Black Jack
Super Anarchist
According to Stephen Waring
https://stephenswaring.com/marine-engineering-105-why-my-boat-costs-what-it-costs/#:~:text=We know many low-cost,on these variables mentioned above.
Pricing dreams is the no-win gig in yacht design. No matter how hard we try, we never seem to be able to get away from the hard fact that the magic of enjoying a boat only displaces a fraction more than the frustration that comes with pricing that boat.
It’s not rocket science as to why new boats are hard to cost out: The only thing posing more variables when building a yacht, is the owner’s evolving expectations in creating that yacht. Assisting clients in pricing their priorities is tricky.
We have evolved two methods to get at an early approximation for the cost of a new build: One, based on the cost of labor, plus a cost-of-materials factor. And, two, a flat price-per-pound ratio that expresses cost through a boat’s displacement.
Here’s the story on each way to price a new boat:
Estimated labor hours plus a materials multiple.
Estimating the hours of labor needed to build a new boat is tricky for the lay boater. Our industry can be flawed in its practice of tracking the cost to build a boat. What information there is, tends to be regional. Our own net labor-hour estimates are derived from our 60 combined years of experience in managing and building hundreds of boats.
Very roughly, all those years boil down to following guidelines for U.S. and European boat production:
30-foot daysailer = 5,000 labor hours.
40-foot weekender = 9,000 to 10,000 labor hours.
50-foot offshore passagemaker = 20,000 to 25,000 labor hours.
60-foot luxury yacht = 40,000 to 50,000 labor hours.
Price per pound
Money and the sea share some odd measures: Both can be quantified by weight. We, like most boaters, look at displacement to understand how large a yacht is. But there’s also a direct correlation between size of a boat and the cost of labor per-pound of that boat. Because, regardless of length or mission, a boat’s weight is an excellent measure of its complexity.
We find we can quantify a boat’s cost by how much that boat weighs. Simply get a displacement and a quoted price, divide one by the other. Voila! A robust per-pound cost.
Let’s compare such per-pound costs on live numbers for boats we know, as of mid 2017.
Oceanis 55. $520,000 for a 37,250 pound boat, or about $14 per pound.
For low costs per-pound, it’s tough to beat famed French production-builder Beneteau. This mass producer cranks out what we estimate is 3,000 to 5,000 relatively solid, low-cost-to-market yachts each year. This fleet is aimed at the average boater who spends limited time on the water and is happy to turn these craft over after a few years.
The dazzling $14 per pound cost is a testament to efficient molds, powerful volume production processes and the willingness to compromise on optimal performance and finish to lower costs. We usually find it’s not difficult to add functionality and durability to these designs by upgrading techniques and employing higher standards to systems, parts and materials.
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So it does beg the question - is there are real market for spartan locally built boats built for daysails or weekend short handed racing sailing that can be built for 20 dollars a pound? Would you be willing to pay 23 dollars a pound for a "greener" boat?
https://stephenswaring.com/marine-engineering-105-why-my-boat-costs-what-it-costs/#:~:text=We know many low-cost,on these variables mentioned above.
Pricing dreams is the no-win gig in yacht design. No matter how hard we try, we never seem to be able to get away from the hard fact that the magic of enjoying a boat only displaces a fraction more than the frustration that comes with pricing that boat.
It’s not rocket science as to why new boats are hard to cost out: The only thing posing more variables when building a yacht, is the owner’s evolving expectations in creating that yacht. Assisting clients in pricing their priorities is tricky.
We have evolved two methods to get at an early approximation for the cost of a new build: One, based on the cost of labor, plus a cost-of-materials factor. And, two, a flat price-per-pound ratio that expresses cost through a boat’s displacement.
Here’s the story on each way to price a new boat:
Estimated labor hours plus a materials multiple.
Estimating the hours of labor needed to build a new boat is tricky for the lay boater. Our industry can be flawed in its practice of tracking the cost to build a boat. What information there is, tends to be regional. Our own net labor-hour estimates are derived from our 60 combined years of experience in managing and building hundreds of boats.
Very roughly, all those years boil down to following guidelines for U.S. and European boat production:
30-foot daysailer = 5,000 labor hours.
40-foot weekender = 9,000 to 10,000 labor hours.
50-foot offshore passagemaker = 20,000 to 25,000 labor hours.
60-foot luxury yacht = 40,000 to 50,000 labor hours.
Price per pound
Money and the sea share some odd measures: Both can be quantified by weight. We, like most boaters, look at displacement to understand how large a yacht is. But there’s also a direct correlation between size of a boat and the cost of labor per-pound of that boat. Because, regardless of length or mission, a boat’s weight is an excellent measure of its complexity.
We find we can quantify a boat’s cost by how much that boat weighs. Simply get a displacement and a quoted price, divide one by the other. Voila! A robust per-pound cost.
Let’s compare such per-pound costs on live numbers for boats we know, as of mid 2017.
Oceanis 55. $520,000 for a 37,250 pound boat, or about $14 per pound.
For low costs per-pound, it’s tough to beat famed French production-builder Beneteau. This mass producer cranks out what we estimate is 3,000 to 5,000 relatively solid, low-cost-to-market yachts each year. This fleet is aimed at the average boater who spends limited time on the water and is happy to turn these craft over after a few years.
The dazzling $14 per pound cost is a testament to efficient molds, powerful volume production processes and the willingness to compromise on optimal performance and finish to lower costs. We usually find it’s not difficult to add functionality and durability to these designs by upgrading techniques and employing higher standards to systems, parts and materials.
----------------------------------
So it does beg the question - is there are real market for spartan locally built boats built for daysails or weekend short handed racing sailing that can be built for 20 dollars a pound? Would you be willing to pay 23 dollars a pound for a "greener" boat?
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