Buy a boat from China?
09-03-2012, 08:17 AM
#11
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They say if Your digging a hole an keep digging You will come out in China. So if You buy one of these boats an it sinks. Is it just trying to go home?? LOL Artie
09-03-2012, 02:12 PM
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With the insane prices of boats, I was wondering how long before they were being built elsewhere and shipped here.
A new family-sized boat (25-30') now costs $80,000 - 120,000. How many people have that kind of money to spend on a toy that's basically a bathtub with a motor and seats? Heck, I can almost buy a house for that. My little piece of crap boat would be $50,000+ for a new model. There's just no way I'd spend that on something I use just 20-30 days per year.
I may take some heat for this, but knowing economics as well as I do, one of the problems is that there are just too many boat companies. Small companies can't take advantage of economies of scale and technology in the building process. Since this inefficiency makes building boats a highly labor intensive process, it makes sense to do it where human labor is cheap. The only problem left is that it's still costly to ship something as big and immobile as a boat, but that cost will come down as volume increases. If we want our boating industry to succeed it needs to consolidate just like the auto industry did 70 years ago and the motorcycle industry 40 years ago.
Depending upon future currency valuations, this may be a trend.
A new family-sized boat (25-30') now costs $80,000 - 120,000. How many people have that kind of money to spend on a toy that's basically a bathtub with a motor and seats? Heck, I can almost buy a house for that. My little piece of crap boat would be $50,000+ for a new model. There's just no way I'd spend that on something I use just 20-30 days per year.
I may take some heat for this, but knowing economics as well as I do, one of the problems is that there are just too many boat companies. Small companies can't take advantage of economies of scale and technology in the building process. Since this inefficiency makes building boats a highly labor intensive process, it makes sense to do it where human labor is cheap. The only problem left is that it's still costly to ship something as big and immobile as a boat, but that cost will come down as volume increases. If we want our boating industry to succeed it needs to consolidate just like the auto industry did 70 years ago and the motorcycle industry 40 years ago.
Depending upon future currency valuations, this may be a trend.
09-03-2012, 02:34 PM
#14
Plenty of yachts are made in China or surrounding regions:
Cheoy Lee, San Lorenzo, Grand Banks, Marlow Explorer, Hargrave, Horizon, etc. Cheap labor, lower costs of doing business especially environmental issues = simple decision to build there and import here. In a 80-100 ft motoryacht the cost savings between a US/Italian (Azimut/Ferretti)/English (Sunseeker mainly) built yacht can pay to run the boat for the whole ownership period.
This would probably be the flagship of Chinese built boats:
151 Cheoy Lee: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2012.../United-States
FYI there are almost 150 Cheoy Lee yachts listed on YachtWorld so they have been out there for years!
edit: http://cheoyleena.com/
Notes they have built over 5,000 boats since 1870.......
It was back in the 1970’s when Cheoy Lee began experimenting with foam coring materials, and soon recognized its advantages. This was not only for the huge saving in weight and greater strength, but also a perfect solution to the age old problems that occurred with the use of wood.
With the use of these all new core materials began a new age for Cheoy Lee. As composite materials became ever more sophisticated, and new technologies such as resin infusion proved themselves suitable for yacht construction, Cheoy Lee recognized the need for specialist structural engineering know-how to fully harness the capabilities of these materials and techniques. Enter the renowned structural engineering firm SP-High Modulus. Vastly experienced in cutting edge structural analysis, SP-High Modulus has experience ranging from America’s Cup yachts, to military craft. They also design the structure for all Cheoy Lee yachts. Boat building has changed immeasurably in the time Cheoy Lee has been in business, although some things have remained the same. Cheoy Lee, has been, and continues to be, one of the most technically advanced shipyards in the world.
It is no wonder why when you are on a Cheoy Lee you don’t notice any creaking or groaning while at sea, when climbing a staircase or walking across the cabin floor. It is because there is no plywood or for that matter no wood at all used for structure in a Cheoy Lee. What this means is that the bulkhead and cabin soles are all made out of the very same exceptionally strong material as the hull and superstructure. Utilizing resin infused foam cored composites throughout allows the structure to be laminated together as one.
Cheoy Lee, San Lorenzo, Grand Banks, Marlow Explorer, Hargrave, Horizon, etc. Cheap labor, lower costs of doing business especially environmental issues = simple decision to build there and import here. In a 80-100 ft motoryacht the cost savings between a US/Italian (Azimut/Ferretti)/English (Sunseeker mainly) built yacht can pay to run the boat for the whole ownership period.
This would probably be the flagship of Chinese built boats:
151 Cheoy Lee: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2012.../United-States
FYI there are almost 150 Cheoy Lee yachts listed on YachtWorld so they have been out there for years!
edit: http://cheoyleena.com/
Notes they have built over 5,000 boats since 1870.......
It was back in the 1970’s when Cheoy Lee began experimenting with foam coring materials, and soon recognized its advantages. This was not only for the huge saving in weight and greater strength, but also a perfect solution to the age old problems that occurred with the use of wood.
With the use of these all new core materials began a new age for Cheoy Lee. As composite materials became ever more sophisticated, and new technologies such as resin infusion proved themselves suitable for yacht construction, Cheoy Lee recognized the need for specialist structural engineering know-how to fully harness the capabilities of these materials and techniques. Enter the renowned structural engineering firm SP-High Modulus. Vastly experienced in cutting edge structural analysis, SP-High Modulus has experience ranging from America’s Cup yachts, to military craft. They also design the structure for all Cheoy Lee yachts. Boat building has changed immeasurably in the time Cheoy Lee has been in business, although some things have remained the same. Cheoy Lee, has been, and continues to be, one of the most technically advanced shipyards in the world.
It is no wonder why when you are on a Cheoy Lee you don’t notice any creaking or groaning while at sea, when climbing a staircase or walking across the cabin floor. It is because there is no plywood or for that matter no wood at all used for structure in a Cheoy Lee. What this means is that the bulkhead and cabin soles are all made out of the very same exceptionally strong material as the hull and superstructure. Utilizing resin infused foam cored composites throughout allows the structure to be laminated together as one.
Last edited by Jupiter Sunsation; 09-03-2012 at 02:52 PM.
09-04-2012, 12:45 AM
#16
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With the insane prices of boats, I was wondering how long before they were being built elsewhere and shipped here.
A new family-sized boat (25-30') now costs $80,000 - 120,000. How many people have that kind of money to spend on a toy that's basically a bathtub with a motor and seats? Heck, I can almost buy a house for that. My little piece of crap boat would be $50,000+ for a new model. There's just no way I'd spend that on something I use just 20-30 days per year.
I may take some heat for this, but knowing economics as well as I do, one of the problems is that there are just too many boat companies. Small companies can't take advantage of economies of scale and technology in the building process. Since this inefficiency makes building boats a highly labor intensive process, it makes sense to do it where human labor is cheap. The only problem left is that it's still costly to ship something as big and immobile as a boat, but that cost will come down as volume increases. If we want our boating industry to succeed it needs to consolidate just like the auto industry did 70 years ago and the motorcycle industry 40 years ago.
Depending upon future currency valuations, this may be a trend.
A new family-sized boat (25-30') now costs $80,000 - 120,000. How many people have that kind of money to spend on a toy that's basically a bathtub with a motor and seats? Heck, I can almost buy a house for that. My little piece of crap boat would be $50,000+ for a new model. There's just no way I'd spend that on something I use just 20-30 days per year.
I may take some heat for this, but knowing economics as well as I do, one of the problems is that there are just too many boat companies. Small companies can't take advantage of economies of scale and technology in the building process. Since this inefficiency makes building boats a highly labor intensive process, it makes sense to do it where human labor is cheap. The only problem left is that it's still costly to ship something as big and immobile as a boat, but that cost will come down as volume increases. If we want our boating industry to succeed it needs to consolidate just like the auto industry did 70 years ago and the motorcycle industry 40 years ago.
Depending upon future currency valuations, this may be a trend.
Michael
09-10-2017, 08:46 AM
#17
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Can not address Chinese quality standards, but have good friends who run a Sea-doo dealership in NH. They have repeatedly had issues with the lack of quality in the boats assembled in Mexico. A recent purchase of a top model PWC, had them go through four crates to get a unit with properly applied decals, and body work without paint flaws or defects. This was a 15k machine, and now they are waiting for factory approval and damage claims to get the other three boats up to snuff. These faulty boats will not clear all the Bombardier red tape in time to market this summer. If the cosmetics are suspect, can you have confidence in the assembly of the major components?
09-11-2017, 10:29 AM
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In Hong Kong and Taiwan they've been building yachts for decades. They are very good at it. Modern factories, materials, etc. In mainland China not so much. Most of the trawler yachts are made in Taiwan. My parents had a 60ft Defever trawler, made in Taiwan in the 1970's. I was looking at them with my brother a few months ago.....
We looked at this: 1983 Defever Trawler DEFEVER 68 Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
For a boat built in 1983. She was in excellent shape. Taiwan is more like Japan when it comes too manufacturing.
We looked at this: 1983 Defever Trawler DEFEVER 68 Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
For a boat built in 1983. She was in excellent shape. Taiwan is more like Japan when it comes too manufacturing.
09-11-2017, 08:36 PM
#20
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They can build anything you want in Asia and can build it just as well as anyone else. From my experience in Thailand, they lack the imagination for innovation and styling but if they have something to copy, they can do it perfectly.
Some of those big boat manufacturers mentioned previously have built beautiful boats but they probably weren't designed locally and all the styling comes direct from overseas. There's a few splashes of top brand boats here in Thailand and they're well made. If someone were to take on a build project here and had the time to watch every step of the way, you could have a boat that would stand up against the world's best. No issues with quality, you just have to watch and make sure it is all done the way you want.
RR
P.S. Not trying to steal your jobs, make America great again!
Some of those big boat manufacturers mentioned previously have built beautiful boats but they probably weren't designed locally and all the styling comes direct from overseas. There's a few splashes of top brand boats here in Thailand and they're well made. If someone were to take on a build project here and had the time to watch every step of the way, you could have a boat that would stand up against the world's best. No issues with quality, you just have to watch and make sure it is all done the way you want.
RR
P.S. Not trying to steal your jobs, make America great again!
