the prices are what ever we will pay . Im looking at buying now but my problem is dealers nickle and diming you for stuff that I can buy cheaper on my own. Ask a dealer to come down any and they get insulted

there are a whole lot more trucks sold than boats and the gross profits that a boat manufacturer has to make vs. dodge, ford, and Chevy who has an assembly line, has to be wayyyyy greater to stay in business. Plus the auto manufacturers make a lot of money on the back end, i.e. Financing and extended warranties. Where all ranger makes, is the profit off the boat. I do agree that 70-80k for a hobby is pretty steep. I bought a 2013 21i loaded that had 17 hours on it for 50k that the previous owner had left his deal sheet in the glove box and he paid 78k. That's about 1500 per hour that it costed him.

I just paid 19k for my 2015 Lowe Stinger 175. I cried writing that check! The new Skeeters and the like are sure fancy, but for me it was all about practicality. It has everything i need to fish, and i dont have to get a second job just have a boat!

When my motor went south on my 2002 521 I bought a new SHO. The way I looked at it instead of spending 15k I saved 60k!

Phoenix isnt any were compareable in price especially for what you get versus the other brands.

There are waaaay less expensive options.

Complaining about the cost of a brand new, 21', w/ a 250, poles, graphs, & all the bells & whistles is like complaining about the price of a new Mercedes or Aston Martin. Buy within YOUR budget & instead of trying to keep up with Joe Bob Bass. It's like a lot of us have been convinced we have to have that top of line rig or we can't be successful anglers...or maybe we think we won't be perceived as hardcore, successful anglers...hmmm.

Some new Rangers are MSRPing over $100k. It's getting out of hand.

I can write a good check for a new bass boat but I wouldn't give 70k for two of them. If I give 70k for something it will have an attached garage and would be rented along with the ones i already own. The rent house is also a tax write off. There is nothing to a bass boat. No top no windows and they don't even have a/c or a heater and they want 70k for them. Maybe it's a 30k boat with a 40k trailer. Over rated like a $39.99 yeti cup or the $349.99 cooler. There are people out there buying them too. If i paid any of these prices you can bet I wouldn't tell anyone. It's status like mine is bigger than yours or i can pay more for mine than you can for yours.

I don't care how rich anyone is, it makes no sense to me how any object can cost 70K today and then be substantially less when the sun comes up the next day. I used to shake my head at the thought of how people absolutely go broke paying what they do to TRY to catch fish.....then it hit me, they didn't just go broke, they went into debt. DEBT=the American way.

I see used boats on here all the time for $10-$15k that are all rigged up nice and ready to go. VERY nice used boats are out there that haven't been on the water much at all. I would never ever buy a new boat when basically the same boat is sitting in storage somewhere for sale for a fraction of the cost of a new one. MY last 2 boats were bought used and made excellent and reliable boats. You just need to do your due diligence in finding them. I could care less about status or perceived status.

I just bought me a brand new Z-7 with a 175, it has everything I want with the exception of a power pole, it runs great, very stable on the water, I could not be happier with the boat, did not break the bank as I got for around 28,000. Add in the 500 dollar gift card and the VIPcard for discounts on stuff I would buy any way. I think I got a pretty good deal as buying a brand new boat goes

This ^^

I've never understood these kinds of posts. Buy what you can afford and what works for you. Most of the guys buying a $70k boat aren't worried about the payments, same as the guy with the Mercedes...

I got news for you, the price is not coming down, buy what you can afford or pay whatever you are willing to pay and just go fishing. I have bought 16 new bass boats in my life, my last one was a used 2014 boat, not sure what my next one will be, hopefully I can find a 6 months old demo colored and rigged to my liking.

Yea I agree these prices are outrageous,but if you do your research,and look you can save several thousand.
In 2005 I knew what I wanted and knew that this would be my last boat I would buy. Didn't really want a used boat so I knew I would pay. Finally decided what brand I wanted and the search began,ended up buying a Champion 206 Elite fully loaded w/250HPDI in Tenn. NOBODY here in Texas was willing to deal, so I found what I wanted in Tenn., saved 15-18k,and had it delivered to lake fork.

I doubt anyone is arguing that point here.