Why are Heavy Gauge Aluminum Boats so EXPENSIVE?!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ม.ค. 2021
- We get questions all the time about heavy gauge aluminum boats.
Many people ask: "Why are they so EXPENSIVE?"
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The reality is that ALL boats are expensive. So also are many other things we buy regularly.
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Look at pickup trucks. What used to be $25,000 is now $55,000 or $60,000.
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The same is true with boats.
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The question you need to ask is, "What kind of boat provides the best VALUE?"
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In this video we are discussing the Thunder Jet Luxor 200 versus a Lund Baron 2275.
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The details will probably surprise you.
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#thunderjetboats #heavygaugealuminum #aluminumboats - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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bought my heavy gauge hewescraft aluminum boat in 2012 for $30k.....fast forward to 2021 and for the same boat you looking at $50k-60k.....talk about appreciation!!!!!
Haha same! Bought a 21.5 silverstreak for 46 all in with kicker... same boat is over 60 now
And now 2 years later your $30k, in 2020 60k, now in 2023 is $80k haha😢
Good, no frills, delivery of key pieces of information. Your video content and your responses to comments are very illuminating, both regarding the product and the vibe/culture your business is presenting. Well done. Would like to see more videos from you but admittedly I am not within the catchment region of your business. Good luck.
Affordable to me is around 35k. Nice boat!
I own three aluminum boats for different adventures - SmokerCraft, Crestliner, and Lund. I really like all three boats. However, I have been smitten by the heavy gauge aluminum boat design since I fished from one in Alaska. I love the hard top and cabin! So, that style may be my next boat purchase.
Those fish getting expensive. Supermarket fish looking better value by the minute. Think I will stick with guided fishing charter.
Guided fishing charters are a great way to experience heavy gauge aluminum boats. Many charter captains are transitioning to them for all the reasons we mention in this video.
love that style... perfect size boat...super nice on that new one with the door. Question I have because you can't see under the decking is are these boats closed-cell foamed like the Lunds? If not, do you think using foam for structural rigidity is important? I own a spray foam business, so that's why I'm asking. I think I know the answer is no they are not foamed under, but because of how welded they are, it may or may not be necessary. And I also am talking closed-cell waterproof foam. Not the open cell that would absorb water and moisture like a sponge...Just curious. I've watched a few video's now about how these are built. Super impressive boats...I see the value for sure. Can't believe they aren't as popular in the midwest like you'd see out West. Hope you do well at the upcoming boat show...You definitely have something to bring to the table and show at these shows.
so I did some research and I guess Hewescraft are sprayfoamed. not sure if this brand is or not.
if i may ask, what is the ideal or normal aluminum gauge for a hull of a 24' boat. thank you.
You can get boats with .19” hulls in that size but .25 Plate Alloy is top of the line. And Welded not Riveted if you spend the money.
These boats however much great value, look as though they came from someone's 1970's back catalogue.
I just bought a 20' long x 7' 4" wide Super heavy gauge Alaskan Salmon Boat & have have no clue what it weighs. What does the average aluminum 20 footer weigh, roughly?
Thx
Lund keeps their value because of the name. Just like if you were to buy a Ranger. These boats are cool because having somewhere to go to get outta the sun is nice. I have a ranger 619fs atm and if i ever move closer to lake Erie i will be looking into getting one. Is there an option to put a heater or A/C in the wheel house on these? would be a bonus.
I have a 250 Hewescraft Alaskan and most them have diesel heaters, with windows open they don't get to warm
Good job RJ
Whats your take on Hewescraft boats compared to Thunder jet?
Hewescraft makes a good boat. Thunder Jets in our opinion give you more. Better build quality heavier materials...and typically will price out a little lower. Of course the exact model comes into play as you try to compare side by side.
Ok ill take a look, I wish pricing was available because most dealers near me have no inventory.
The Question you need to (ask) is, "What kind of boat provides the Best VALUE?" Answer Your Friends boat, You get all the enjoyment of a boat none of the cost. There I corrected your grammar and answered the question. From a Boat owner That does take his friends out all the time. In the market to replace my current boat soon.
We can't argue with that!! Having friends with boats has all sorts of benefits. The point we could make is that these Heavy Gauge boats are great for a whole group of people to get out on the water. Also, thanks for the correction on the value question.
I agree.
A friends boat is a great value, they pay the price tag and I’ll just cover gas when I go out lol.
Hull and sidewall thickness comparison?
The Thunder Jets we discussed in this video have 0.190" bottoms, 0.125" sides and 0.250" transoms.
What are these numbers updated for 2024?
Plain and simple, because you are being ripped off. Manufacturers AND retailers are taking you to the cleaners.
Very true!!!!!!!
I have a 1994 starcraft super fisherman 190. I gutted it last year. New transom, floors, wiring, etc. Installed new 115 Mercury 4 stroke and a new 9.9 kicker. I have 22000 into the boat and it is like new. there is no reason to buy a 75000 boat to go fishing for walleyes on lake Erie 15 times per year.
I sold my StarCraft and I’m looking for a used heavy guage 19 foot with extended motor bracket. One ride in my friends Smokercraft xt20 changed my mind.
There are no glass boat inside designed like these PNW Aluminum. My 22ft Northriver Seahawk has rear floor area 6ftx7ft. Nothing in the way, flat open floor. Hull is constructed of aluminum 0.125 thick, 8.5 ft beam. My Seahawk is designed for rough North Pacific water. There are quite a few aluminum boat builders in Oregon and Washington. These are the boat of choice in Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
Are you sure the hull is only 1/8”thick? I thought north river made them 1/4”(.25)? 🤔
@@Lahainalongboarder
0.250, my fingers misted have had a bad day.
@@mikeshuck2760 good to hear
I wish I could afford a northriver. They're perfect for Bay Area and Delta fishing and cruising. They just cost so much.
Any thoughts on Kingfisher and North River boats.
They are both good brands that appear to offer similar value and quality to a Thunder Jet. As we are dealer that sells Thunder Jet, we have very clear knowledge of the quality and pricing on them and not as much on other brands.
@@northwater4991 Thanks for the info
I checked out a Thunder Jet at a local Bass Pro. I also checked out a North River Offshore at a boat show. There is a great deal of difference in the boats. This seller mentioned the “beam width” at 8’ but never mentioned the “bottom width” The beam is the outside width measurement where the bottom is the width of the deck that you stand on. Look at the angle of the hull where the transom meets the side of the boat. See how it gets narrower the lower you get? The deck is much narrower than the beam. That creates a smaller fishing area deck area as well as a boat that will lean more to each side. There is a 12” difference between the beam width and bottom width on the Luxor. On the Thunder Jet Offshore model it is a 13” difference. On the North River Offshore the difference is 6” with an 8’6” beam and an 8’ bottom width. I would recommend to you to look at both boats at a boat show where you can walk around on each one. Good luck
@@fishhunt9874 These are valid points. In each brand there are several models of boats that have varying beams and bottom widths. In the Thunder Jet brand the Luxor is not the widest offering. The Chinook and Alexis provide more width, both beam and bottom width. I'm a little confused about your reference to the "North River Offshore". Their SeaHawk Offshore is a much larger boat than a Thunder Jet Luxor. In fact it appears the smallest boat they have in that line is a 23' (25'4" LOA). Which model in particular were you comparing to a Thunder Jet Luxor?
@@northwater4991
The 2300C
Used to be involved in Aluminum Fabrication. Quote $2.50 cents a pound for complete welded assemblies. Now weigh The Boat at 2.50 a pound?? Premium to be paid you mean bend us over and overcharge the heck out of them. People just Greedy thats all.
Seems to me that with an appropriate agreement with a car manufacturer, you could stamp these things out like cookies.
Hahaha…Let’s be honest! The industry is price gouging! Done.
I've always felt the heavy gauge aluminum boats while expensive to purchase they are the best boats to own. They will outlast any plastic boat, and can take all the abuse you want to dish out. I have a 2005 Northriver Commander 20 ft with a 350 cid Chevy engine with a Kodiak Jet Drive. It sits on a Easy loader trailer dual axle. I paid $32,305. I've always kept the boat in fresh water and keep it in my garage with a block heater. I love the polished aluminum and get compliments every time I take the boat out. Based on current prices for a new aluminum boat this is a bargain that is built to last. A plastic boat would have never lasted, or hold its value.
JJ Jhk
Goodness. Meanwhile used northrivers are going for 77k near me. Wtf! You got a good boat man.
can you tell me y the hell does a 20-22 ft Lund cost like $70k-100k....that piece of tin can riveted boat sucks compared to like a North River or Stabicraft of the same value🤦🤦🤦🤦
From the perspective of a dealer that sells a wide range of boats (not Lund though), I can say there are a LOT of reasons a Lund is as expensive as it is. Riveting is actually a MORE expensive manufacturing process than welding. It takes more hours and more skilled labor to build a riveted boat. The bigger Lunds (Baron as discussed in this video) uses pretty thick materials in the hull. They have just as much aluminum as a heavy gauge boat. Then you add all the junk on the inside of the boat (seats, storage, carpet etc.) and the costs come up even more. I'm not defending Lund and their prices. I'm just stating that there are real reasons they are expensive.....of course the cost to put 4 specific letters on the side of the boat adds a lot also...
Motor cost like 50k lol
@@northwater4991 Ill pass up any top model lund for a real ocean seaworthy stabicraft
My alum s I have 3 my oldest is 1961 Texas Star
Man…I’m supposedly making good money but these boats seem so unaffordable! I need to find a better paying career to afford these boats.
A heavy gauge aluminum boat is a legacy purchase. An investment that the buyer can potentially pass on. Your great great grand children will catch fish from this boat. Sell the sizzle, not the steak.
I was hoping you'd explain why..........
Of all the heavy guage aluminium boats i looked at in 2019. Thunder jet was the most expensive buy far bought a better quality and more feature kingfisher
where is your factory? dont tell me on the west coast,,
Hi Richard. We (Northwater) are a dealer in the UP of Michigan. Thunder Jet is one of the brands we carry. The Thunder Jet factory is located in Clarkston, WA.
So why can't a Thunder Jet handle the higher horse power of the Lund? Also heavy gauge without an actual mil thickness means nothing to your viewers. How thick is thick?
These are good questions. It is our opinion that horsepower ratings are as much about bragging rights and profit margins than actual capability. In a boat of this size and style used on true big water, how fast do you really need to go? Does having an extra 100 hp and 10 mph really make a boat worth $10,000 more? A Thunder Jet equipped with the same horsepower as a traditional aluminum boat (Lund) will typically perform better. It doesn't need the same horsepower to attain the same speeds. If a boat in the 22-24ft range can go 45-50 mph, does going 55+ really make that much difference to the overall use of the boat? How often does this boat actually go WOT? If you really get into the actual reasoning and details behind why boat manufacturers rate their boats for a certain HP, you will find that it usually has less to do with capability than it does price points. If a consumer sees a boat is rated for 300HP that is what they want. Even though 200HP would perform very well and do everything the customer needs, they will fool themselves into thinking they need to spend more $$ to get more power. This is intentional on the boat manufacturers part. It means they get more $$ in their pocket.
.125 sides, .190 bottom, .250 transom
Lunds thickest is a .125 double plated BOW area only
Well done
Ok, here are the bottom lines--two things. One, how much does it cost to produce the boat vs how much mark-up when they sell it? Hey, I have no problem with ANY mark-up. If they can GET IT, more power to them. The free market rules, say it costs 60K to build it and you think you can get 100K when you sell it? Good for you, they paid it, no one twisted their arm. But as my Dad used to say "you ain't getting it from ME". Second thing, you said you would talk about WHY specifically Aluminum Boats--not any other, costs as much as they do. THEN, you change that to why they are a good value--we never do hear why aluminum--heavy gauge--is so expensive? Still waiting to hear you address THAT question, the question YOU posed in the title. I suggest you change the Title to "Why are Heavy Gauge Aluminum Boats such a good value"?
The other way to go is to answer your own question, such as "the material and process is expensive, very expensive for the manufacturing company to produce--it just is". I would, however, still wonder why a boat like Raider or Hewscraft go for more than 100K. Maybe they cost THAT much to produce, I don't know. I just know they are way out of this boaters world--even used.
Why the heck didn’t you compare it to a hewescraft sea runner… way better comparison…
It's called greed.
Affordable only 6.5 Bitcoin
lol correct.
6.5 Bit coin is currently 349210.29 at the current rate of 53,724.66 per coin as of March 22 2021, Several days ago it was 59, 769.96 per coin. So I think maybe 1.5 or 2 bitcoins will cover the cost and the fuel along with the bait and a guide to go hit the water. but lmao at your comment so thank you for the laugh and also the seriousness of the high cost it is to be a boat owner now a days.
Bass boats are that price
#11
stabicraft the best period.
Stabicraft makes some cool boats for sure. If we were in NZ we would be all over them. Here in the US there are only a few dealers and the cost far outpaces most of the US built boats. Also, while a good design, the flotation chamber concept does limit the interior width of the boats substantially. With a Thunder Jet the full width of the boat is very usable. An 8ft wide boat seems like it has as much room as a much wider boat.
They’re both way to expensive, these will be rare to see on lakes anywhere.
haha come to the west coast and it's pretty much all you see is the welded boats
Westcoast are full of them.. got a 21.5 silverstreak myself. Bombproof beauty...
Why are Heavy Guage Aluminum Boats so EXPENSIVE?! Because people are prepared to write big check to get them!
What is a Heavy Guage aluminum boat anyway? Smaller aluminum boats like a 18-foot Tracker Targa have a 1/8" thick aluminum hull, while a 29-foot Duckworth has a 1/4" thick aluminum hull. I would expect bigger boats to have thicker hulls, so this is no surprise. Are these both Heavy Guage boats?
There are so many boat manufacturers making aluminum boats that I highly doubt the owners are (illegally) colluding and fixing prices in order to artificially boost their profits. I expect this kind of thing to go on in certain types of business where there is a high likelihood of corruption (often due to government regulation), but the boat making business just doesn't strike me that way. In that business, the market determines the selling price regardless of how much the product costs to bring to market. This is truly Economics 101 anywhere you care to look. Just try pricing your product 10% higher than the market in a truly competitive market and watch your sales, and your business, evaporate.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the selling price of an aluminum boat has very little to do with the price of aluminum!
Why would you want a tin boat in rough water? Have you actually tried to drive this boat in 3s or 4s?
Hi John, a major difference between the boats we are discussing and "tin" boats is the thickness of the metal, but also the seaworthiness. While many companies build very good big water aluminum boats, we are specifically talking about cost advantages heavy gauge fully welded boats offer. Yes, we have had many of these boats in 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s and more. In fact in this video the boat I am sitting on we had run in 4-5s+ with a potential customer. He decided right then and there to order a custom built Thunder Jet. We have had countless boats (riveted, welded, fiberglass) in all sorts of conditions. In the 20-22 ft size rage especially, I would choose one of these Thunder Jets every time. The ride is amazing and the dryness cannot be matched.
Coast Guard operates hundreds of Alloy Boats of all lengths. “Tin” boat is a common refrain for those ignorant of the topic.
@@tonyjackson6023 so would u take a 21ft tin boat or glass boat for big water fishing?
@@jam206AR Common sense dictates usage of small crafts, you don’t exceed the capabilities of the vessel. The Gulf of Mexico is ‘big water’ and one wouldn’t venture further than safe conditions allowed nor further than Sea Tow or Boat USA would come rescue you in the event of engine failure. You mention 3-4’ seas, only the suicidal would even attempt such seas in a 21’ boat. Given the wind & sea states while down in Destin recently, there were only 2 out of 7 Days anything under 35’ left the pass. Even the Bay was unsafe for small craft, no matter the hull construction.
@@tonyjackson6023 In fresh water Reservoirs we see 3-4 foot waves often. We use 19-21 ft boats. Fiberglass outperforms metal boats easily in those conditions.
Why is it a "misnomer"? Answer, it is not a "misnomer", at all. They ARE "so expensive"
The point is a lot of beating around the bush. Both boats are a lot. If you have the money do your research like everything in the world. What is the point. Oh the thing is. It’s a little cheaper and more better. Yes help him. What does it all mean 20 minutes later.
LMAO
Sell me one,
These boats however much great value, look as though they came from someone's 1970's back catalogue.
If it aint broke dont fix it.
Take a look at the Gospel boats from China !!
pretty sure the question wasn't answered.
Most of the video talks about value nothing to do with the headline of the video
Your Boats have stayed the same it is the US Dollar that has dropped in value through inflation. Same with everything you buy.
Too much talking not enough showing
Anyone who has had a heavy gauge aluminum boat knows that Crestliners, Lunds, etc. are thin-skinned beer-can hulls with junk layouts and interiors.
I had a Crestliner 1850 and went to a 19' Duckworth, it was night and day. I now have a 26' Duckworth, and it is my dream boat.
All this is doing is leap the door wide open for the Chinese to come in and put all these guys out of business
Overpriced just like auto dealers these boats are 200 % mark up let them rot on the lot
...ha ha...I wish we were making 200%! I'd be happy to show you actual numbers some day if you want to have a real conversation about costs and profits in the marine industry...ha ha...
Holy cow, get to the point!
Boats are increasingly falling out reach for the middle class.
I can tell you why, quite simply. It's because the American consumer is dumb enough to pay $100k for $2500 worth of cheap Chinese aluminum (or $4500 worth of decent Canadian aluminum), and $10k worth of boat building labor (3/4 of which goes to the manufacturer's CEO, not the actual boat builders). I could go out right now and responsibly spend upwards of $250k-300k on a boat. But the fact that my money is still sitting in MY savings (instead of SeaArk's corporate stock) put's a happy smile on my face. So, I'll keep using my 18ft Tracker. If you wanna teach the bastards a lesson, starve em. When those sales start dropping, the prices will return to normal.
The dumbest tag team of useless information. Zero facts, no reasons or justifications. Love it how they say with a straight face how the manufacturer allows them to set the MSRP to their market. Thats sales code for: on a $100K boat, they can INFLATE the MSRP to the sky, discount it 10K, use the term "sale", and make 40K+ profit. They should never be allowed to talk in front of a camera without wearing clown faces.
Wow. That is quite the comment. You know, if you don't like the video, no one forced you to watch it. Are you a competitor of ours? I'm not really sure what your motivation is. I wouldn't normally justify a comment like this with a response, you caught me in a rare mood....of course I am a clown....so I guess the jokes on you. You clearly took some of the points we made out of context. We do not and have never claimed to set MSRP. We can however, set our selling price. If you look at the MSRP for some brands they are inflated. If you look at Thunder Jet you will find that their MSRP is a number in line with the market competitors. We can sell under that MSRP. I sure wish we could make 40% profit as you seem to think we can. That just is not the reality for any boat dealer. If you are in the market for a heavy gauge boat, I actually encourage you to reach out and we can go over all the details of MSRP, selling price and compare those to any competitive brand. No clowning around. We are here to help if you actually want to engage in a conversation. Thanks.
Bla blah.
Don’t buy Lund they Rot I had a 2010 and the transom rotted out 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
You do know they no longer use wood in their transoms, correct? Since about 2018...
@@BumpNrun69 yes I now have a 2020 2000 sport angular
@@robertsteele8838 and yet You tell people NOT to buy a Lund after you purchased 2 of them? Something doesn't add up 🤔
Good Luck...
@@BumpNrun69 I’m referring to the older ones !
I just bought one, yes a little expensive but worth it to me, check it out : th-cam.com/video/XU-BMQXURPs/w-d-xo.html