It may be called optimism...hopefully, things will turn around and people will be purchasing their products, and if this happens, they will be selling the $20k boats for $22.5k. :rolleyes:

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

I'm 61 years old and have never seen so few cars on the road the past 4th of July week, so many lakefront properties for sale and so few boats MOVING out on the lakes here in Michigan. Our state economy is in a very bad condition. The auto industry will never reecover here and the other businesses suffer. We have one of the highest boat ownerships in the country. Powerquest went out of business, some marinas are half full on Lake St Clair. Yes, boaters are goint to/from the raft locations but that's it.
A recent Saturday I sat at the beach on Lake Huron for about three hours and did not see ONE boat moving offshore.
I'm sure the guys from the west side of the state will verify the mess we have.
A number of economics gurus stated two years ago the effects of the economy downturn will not begin to be fully seen for about two years.
ed

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Even with high gas prices I haven't seen more sailboats on the water (thank God)...I have seen more PWC's though...

The guys on my dock with houseboats are b!tching about gas prices with their little outboard motors. That's when you know it's bad!

I think people are just finding another hobby off the water.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

So your saying your looking foward to a sail boat :eek: :D

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

My sentiments exactly .. A few posts back someone mentioned Bush .. Remember when Jimmy Carter was pres. We had more problems with Iran (who IMHO will need their azzes kicked soon) interest rates saw 18% and you could not buy gas at all in some places !
The sky is NOT falling ..yet
As far as Brunswick, who cares ..They are in the largest player in the Recreational boating industry which is extremely fickle to start with.. Buy a well made custom boat from Joker who isnt going to double the price of a boat because the cost of resin went up a buck a gallon..

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

No. Not at all.

What I am saying is that from a historical perspective... the clanging of rigging on a mast will be a sound which has been heard for thousands of years and will be heard for as long as there is civilization.

The roar of a hp boat however, from a historical perspective... is looking like maybe a 100 year blip on the timeline of marine designs.

My prediction is that sailing vessels will still be in use long after the last hp boat has roared.

Looking forward to it? No.

Not looking forward to the last combustion engine car either.
But that day will come also.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

But what about when resin goes to $25/lb?

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Yep, and I'm not so sure that electris/hybrid boats will be all that safe........can you say ZAP !!!! :eek: :eek:

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

I'll still be around and pray to the acetone fairy that she can switch over to resin! :D

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

I am gonna buy all the old 22 foot pontoon boats and rig them with sails and we can have "Catamaroon Races."

Maybe even have a "Poker Drift."

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Bio Diesel is the only real sustainable fuel source..And Just think you could make fries while your cruisin in the 50 Nor-tech

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

THIS JUST OUT, THIS OUT TO HELP THE DEBATE..... :mad: :mad: :mad:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exxon Mobil 2Q Profit Jumps 36 Percent
By STEVE QUINN, AP Business Writer
2 hours ago

DALLAS - Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday it earned $10.36 billion in the April-June period, the second largest quarterly profit ever recorded by a publicly traded U.S. company.

The earnings figure was 36 percent above the profit it reported a year ago. High oil prices and the growing global appetite for fuel helped boost the company's revenue by 12 percent to a level just short of a quarterly record. Its shares briefly rose to a new high.

"We continue to see demand growth year over year," Henry Hubble, Exxon's vice president of investor relations told analysts. "We're selling everything we can make."

And as long as oil prices continue to climb, look for more record quarters, said Fadel Gheit, analyst for Oppenheimer & Co.

"The rising tide lifts all boats, including the biggest of them all. Unless there is a price collapse of oil, you will see the second half of the year best its first half," Gheit said.

Exxon Mobil's report comes as many drivers in the U.S. are paying $3 for a gallon of gas _ increasing the likelihood of further political backlash in Washington.

But the company isn't alone. Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Thursday that second-quarter earnings jumped 40 percent to $7.32 billion as high oil prices offset production difficulties in Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico.

Other oil companies reported big numbers for the quarter this week as well. BP PLC reported its quarterly profit rose 30 percent to $7.3 billion and ConocoPhillips said its earnings rose 65 percent to $5.18 billion. Chevron Corp. will round the field of five majors when it reports its second-quarter performance Friday.

These five were expected to earn an estimated $33.6 billion, or a 32 percent boost, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. Already the first four have reported earning $30.16 billion.

Exxon Mobil, the world's largest oil company by market capitalization, said earnings amounted to $1.72 per share in the second quarter compared with a profit of $7.64 billion, or $1.20 per share, a year ago.

The results topped Wall Street expectations but came in behind Exxon Mobil's record profit of $10.71 billion set in the fourth quarter of 2005.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected the company to earn $1.64 per share.

Revenue rose to $99.03 billion from $88.57 billion in the prior-year quarter. That was short of Exxon Mobil's record third-quarter revenue of $100.72 billion _ which also stands as record revenue generated by any U.S. public company ever in a single quarter.

Its shares rose 54 cents to $67.14 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange after reaching a new all-time high of $67.65 earlier in the session.

Exxon Mobil said it spent $4.9 billion on capital and exploration projects during the quarter, up 8 percent from a year ago, while distributing $7.9 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. Congress has been urging the big oil companies to put more of their profits toward boosting the supply of energy for consumers.

Hubble told analysts that Exxon will boost this kind of spending from the previously stated $19 billion by another $1 billion this year. He attributed the additional investment to increased drilling moreso that rising costs.

He offered no guidance for 2007 or years thereafter, however.

The company made more in all parts of its business.

By segment, exploration and production earnings rose sharply to $7.13 billion, up $2.23 billion from the second quarter of last year, a reflection of higher crude and natural gas prices. Production increased 6 percent from a year ago and 9 percent if the impact of divestments and entitlements are excluded.

The company's refining and marketing segment reported a $264 million earnings increase to $2.48 billion, the result of soaring fuel prices, which offset reduced output at its refineries and, as a result, fewer gallons of gasoline, heating oil and jet fuel being sold.

Exxon's chemical business saw earnings rise $26 million to $840 million.

The company said its average sale price for crude oil in the U.S. during the quarter was $63.84 a barrel, compared to $45.85 a year earlier. Internationally, however, Exxon said the average sale price for oil was $65.12 compared to $47.55 a year ago.

Exxon also sold natural gas in the U.S. for $6.39 per 1,000 cubic feet, compared to $6.45 during the same period a year ago. Non-U.S. sales for natural gas however, rose from $5.25 a year ago to $6.67 per 1,000 cubic fee

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Only way to protect myself besides selling my boat (which is already gone) is to find a small car and park the truck.

Selling off the second house to reduce utility cost and looking at a woodburner.

I have gone from 3 full sized V-8 engines to one in the last two weeks.

I refuse to be a slave to the energy companies, even if it means no boating.

There was a pleasure derived from boating that has been replaced by the pleasure of not being so dependent on what I can't control.

Just did the math and figured out that I can afford to buy a car with what I will save by parking the truck. I would rather pay 2000 a year for a small car payment and 2000 for gas than the 4000 per year for just gas that I am putting in the truck. And I'll still have the truck.

And I stop putting cash in the hands of the oil companies.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Of course there taking profits.. wouldnt you ? And as long as the profits go to offshore rigs, exploration as well so we can get off the Arab tit then ill pay it

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

My "opinion" if anyone cares...

Interests rates were low cause the economy sucked but real estate was going thru the roof at too fast a pace. So now people who normally couldn't afford upgrading houses, buying bigger ones, taking home equity loans to buy boats could now afford it by extending their credit... :eek:

Fast forward 3-5 years, those ARM mortgages aren't looking like a sweet deal anymore and people need to refi. so they can lock in on a rate, meanwhile the payments are higher so they have to sell. When they sell they don't get as much $$ as they were hoping cause they took a $100K home equity loan to by a boat which is a depreciating assett.... it's a vicious cycle and the financial co's want us to live on credit...

Ok, so now we have oil concerns and prices going thru the roof... Cost more to put gas in our boats, plastic is a petroleum by-product so it cost more to make our plastic boats, it takes energy (sometimes oil) to make steel, aluminum, stainless etc..... another vicious cycle.

The writing is on the wall, unless something changes.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

The ARMs are going to be the demise of many. Get it now, pay later. Credit Card mentality. There will be a plethora of "deals" in the not so distant future.

Sam

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

I have used my boat about the same, if not more than last year. I don't consider myself to be rich, but my wife and I are comfortable. We are solid middle class. We do not over extend ourselves in the credit department, and are careful about spending wastfuly. I have noticed, at least in our area, that the large cruisers have stayed in the marinas more than last year. A couple of weeks ago I was rafted up with a guy that had purchased a new 340 Sea Ray last fall. He was complaining about the cost of gas and the cost of this and the cost of that. Normally I would not have, but in this case I just asked him "then why the hell did you buy this boat? Why not something smaller that is less expensive to own if it was going to be a problem?" He told me that he did not want to be the small boat at the raft ups (trying to insult me). Oh well, at least I am able to enjoy mine with out any trouble.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

it really is just people are just staying home. what im starting to see is people are not going on vacations and are buying things for there homes. you can buy a pool instead of going away to a beach or you can buy a game room instead of going to the bar everynight(ok, not everynight). i work for the smaller side of brunswick. i sell brunswick pool tables. last year was a slow year due to everything going up i think people just kept there money. this year i see people buying things for home and just staying there. this summer has been pretty good for me and summer is the slow time of year. now, is this just another cycle? if people are buying things to stay home and everyone has that idea and start buying these big houses with a pool and game room already in it, then the market will go back up right. i dont know this is just a thought.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

HISTORY IS SIMPLY A SERIES OF VICIOUS CYCLES.!

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

I had to re-evaluate my priorities and I decided not to buy a boat for a while. I sold my Powerplay this past January. I think it's getting too expensive (for me) to go boating. I still think the price of boats are rediculous, so I am "out of boating" for a while. :(

I know this sucks, but I would rather be comfortable than be "cash poor" from boating for now

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Remember, there's always an upside to a tough decision.
As difficult as it will seem being "boatless" for a while, just think of how exciting it will be when you dive back into the water!

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Forget the powerboat industry sinking, the whole country is going down. I know things are cyclical, but the general shape of this country under the current leadership is pretty bleak.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

When I sell my Havasu home, the upside will be me spending about $3,800.00 a month less when you consider the home payment & bills, the boat, boat insurance and the cost of going out to Havasu 2x per month. That looks pretty good to me :D :D

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

there will always be successfull powerboating companies, what this downturn is doing i think is weeding out the not so good companies. People will find the best bang for their buck. I dont think Brunswick is the best managed company and ther are hurting because of it. Overall sales will tighten, but the best will remain and the bad will fall. welome to capitalism at its finest. I just hope that people dont get screwed trying to get too good of a deal or whos deposit for a boat actually goes to finsih up someone elses.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

... and what leadership would you suggest?

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

I would venture to say that if Brunswick takes a dive, we would see a serious "ripple" effect throughout the marine industry that would be devastating to many. Just because they don't build the boats that most of us like, it would affect us all in more area than one.
SCARY THOUGHT?

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Personally, I don't think the reason for boat companies problems are specifically management.......let's face it--a boat is NOT a necessity, it IS a creature comfort. Nobody needs a boat, so sales will naturally decline when times are tough.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

How so ? Supply and demand is how it works.. More materials will be sitting on shelves if they fail and prices will drop .. Bad if youyr a stockholder..great if your an end user

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Imagine John Ketchup at the helm :rolleyes:
The only thing well have is waffles :rolleyes:

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

I am a replubican, and not a fan of Kerry, but it would be very hard to imagine any administration doing as much damage as the current one.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Awful lot of fear mongers on this thread.

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Damage ?

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Not that hard .... just follow progessive politics!
We wouldn't be complaining about high gas prices
because we would all be out sailing .....

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Been 56 years since a president has had to deal with a situation like 9/11
Im just glad we have someone in charge with balls enough to stand up to Facist Radical Musslim scum !
Its us or them ..I vote them :D

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

High Gas Prices .. Anyone have any idea what other countries pay for petrol ? We are still the lucky ones

Re: Why the powerboat industry is sinking.
 

Let,s hope it stays that way.


Now on to more important matters. Did you see the forecast for the weekend at the lake ? SUNNY !!!!