www.iFourWinns.com

Hey guys,

I just returned home from the Atlantic City Boat show and, I must say, I was a bit disappointed. There were very few cruisers on display, even small ones. Four Winns had a few boats in the H, SL, and SS series, but nothing larger.

As I'm toying with trading up to the 40 ft class, there were only a few cruisers there that caught my eye. The first was the Azimut 40S, a beautiful work of art, and at $695K it should be. The only negatives I found with this boat, which are pretty significant if you ask me are (a) you must open the sunroof to operate the boat standing up, and (b) it has a really poor helm seat design, with no bolsters, and the seat is way too close to the instruments panel and there's no way to adjust it. There's also no pod drive/IPS option available.

The second boat I found interesting was the Monterey 400, but wasn't really impressed after going through it. It just seemed a little dated to me.

The last cruiser I was drawn to was the Formula 40PC, which was so full of 'win' that I'm surprised I had the willpower not to sign for one right there and then. Formula was offering a boat show discount of 47%, which had me drooling, but my wife slapped some sense into me before I did anything stupid, thank goodness.

Although I'm not really interested in them, I took a look at a couple of Beneteau sailboats, a 40 and 45. They were amazing, and very well-appointed.

2012 must be the year of the pontoon boat. I must have seen around 30 of them throughout the show space.

- Allen

_________________

Insane Desire - My 2000 328 Vista...and my state of mind

The 400 SY could be considered dated, but remember, it was one of the first boats by a US builder to have IPS. And remains a strong seller for Monterey today.

Like the saying goes, " if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Prices, Prices, Prices....... Seems to me the Sale price on this SR at the Atlantic City show should be the MSRP, and discount from there.
Riduculous price for an entry level 20 foot bowrider.

_________________
One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Yeah, the prices are always ridiculous at the boat shows. I don't consider any of them close to anything real. What's the point in listing prices if a prospective buyer is offered between 40% and 60% off the sticker?

The Formula dealer said he'd sell me a 2012 40PC that was listed at the show at $439,000 for $232,000, which makes me feel I could have gotten it for less than that with a little negotiation.

- Allen

_________________

Insane Desire - My 2000 328 Vista...and my state of mind

um...boat dealer and salesmans name? used 2006's are going for around 200K. That's an incredible price for a brand new boat!

_________________
Michael Bova


"Swept Aweigh"
2003 Four Winns 328 Vista

Previous Boat
2003 Crownline 230CCR

Sorry Mike, I don't have that information. He did say it was a "boat show discount". I thought it was a bit unbelievable as well, but I'm beginning to believe that no new boat sticker price is real and can be severely discounted with a little negotiation.

The boat was beautiful, I must say. I almost had to ask my wife for a drool bucket. However, almost a half million for a 40ft cruiser seemed ridiculous to me. They had a 45PC there with a sticker price of $705,000. I think anyone who could afford to pay that kind of scratch for a boat is not going to want a 45 footer from a mid market manufacturer.

_________________

Insane Desire - My 2000 328 Vista...and my state of mind

thanks for responding.
I agree half a mil for any 40 foot boat is ridiculous, but when a salesman starts throwing out pricing on 2012 cheaper than most 06's i've seen then my ears perk up as well as my interest. They wife and I both were on the 40 pc at the Chicago show and loved it, we liked it better than the 45.

I may hit up the formula dealer here in Green Bay and see if offers like that at shows are legit. I do have my eye on an 06....

_________________
Michael Bova


"Swept Aweigh"
2003 Four Winns 328 Vista

Previous Boat
2003 Crownline 230CCR

I'd be extremely interested in how you make out with the Formula dealer.

I liked the 40PC better than the 45PC as well. We walked through both. The 40PC is the perfect boat for me and my wife at this time.

_________________

Insane Desire - My 2000 328 Vista...and my state of mind