fishing spot logo
fishing spot font logo



Why Are Boat Motors So Expensive? 2024


fishing user avatarbassin' 4 life reply : 

Does anybody know why gas outboards are so expensive? I mean a ten hp motor costs over a thousand bucks. I could probably jery rig a cheap go cart motor that would do the same thing, right?


fishing user avatarBig C reply : 

I saw a jerry rigged weed eater outboard on Swamp People.  I've always wanted to try that. 


fishing user avatarslonezp reply : 

They are no longer just cylinders, pistons, and a carb. 


fishing user avatarRustyShackleford reply : 

My roommate bought his Mercury 350CSi-CXXL for just shy of 22 grand. I spent that much building my S10. Just too much for my blood. But as long as there is noney, people will want to buy the most unique, newest, most wanted item.


fishing user avatarFisher-O-men reply : 

Supply, demand and Government regulation!


fishing user avatarRustyShackleford reply : 

Only thing the government is doing so far is phasing out my 2 stroke.


fishing user avatargardnerjigman reply : 

I guess I don't know why you are surprised? Look at any comparison... Heck, a brand new honda 10hp mower motor is $700. More goes into a boat motor.


fishing user avatarRustyShackleford reply : 

Hey now, my Honda mower is turning heads in the neighborhood...


fishing user avatarblackmax135 reply : 

It is because people are willing to spend that much money.  Just in my opinion its kind of like cigarettes no matter how much they cost people are still going to find a way to buy it. 


fishing user avatarScott F reply : 

Boat dealers generally don't sell big numbers of boats and motors. In order to stay in business, they need to make a profit. If everybody had a boat like they do cars, there would be more sales. More sales means it would get cheaper to build each motor. More sales also means they could live with a lower profit margin on each motor which would bring the price down.


fishing user avatarbassin' 4 life reply : 

Right, so since I'm already building my boat, I should get one of these:

seattle.craigslist.org/oly/for/4909892395.html

And put a prop on it, right?


fishing user avatarSam reply : 

Don't forget the research and development costs which are quite high for outboard motors.

 

The "simple" old Johnson and Evinrude models we used when I grew up in the 60's are no match for the more powerful and fuel efficient motors of today.

 

To have all that horsepower necessary to power the heavier boats increases the costs.


fishing user avatarSmokinal reply : 

Anything "Marine" related is twice as much as it should be. "Marine" cleaner wax = $16...Maguires cleaner wax "for a car" = $4.99...and the list goes on and on. The marine industry rapes us every day. There is absolutely no reason these motors should cost this much.


fishing user avatarjoefish reply : 

Most boat are "toys". Men's toys are expensive.  :eyebrows:


fishing user avatarKrappiehog reply : 

As I read I chuckle a little... Doesn't anyone really know? Some are one the right track, like added R&d cost, it's a hobby or luxury... But have you ever looked at the parts inside a marine engine? Have you ever wondered why the old 2 strokes lasted so long? The engines are built better. Car/truck engines use a sleeve type bearing, but marine or at least the old ones used all roller bearings. There's is quite a large price difference in the base cost of the the bearings as well and the set machine set up for the rod caps and journals. And as long as those old bears get oil and don't over heat they are going to last! They were made with all good quality chrome. You will also notice they are sitting in water all the time so everything has to corrosion resist, and they try to use metals that will resist electrolysis due to metals alkalids or calcum in the water. All this goes into R&d as they try to make sure they build a tuff engine that hold up,the crappy fuel regulations the EPA keeps pushing with ethonal, in with a gas engine is not designed to run with added maintance... theres a reasone race cars use it and street cars don't!

Making engines lighter, also means using a alloy that is stronger, a and that means trying to match metals that have similar expansion and contraction rates so you don't have issues with gaskets blowing and bolts pulling threads like some of the auto makers have with there great ideas!

All this adds up, and yes add that to a luxury and you get $$$$.$$ X2!

No hobby is cheap, if you do find one let me know cuz I sure would like to know how keep my wife off my back! Lol


fishing user avatarzachb34 reply : 

My 15 horsepower 4 stroke mercury is more expensive than a brand new motor for my jeep. That has just hit me...


fishing user avatarmoguy1973 reply : 

Break

Out

Another

Thousand

 

They don't call it a hole in the water that you throw money into for nothing...


fishing user avatarLong Mike reply : 

Krappiehog hit the nail on the head.  Add that to a much lower sales volume when compared to cars, and you have your answer.


fishing user avatarslonezp reply : 
  On 3/2/2015 at 10:15 AM, zachb34 said:

My 15 horsepower 4 stroke mercury is more expensive than a brand new motor for my jeep. That has just hit me...

Doesn't say much about Jeep


fishing user avatarbassin' 4 life reply : 
  On 3/2/2015 at 10:15 AM, zachb34 said:

My 15 horsepower 4 stroke mercury is more expensive than a brand new motor for my jeep. That has just hit me...

Exactly. Like I said I am building a boat soon. But I am also thinking about an engine swap for my truck. I'd be better off doing the swap and putting the old motor in my boat!!! :eyebrows: Too bad my boat is too small.


fishing user avatarWay2slow reply : 

It's not just outboards, it wasn't too long ago you could build a strong engine for your car for a couple thousand dollars, now it's 10-20 thousand to ever how much you care to spend. I'm looking at building a turbo charged, LS 408 stroker motor for my truck and it's looking like it's going to cost about 20 grand. Six grand just for the turbo, over two grand just for an exhaust system, five grand for the transmission. It will be pushing 30 grand when done. So, it ain't just outboards.


fishing user avatarEmdexpress reply : 

Mark up at the retail level is 40%. As noted, volume is low compared to cars and trucks. Extreme engineering is very expensive. Even though the cost makes your eyes pop out, the modern outboard is an awesome engine. Efficient, clean, quite and powerful plus way more durable than past models. And now in four cycle. Yes,


fishing user avatarMaxximus Redneckus reply : 

Its just like gas and oil ,demand all the hard work is done way more white collar workers then there are blue collar when it comes to huge industries.cars are made by robots same as boat motors back in the day you would have 100 workers on the floor banging wrenches now you have 1000 pencil necks and 10 wrench bangers


fishing user avatarGThunter5 reply : 

Go take a tour of any local manufacturing plant.

Things cost money to make. There's value added all across the supply chain.

If you want cheaper buy Chinese. You will be disappointed with the quality.

I've never really posted here but this one made me post !

Cheers


fishing user avatarGary William reply : 

Not sure if things have changed, but I agree with all those who said marine engineering is wildly different.

 

I am 5 years into ownership of an ocean front cottage - and the salt water environment is unbelievable. A simple swim raft with proper anchors and chains that wont corrode and rust cost about 4 times what the uninitiated would estimate due to the materials involved. 

 

Great discussion. 


fishing user avatarflyfisher reply : 
  On 3/2/2015 at 10:15 AM, zachb34 said:

My 15 horsepower 4 stroke mercury is more expensive than a brand new motor for my jeep. That has just hit me...

you aren't going to find a brand new motor for a jeep for cheaper than a 15HP 4 stroke motor.


fishing user avatarBassWhole! reply : 

So $3k for a motor made up of hundreds (or is it thousands) of parts, several different manufacturing processes, a computer board or two, and precise tolerances is a lot, but $400-$600 for 4 oz of graphite is what?....


fishing user avatarJ Francho reply : 

Fourscore and four years ago...

 

Check out the prices on organic no stir peanut butter. Store brand is $20 for two jars. Think about that. Saw some “cold pressed” organic OJ that was $16 for a quart. 


fishing user avatarWRB reply : 

Today's outboard engines are as sophisticated as automobile engines in an effort to increase hp per lb and decrease emissions improving fuel burned per hour. Your auto engine doesn't include a transmission and drive train, the outboard also includes a transmission and drive train as one integral assembly and prop.

My 1970 Evinrude 9.5 hp OB cost $700, small OB's weren't inexpensive back then, it cost as much as the boat and trailer. You could buy an inexpensive air cooled noisy Eska OB back then and still can today, can't operate it in California however, doesn't meet out emissions standards.

Tom


fishing user avatarS Hovanec reply : 

I didn't read through all of the replies, so if this was mentioned, I apologise.  You're also buying a transmission.  Gearing isn't cheap.

 

Also, unlike a car motor, marine motors are designed to turn high rpms for extended periods of time.  I have never run my truck at 5k+ rpms for a half hour at a clip.


fishing user avatarBigRed1977 reply : 

Outboards are pricey because you get a starter, alternator, engine, fuel injection, transmission,and "wheels" all in one package. It's basically everything under the hood of a car and under the car. Inboard motors are much cheaper by comparison. Also there is a phrase in business that says "what the market will bear." I had issues with this. So, I gave up my AC business because I felt like I was robbing people if I charged what I SHOULD have been charging. If a business cannot be profitable there is no point in being in business. I hate it but if I followed the "what the market will bear" rule, I'd still be in business and a lot richer. In the end it really does all balance out if everyone tries to make as much money as possible. Try being the "nice guy" and you will go broke and pull your hair out in the process. 


fishing user avatarFurther North reply : 
  On 3/2/2015 at 11:14 AM, Long Mike said:

Krappiehog hit the nail on the head.  Add that to a much lower sales volume when compared to cars, and you have your answer.

Yes.

 

Economies of scale.

 

Few are sold relative to numbes on cars/trucks, but it costs just as much to develop and refine the product. 

 

We have a Ford Edge.  Ford has sold 1,340,065 of them, since 2006....and they use engines and transmissions and lot's of other parts that are common to other models (The Edge is built on the same platform as the Ford Fusion, Mazda CX-9, first and second generation Mazda 6 and Lincoln MKX, among others.)

 

Mercury can't even come close to those kinds of numbers...

  On 3/2/2015 at 7:09 AM, Smokinal said:

Anything "Marine" related is twice as much as it should be. "Marine" cleaner wax = $16...Maguires cleaner wax "for a car" = $4.99...and the list goes on and on. The marine industry rapes us every day. There is absolutely no reason these motors should cost this much.

Again economies of scale.  How many boats are there in the US?  How many car/trucks?

  On 4/25/2015 at 9:26 PM, Emdexpress said:

Mark up at the retail level is 40%. As noted, volume is low compared to cars and trucks. Extreme engineering is very expensive. Even though the cost makes your eyes pop out, the modern outboard is an awesome engine. Efficient, clean, quite and powerful plus way more durable than past models. And now in four cycle. Yes,

That's true...but many people think that "mark up" = profit.

 

It doesn't.  That markup has to help support the costs of running the dealership.  Salaries, benefits, power, paying for the building, water/sewer, taxes...

 

It's very much not a 1:1 return.


fishing user avatarMickD reply : 

One thing not mentioned yet, but that is important, is that the duty cycle of marine engines is really heavy duty compared to cars.  They operate at wide open throttle much more than auto engines.  It takes very little HP to move a car down the road at 70 mph, and wide open throttle accelerations are rare compared with marine.  What this means is major  money for heavy duty components.  

 

Also, as has been mentioned, the emissions requirements require a lot of sophisticated electronics, sensors, etc.  That is similar to cars, which have gotten very expensive, too.

 

The good news is that with proper care, most will last a very long time.  My 20 year old 4 stroke Suzuki ran like it was new when I sold it.  I sold for a better boat, not for a better engine.


fishing user avatarbasseditor reply : 

I know it applies to boat manufacturers and I assume engine manufacturers — can you imagine what liability insurance costs a manufacturer?


fishing user avatarBreakwater Bouy reply : 

Well, IMHO-- I think it's a Luxury item...so prices are higher...and it's complicated to get a boat loan because of it being a Luxury item...lender know that at some point when financial times get tough and you have a loan on a boat..they know mostly likely the boat will be repossessed vs being sold 


fishing user avatarElkins45 reply : 

I paid $600 for a silencer for my 30 caliber rifle. It’s basically just a fancy steel tube. How many silencers would a manufacturer have to move per day to make a decent living? You figure even a one man shop needs a couple hundred in clear profit per unit just to stay afloat. How many motors does a boat dealer sell in a day?


fishing user avatarFishing Rhino reply : 

When I was a kid, candy bars were a nickel, a loaf of bread was 12 cents.  Popsicles were a nickel and ice cream bars and sandwiches were a dime.

 

The cheapest price for gas that I purchased was fifteen cents per gallon. In 1966 we bought a new Pontiac GTO convertible with four speed standard shift transmission, three two barrel carbs, positraction rear end and an am/fm radio.  Bottom line on the sticker was a cool 2700 dollars give or take a few bucks.

 

Why do cars cost so much today?


fishing user avatarLoochy88 reply : 

Build (and sell) a cheaper one then.  




252

related Bass Boats Canoes Kayaks topic

Pics Of The New Rig
Boat Finalists...I hope!!!
My restored 1979 champion bass boat
Decisions on pond/small lake boat.
Buying boat today!!!
bass boats
What are you most happy about that you added to your boat?
BassPro Shutters Stratos Boats, Triton Next?
So If I Was Going To Get A Yak...just Asking If
Family, little kids, and bass boats?
Jon boat or canoe?
Best low budget kayak
Don't shoot me: Jon 1432 adding stability
Ocean Kayak Prowler Big Game Ii
Non-Boater Etiquitte
towing boat in pickup truck bed
My New Ride!
Anybody Run Into This Little Problem Before?
Bass Boat hierarchy
Tin or glass for tournaments



previous topic
New Boat -- Bass Boats Canoes Kayaks
next topic
Pics Of The New Rig -- Bass Boats Canoes Kayaks