People screaming my boat was only $30k in 1997, well adjusted for inflation that about $58k today. Now lets look at what this rig has that we didn't have in 1997. 12' graphs with spot lock trolling motor linked and power poles. That alone is close to $15k retail. 250hp outboard wasn't available back then either so theres a few more grand. Deduct that and you're in the low $60's. Like I said, boats aren't that much more expensive.

Must not be to hard. There are lot of 20&21’ boats at Toledo on a weekend newer than my 2018 520c.

In 1997 my Cobra had a flasher in the dash, analog gauges, a small Lowrance black and white LCD fish finder up front, manual Jack plate, motorguide TM, no power steering, no blinker trim or steering wheel trim, and no hot foot. 12 inch graphs and spot lock didn’t exist and neither did power poles. The reason I sold it in 2012 was it would have cost more to upgrade things to where I wanted than the boat was worth. I’m not screaming about anything. There is way more to a rigged out bass boat now than there was back then and you will have to pay to play. Pick the level you want to play and pay accordingly. A brand new tricked out 21 foot glitter rocket isn’t meant for everyone and that’s ok. It has always been that way but the power of the internet allows folks to bitch about it every time a new model is released.

Same at PK. 20 and 21 foot Phoenix, Caymas, Skeeters, Rangers, Bass Cats and even a few Vexus out there all spring.

It’s very little to do with government regulations it’s all the bells and whistles… no one needs a 80k boat, you get a decent little tin boat tiller for 10k if 80 is too much. Bass boats are a niche market, not meant for everyone.

My first experience with Bass boats was an auto collision repair job. (Temple, Texas)


Every single Senior employee had a bass boat. They went to incredible lengths to keep scratches off the hull.


Brilliant red metallic flake. Blue. Brown.


Polished prop on every single one.




So you can't tell me it's not a fashion statement among friends. I don't care what you buy. Not my money. I don't have enough of it.



But Red metallic flake. Man, that's something.

I have one of those 100 K dollar rigs, has been out of the barn twice in the past 8 months, it very well could be my last new boat, I have other interest right now. Not sure how an everyday working man can afford a new rig now, hell even back 20 - 30 years ago a new bass boat was a luxury.

They just do the 180 “low” monthly payments…😆 it’s a lot sexier than a kids college fund.

I figure they'll get a lot cheaper in a little while because as someone said earlier there are so many out there over bought that people have long since figured out the had no use for one and are to upside down to bail out of them. There is a threshold out there where the payments will eventually get them to the real value of the boat and they'll be able to sell them and the market will be flooded. The only issue I see with that is if the market becomes to saturated with bass boats the goal post is going to move further away and they'll be hung up in them even longer. If used boats get really cheap the new boat manufacturers will be forced to adjust. it could be a disaster for them unless they start getting products on the drawing board right now that will compete in a market like that.

the price for new boats is the price have you ever seen any major toy price go down there will just be less of them sold the folks that bought during covid overpaid an most are upside down an would really like to get out of the payment but dont have the money to go with it to make it go away. repos are up an the old deal of rolling one bad deal into another one in the finance dept is gone.

I see it like the automotive market with trucks, in one corner you have the 100k+ F350 Ford sale a lot of them, in the other corner is the Ford Maverick at 35k+ they sale a lot of them.
We will see less in the middle you will have the 20-40k boats and the 100k+ boats and not a lot in the between. However I think you will start to see the 20-40k boat being better equipped with more options form the factory.
What I am most curious about is what boat price point will hold value after 3-5 years.

Who really knows in the next 10-15 years? If the question was in the next 3-5 yrs, maybe...

They wont get cheaper. They can come up with every reason in the world as to why they need to increase prices but not ever a peep when those factors get cheaper. Also, those touting inflation, i would think wages should factor into that equation. Maybe the inflation numbers align with boat prices but wages havent ever kept up so there is an imbalance there. Well, one would think there should be but if we are honest, when your at the lake it appears theres plenty of people willing to fork out the money for them so basically it is what it is and if you dont like it dont buy one. I honestly dont see how people are affording them but to each their own.

I did talk to one dealer around the time COVID had really locked in on our economy and they were selling most of their boats for cash and selling a lot of them. Where was the money coming from? Business owners were getting those grants and loans to stay afloat from the federal government; I think they called them PPP grants/loans from the Small Business Administration and a lot of those loans went to make purchases like boats and RV's and such.

shocking lol