That is my cost on the parts. And I can't even come close to making 30% on parts. I'm doing good to make 15%. I have to complete with CP and Eddie Marine, Rex, etc. They are the Walmarts of the marine industry.
On my new, complete engines, I really don't make anything on the parts. All of my profit is in my labor. However, I do not make anywhere remotely close to what my shop rate ($65.00/hr)is for all of the hours I put into one. Then on top of that, I have to stand behind it for up to one year. If there is ever a failure, I will end up loosing money on the job. Thankfully, that has never happened. Still, I won't be a millionaire anytime soon.:drink:
Eddie

You are unable to cover your normal shop rate and then you have to warranty for one year. Where do you build in a reserve $$$ in the event you have a major failure.

Thanks for your input Eddie. Most people do not have a clue of the time that it takes to build a well designed and detailed motor and then do the same quality installation job in the bilge. If you short cut the installation it does not matter how good the motor was built it will not live.

Thunderusone was a refreshing buyer when I was selling my boat. He knew what it takes to do all of this stuff in time and money.

That's without amortizing all of the R&D developing the package into a reliable assembly.
Steve

Quote : Those motors would be an excellent choice for that 3900 Nortech you are looking at. If you can get a reasonable buy on those motors you cannot go wrong.

I think Jeff has decided to let me take a shot at buying that 3900. What a great guy that Jeff is! :drink:

All 1st class? $40K+

That is without the whipple kit and not sure if you have EFI or not so you would still need the wire harness and computer more $$$$.

back off sucker:drink:

Gary,
My reserve is that I build more than one engine. I do make money on them and they stay together. So far I have not had a warranty claim. I take a ton of time and care assembling them. That's why it takes so long and I can't get as much as I would like. I would love to get more money for my engines, but I am fighting guys that are using cheaper parts. Also, a lot of builders advertise their engines without all of the parts needed to install and run it. They will list them as "starting at ???" For example, if I quote a customer a 750 efi for $37K, that is 100% ready to install with everything needed. He may call someone else and they quoted him 28-30K for a 750 efi. If he is price shopping, like most are, he will think that I am just charging more. He won't find out until it's to late that everything is not included. Personally, I think it is decietful and I do not operate that way. It costs me some jobs, but I sleep just fine. I have had it happen more times then I can count. Most end up paying more in the long run. I also use better parts then most others. That is a big part of why I have no problem standing behind them. Sure, even expensive parts can break, but you cut that possibility to almost nothing if you overbuild it.
You are correct that most have no idea what goes into assembling, installing and rigging one. The assembly of the engine is the least profitable job that I do. And surprisingly, a lot of people try to do that themselves to save money. It is the hardest, most important part of it. Cheaper parts can live if they are assembled correctly, but you can turn some high dollar parts into trash real quick with poor assembly.
John absolutely knows what goes into it. He has done a bunch of it and was there when I rigged the Stryker, so he got to see it firsthand. He knew exactly what you had there, that is why he bought it. We talked about it at length, and both knew what went into it. By the way, they did an excellent job.
Good luck with the new one.
Eddie