HOW TO MARKET AN $80,000 ALL WOOD FLAT BOTTOM?

« **on:** August 17, 2009, 09:36:32 AM »

I have a really good friend that has built a sweet flat bottom classic boat from scratch. He would like to market them... but who would spend $80,000 on a flat bottom? and how do you reach them? any ideas would be great. If you'd like to check out the boats being built go to www.johnmillerboats.com

« **Reply #1 on:** August 17, 2009, 10:08:23 AM »

I dont think to many people have 80k laying around and then for a small boat.Im sure they are out there but far and few between

« **Reply #2 on:** August 17, 2009, 10:19:45 AM »

Beautiful boat, but sorry, I have no idea about where to start with your marketing efforts.

« **Reply #3 on:** August 17, 2009, 06:00:28 PM »

I think the market is going to be very limited because most people that are interested in something like that want a racing history to go along with the vintage style.

Kind of like owning a vintage road race car. You could build a new car that looked old with much better technoligy and a real historic race car will pull more money because of the pedigree.

« **Reply #4 on:** August 17, 2009, 07:12:34 PM »

Quote from: TnT Customs on August 17, 2009, 09:36:32 AM

He would like to market them... but who would spend $80,000 on a flat bottom?

No one.!

« **Reply #5 on:** August 17, 2009, 07:16:54 PM »

I guess I'm maybe not understanding something. Beautiful work, and apparently he knows what he's doing!

The boat looks georgeous! Don't get me wrong, but what's there to justify $80k? I'm all for quality, but in THIS economy? Labor is cheap, Materials even cheaper.

I read a feature article a couple months ago in a wordworking magazine, popular mechanics or something at the store where a guy built a COMPLETE Lambo Diablo copy completely out of wood! Body, dash, seats, frame, steering, suspension, including the wheels (which were sweet, something like 300 laminations of very thin wood to make them), used an LS7 vette driveline, was outta this world! And THAT was something like 200k he had in it! FAR more than triple the work and even more unique!

Consider the difference

Love to have one, VERY beautiful boat, but at 80K? I can have 10 VERY nice boats! And I'd be willing to bet that for far less than 80k, I can come up with an original, and restore it!

Just my .02

Ray

« **Reply #6 on:** August 18, 2009, 05:17:45 PM »

I agree with everyone's comments... and i don't think he is holding it firm at 80,000 grand either... thanks for looking... at least its giving it some attention/publicity. i figured anything would help. and I'm with you guys... no room in it... doesn't ride very good.... and who'd want that floating at the lake? big money is in the ocean or big lakes that would sink the boat.

« **Reply #7 on:** August 18, 2009, 05:43:25 PM »

OK. I don't have much but I'll put my .02 in. Aside from the price being steep and being discouraging by saying you're not going to find buyers...

I know there's two restaraunts in Lake Tahoe that regularly hold wood boat events and their restaraunts are themed around them... "Garwood's Grille and Pier" on North shore and "The Riva Grille" on South shore. If there's any place I would start looking for buyers, that's where I'd start. Not that you could take that little flatty on Tahoe, but that's where the wood boat people are.

Basically, find out where the vintage wooden boat enthusiasts are and that's where I'd do my marketing. That, and... Can never leave the "DuPont Registry" out as it has many specialty vehicles of every type for ridiculous prices and people buy them.

Cheers and good luck to your friend.

« **Reply #8 on:** August 18, 2009, 06:54:10 PM »

Quote from: Baja and Bust on August 18, 2009, 05:43:25 PM

OK. I don't have much but I'll put my .02 in. Aside from the price being steep and being discouraging by saying you're not going to find buyers...

I know there's two restaraunts in Lake Tahoe that regularly hold wood boat events and their restaraunts are themed around them... "Garwood's Grille and Pier" on North shore and "The Riva Grille" on South shore. If there's any place I would start looking for buyers, that's where I'd start. Not that you could take that little flatty on Tahoe, but that's where the wood boat people are.

Basically, find out where the vintage wooden boat enthusiasts are and that's where I'd do my marketing. That, and... Can never leave the "DuPont Registry" out as it has many specialty vehicles of every type for ridiculous prices and people buy them.

Cheers and good luck to your friend.

haha took the words right out of my mouth on this one baja...cept i didnt know about the whole wooden boat dealio, but finding a buyer would be somewhere like tahoe...or believe it or not jackson hole, i wanna say montana1

« **Reply #9 on:** August 18, 2009, 07:07:22 PM »

Ive seen quite a few pics of that boat and I have to admit its a beautiful thing !!!! And John Miller has a great reputation for doing very high quality work. But I think the above comments are true, 80k is alot of money for a flatbottom (is that price turn key ?). I think he would be better off offering a glass boat with a wood deck, would be alot less labor and could be much more affordable. $:-\$

BTW, if he wants to hand out a few free sample hulls I'm sure we can start a list for him.

« **Reply #10 on:** August 18, 2009, 08:17:23 PM »

IMHO, that is not what I would call a weekend boat but more of a family eirloom.

Absolutely bitchen and in all honesty if i was in a position to be able to buy such a boat, it would probably be in the family for generations.

You need to think of it like a grandfather clock, a $3.99 wall clock could tell time, but a early 19th century grandfather clock will tell the time for centuries and look good doing it.

Waaayy outa my league

GT

« **Reply #11 on:** August 18, 2009, 09:49:53 PM »

Market it "online" to some "filthy rich European Guy" I sold my Schiad to a German diplomat money was really no object!

« **Reply #12 on:** August 20, 2009, 04:35:08 PM »

Quote from: GT Jets on August 18, 2009, 08:17:23 PM

IMHO, that is not what I would call a weekend boat but more of a family eirloom.

Absolutely bitchen and in all honesty if i was in a position to be able to buy such a boat, it would probably be in the family for generations.

You need to think of it like a grandfather clock, a $3.99 wall clock could tell time, but a early 19th century grandfather clock will tell the time for centuries and look good doing it.

Waaayy outa my league

GT

I was kinda thinkin the same thing.

TnT Customs

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