It was announced there will be another price increase of resin passed along to the boat builders beginning 2005, let alone parts, other building materials and engine increases which reflects the selling price of a new boat...This is the third resin increase in less than a year alone. If your looking for that brand new boat,I suggest now is the time before the increase is passed on to you...If you continue to wait, its your $$$.

Resin is sold by the pound. How much did it increase per pound? Ed

This is an uneducated question, but, educate me!!!

What raw materials are used in the make-up of resins for fiberglass??
My job is to manage and make the resins for optical coatings.
I have seen HUGE increases in costs over the past few months from my chemical suppliers (anyone know anything about this and can help me out with prices would make me look like a GOD around work.... )
I've seen huge increases in IPA (Isopropol Alchohol), Acetone, Methanol, and MIBK (Methyl Isobutyl Ketone). Since July I've seen increases as much as 30% per Lbs. What's funny about this is that the materials I buy from Tokyo and Europe haven't been affected (YET!).
I can give you a cost breakdown of increases on these items increases tomorrow when I'm at work - it might explain some things.

How much of these chemicals are needed to make resin for, say, a 33' offshore boat???
The majority of the liquid chemicals are used only as solvents, suspension agents for solids during curing, and dispersion agents - to evenly carry solids for strength during curing or the chemical reaction.
I'm sure the increase is related to the increase of the cost in the US of all Organic solvents/materials (Pay at the Pump....).
Any one work for a chemical Co. ?? PM me.
Tim

The Chemical Resin companies that mostly supply the boat builders are Reichold and Ashland.They pass the increases to do business to the builders then to the cost of the boat to a retail dealer and customer.The cost was not revealed.

I read that the eurpeans have already put into place laws not allowing large scale manufactures to use open faced molds.... and that it was coming to america soon

closed molding technology is really expensive and threatens to close down smaller builders

Ernie

Just don't buy a Powerplay today. It would be cheaper to pay the resin increase and have your money in the bank for the two years it takes to build it, than it would be to buy the boat now. That is if you ever get your boat period.

Sounds like concrete. Concrete has tripled since 2 yrs ago here in SoCal

I can tell you this -- dealers are going to hurt in '05. Fountain pricing has gone way up and our margins have gone way down. I am sitting in the middle. The manufacturers don't give a crap and there IS a ceiling retail customers hit in the market.

Now, I know many of you have had bad experiences with dealers (and there are/were some very bad ones), but the good ones will have a hard time providing the ever increasing level of service customers desire with their margins shrinking.

It is something that will affect ALL of us.

I think that transportation costs have been overlooked here. The increase in fuel costs can be absorbed for only so long before prices must be raised. I`m sure that this isn`t the only reason but one that must be taken into consideration.

Topspin, cool video's you have there, but whats with the fat chics in bikini's??