BUP

I use to sell wakeboats brand new as well. They handle rough water very poor some are like a bath tub out is the middle of lake. Some handle fair at best in the middle of lake. Most turn very well on dime. Some will rip your arms off from take off to WOT. Most are very slow top speed but the hull bottom is not for speed anyways.

If I was ever to think of what brand boat I would want to sell - it would have to be Malibu - I don't even like them period nor really any wakeboats. Most have stick on graphics, offer basic colors and design, many engines all look the same and so on, They sell very easily brand new year after year. Malibu is a public traded company FYI

Mastercraft for the past 4 or 5 years has done a step bottom design in their boats. They continue to use ILmor since 2010 - FYI

Mercruiser has zero market share in the ski and wake boat market. Volvo penta is trying like hell to gain market share in that market as they never had any until 2016. Again I say trying like hell (Volvo Penta)

Knot 4 Me

The wakeboard boats I've looked at over the years at boat shows impress in terms of construction, fit and finish, quality of hardware, etc. At least I can see where some of the money is spent to justify the cost. Couldn't say the same on some of the since deceased sport boat lines.

Marginmn

My wife and I bought our first performance boat in 1998 - an 18 foot Baja (at least we thought it was a performance boat ). On Friday and Saturday nights we would sit out by the dam on Lake Cumberland and watch 20+ go-fasts pair up and race. It was an awesome show every weekend and fueled my desire to own a bigger and faster go-fast. Back at our Marina it seemed like there were performance boats everywhere. The stock market was roaring, gas was cheap and it seemed like every boat house at our 1200 slip marina had at least one performance boat. In our boathouse alone we had a 38 Fever with big power, a triple 42, and a 42 with huge staggered Cobras.

The first blow was the Tech Bubble crash of 2000. Around the same time gas prices started to climb. Come 2001 the impromptu boat races out at the dam had disappeared. By 2005 I was the only performance boater left in my boathouse. One by one the other performance boats across my marina mostly disappeared. We still had the Poker run on Cumberland and LCM to keep up my interest in performance boats but my neighbors and friends at my marina just couldn't justify owning a performance boat anymore. Some got out of boating altogether, others moved on to houseboats, cruisers and pontoons.

Obviously the final blow was the credit bubble bursting in 2008. Fountain used to build 550 boats a year and I'll wager that the factory hasn't built 50 combined go-fasts since 2010.

I see our hobby now a lot like the muscle cars of the 60's and early 70's. There was a golden era when these awesome machines were mass-produced and the common-man could obtain them, but due to many factors that era is now gone. Unless a lot of things change in Washington the standard of living for the average American will continue to decline. The rich will still be able to afford to buy their toys, as the rich always do, but high-performance boating for the common-man is probably a thing of the past; with it went the mass-production of high-performance boats. However, because manufactures are producing so few new ones, and because they are such awesome toys, the used HP boat market seems to have stabilized. In some cases used performance boats are actually increasing in value, Nothing like muscle cars but bottom seems to be in for good quality used boats.

In the 1980's it suddenly became cool to own an old muscle car. Problem was they weren't building any more 1970 Hemi Cudas. Suddenly the old ones became collectible, as did all old muscle cars. Although it is true that the golden era of our sport is probably gone forever, there are still plenty of people interested in this hobby. Practicality be dammed, driving around in a Tri-toon Bennington isn't as thrilling as skimming across the waves at 100 mph with the roar of a big block in your ears. They have built about as many 38 Donzi ZR Comps since the financial crisis as they have 1970 Hemi Cudas. Although impractical, both are cool ass toys that can offer great thrills and enjoyment for their owners. So our sport has now become a hobby. I still intend to enjoy mine. I hope you continue to enjoy yours.

snapmorgan

I disagree. Kids these days have had everything handed to them. They are not scared at all. They have never had to do anything and they don't plan on doing anything. The govt will forgive their college debts and take care of them just like momma used to so that they can sit home, be on facebook and play video games all day. We are creating our own worst nightmare with this new generation of democrats when they drive every bit of industry out of this country simply because the tax burden will just be too much. The end of this country is very near if there is not a drastic change in November.

Nate5.0

As of right now no one is forgiving college debt unless you are getting into public service work and most that got those large student loans are not those people in those careers.

BenPerfected

Another big factor was the banks deciding that financing boats was too risky a business with excessive write offs....especially sport boats. Insurance is also a challenge in the HP boat market.

Crude Intentions

Another is price of insurance. Like has been mentioned it's a lot of reasons but price. Price. Price.

db72

There are so many people that are that way it is crazy. But it keeps places in business. I fix everything myself as I am sure most on here do also. Saves me thousands every year. I like cars with 100k on them because most people are scared because they have way to many miles. It is just society most are idiots.

Skater30

Out here on the West Coast, I see lots of new boats on the water again, but they're all $50,000 to $150,000 pontoon and wakesurf/wakeboard boats. I haven't seen one new high performance boat on the water around here in years. It is a completely different scene from 10-15 years ago when a lot of guys were buying new high performance boats.

vintage chromoly

I say that because Lake Erie can go from 1' waves to 5' waves in an hour or less.