More Ships Ahoy
Before the doors of Manhattan's Coliseum, thousands of boating enthusiasts queued up for two blocks in a winter rain last week for the opening of the 49th National Motor Boat Show. Eying the crowd's ardor and remembering the sales figures from last year, exhibitors glowed with optimism. Despite the recession, Americans spent a record $2.1 billion on boating in 1958, and the nation's fun fleet grew to 7,330,000 boats--one for every seven families. With the number of active U.S. yachtsmen expanding by 2,000,000 a year (total: 37 million), the industry expects a 10% rise in outboard sales in 1959, similar gains for inboard powerboats and sailing craft.
Lower Prices. Boatmen displayed new models for every whim and bankroll. Spread over seven acres on four floors were 430 boats, from a 6 ft. 10 in. dinghy to the big craft of the show, Richardson's ten-bunk motor yacht, 46 ft. long and $46,000 high. For the carnage trade there were still costlier craft, including Matthews' 42-ft., double-cabin cruiser at $53,000, and Wheeler's 43-ft., flying-bridge sedan at $55,000. But, more than ever, boat builders emphasized economy to lure more middle-income families, made wider use of low-cost, low-upkeep plastics and fiber glass. The percentage of fiberglass craft in the show has doubled since 1957; this year 150 of the 430 vessels were of fiber glass.
Sears, Roebuck promoted a package of a 12-ft. fiber-glass or aluminum boat, 7 1/2h.p. outboard engine and 600-lb. -capacity auto trailer. Price: $477, with only $48 down. Rhode Island's Pearson Corp. showed off its 28-ft., six-berth auxiliary sloop, Peerless Triton, priced at $9,750, and Cape Cod Shipbuilding exhibited its 23-ft. sloop-rigged Marlin cruising sailboat, which has done well in midget ocean-racing. For those who want to use boats as homes, Evinrude motors displayed a prototype expand-at-will, fiberglass, aluminum and wood houseboat that floats on pontoons, is made up of two or more interlocking 7-ft. by 11-ft. cabins or decks that are expected to retail below $2,000 per pair.
More Power. Some of the show's best buys and fanciest eye-catchers came from Europe. Britain's Silhouette Marine, Ltd. exhibited the smallest cruising sailboat, the 17-ft. Silhouette Mark II, which sleeps two in an enclosed cabin. Price: $1,987. The French, taking part in the show for the first time, displayed sailboats ranging from the 13 1/2-ft. Vaurien at $495 to the 18-ft. Corsaire at $1,975. West Germany also made its first invasion, enticed the outboard set with the 19-ft. Graves Hummel cruiser. It sleeps five, weighs only 620 lbs., speeds up to 37 m.p.h. on a 50-h.p. engine. Price: $1,899, f.o.b. New York.
Competing with foreign craftsmen, many a U.S. builder cut his own prices. Lone Star lightened the weight of its best-selling 14-ft. Malibu outboard by 10%, lightened the price by $100, down to $525. Enginemakers also trimmed prices and weight, switched to aluminum and fiber glass to get more horsepower per pound. McCulloch Corp., the No. 3 outboard-motor maker (after Outboard Marine and Kiekhaefer) cut prices of its Scott motors as much as 10%. Kiekhaefer lopped about 5% off two of its Mercury motor prices.
Boat sellers also freely borrowed selling tactics from the automen, reminded potential customers that most banks give boat loans as easily as auto loans. They also talked up trade-ins as a selling aid. Last year, when outboard motor sales jumped 24% to a record $254 million, dealers took old models as trade-ins on close to half of their new sales.
Like the automakers, the motorboat makers are shifting away from yesteryear's jukebox styling. The 1959 models have toned-down colors, trimmed-down fins, less chrome. There are also fewer extra-cost gadgets. Said President Sherwood Egbert of the Outboard Motor Manufacturers' Association: "Instead of bringing out a huge array of new accessories, we have settled down to making our product more reliable, cheaper to operate."
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