Well, I can tell my story about new boats.
Nope.
My Grandfather was a small business man, owned a commercial photography company. He raised 3 daughters on one income. Owned 1 house, 2 cars, a mobile home at the beach bought in 1966, a 19' 90hp wood runabout, and one of the earliest Sailfishes made of fiberglass. Except for the house, everything was originally purchased new.
Me, I have a smaller house than my Grandparents, 1 car I'm still paying for, no kids, and a 30 year old 19' sailboat. I don't feel like I could afford to buy and maintain a nice new boat. Even if I could finance it, I'd be on the 10 year loan plan. And, even being conservative, I'd be thinking about buying a Precision 23, last of the bigger small boats. What are my other choices?
I get the feeling that new boats are effectively more expensive than equivalent boats were back in the go-go '70s, the heyday of US sailing.
I think the reasons for this are the systematic dismantling of the middle class. Back in the sailing heyday, our country had a vibrant middle class, that was growing and increasing in wealth. There was more money in the economy, which allowed for a consumer-based economy.
Now when I look at boats, I see expensive large boats. And small boats. Nothing in between, because there's no longer that middle class market. Companies have learned they need to cater to the wealthy, because that is the only market that has the wealth to spend on boats. Having been to some powerboat shows, I'm afraid that it's not too much different in the powerboat market. The pleasure boat market just seems to have a few 19-21' boats, but then go larger from there. And they don't make a small, 14-15' runabout someone can start out in anymore. Well, Ok, I guess the PWC (jetski) pretty much decimated the small family runabout market.
Oh, well. I got nuthin' other than that.