Dan, thanks for the thoughtful response. While I'm not a racer nor interested in racing and don't know what a Pogo is versus other boats, what I have been reading in this thread is also a discussion of degenerating boating markets. Jack has a very fine point that the racing market is holding up the production boat market over other types of new boats. He also points out that power boat sales are not suffering the way sail markets are. I, in my round about way, am agreeing with him while offering a possible explanation founded in my point of view (non-racer). The big manufactures are conservative because they are ultimately business people. The consumers of non racing boats, as you point to yourself as example, have criteria to consider beyond pure performance. I am suggesting that the attributes of those who would choose sail over power and cruising/economy over performance, tend to be people who like to make, fix, create, design solutions for themselves, to practice a certain independence that doesn't lend itself to being part of the NEW boat market if price is an object. They may be poised out there to snap- up new Boat's if any decent quality boats were produced at an economical price but, conservative business models are not designed to either discover that market or exploit it.
If, as Jack suggested, the transformative performance class boats were to plateau for a while, the spare-no-expense racer and the super rich got-to-have-the-best markets would still go for the new styles but everyone else, like Jack says, would turn to, just as good, used boats. Until the boating industry discovers a way, and had motivation to treat the cruising sail market like the automobile industry. How many people do any of us know with cars older then 4 years old unless they are antique collectibles?
I look forward to getting into the meat of this discussion and please forgive me if I seem a little dense at times. As one who likes to create, fix, and design, I tend to take a devil's advocate position if it looks like a unique perspective to explore.
- Will (Dragonfly)
If, as Jack suggested, the transformative performance class boats were to plateau for a while, the spare-no-expense racer and the super rich got-to-have-the-best markets would still go for the new styles but everyone else, like Jack says, would turn to, just as good, used boats. Until the boating industry discovers a way, and had motivation to treat the cruising sail market like the automobile industry. How many people do any of us know with cars older then 4 years old unless they are antique collectibles?
I look forward to getting into the meat of this discussion and please forgive me if I seem a little dense at times. As one who likes to create, fix, and design, I tend to take a devil's advocate position if it looks like a unique perspective to explore.
- Will (Dragonfly)