November 1, 2010

Future?

This was apparently the question asked in recent boat shows, and most precisely in the World event that is the Genoa show. As it happens many critics wanted to see something fresh and new from the builders in Genoa, and this for 2010 it did not happen. But are the builders to blame, or may be they the Italian biggies of the Yacht building industry are victims of there success. Fair to say the Italian giants as Ferretti Group and Azimut Benetti both showed two quite revolution products in the last years. Ferretti Group showed the Mochi 23M Long Range in 2008, and Azimut the 74 Magellano last year. This was followed this year with the launching of the new 50 Magellano, which even tough smaller in size improves some of the concepts seen on the 74. Apart hybrid power all these three models have a revolutionary hull design.
To say it frankly the Italian press not the nautical one, but the standard news hammered the show as being dull and one without initiatives. The writing for them was that if the boat builders want to bring Italians back to the water they have to invent something special, which consumes less and is very cheap to run. Surely if they invent an engine working with the sea water they run on all would be good, and we have solved also a global energy crisis on call in recent years.
While sales are down in recent times I think people commenting so easy on the Boating industry don't really know the problems associated with it. Sales are simply at a stand still not because customers don't like what they see in the shows but mostly because costs continue to go up in an unmeasured taste in most of Western central Europe and the Mediterranean in recent years, and finding a berth is also very hard. Basically keeping a boat is too costly and that is why the industry cannot get back to its sales as before the 2008 crisis. Add to this the bubble created by the banks and financial institutions with the leasing schemes and easy credit, and that is why the boating world is going back to a more humble system as it worked in the nineties. Surely the picture is not sweet for the builders but I think if you are a buyer you are in a much better position compared to five or ten years ago, as the offer is also much wider which means that you have more choice.

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