The Costs of Building RIBs

[Manos]

Kitten I'm sorry but your statement proves NOTHING!!
Do you have any hard facts (your own)?? I am all ears.
Foreign labour employed in the UK (as well as in other countries of the World) work for less than peanuts and these are the people (none of whom has a PHD or any qualificatiuon in that matter) who would put up with fibre glass and all the other solvent fumes
Certain builders KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. Aren't you lads??

[kitten]

although I do agree that a phd (which I belive is a theoretical qualification not a practical one.)is not needed to build boats of any kind or if fact do any skilled manual work, such as build the house you live in. I don't suppose that you would want that built by an unskilled man off the dole que. There is a skill involved in building a hull correctly, and that involves more than just slapping matt and resin about. As to my hard facts 25+ years in the industry. Design and development of sail and power boats working with the Lloyds inspectors, world wide warrenty service for one of this countrys largest builders, and at least fifteen years privatly mending broken race boats and making them better, and all that at the thick end putting up with the fumes and the dust.
My statment stands that if you want to have a quality hull you need a skilled workforce, and to get that you have to pay them (Whatever country they are in)

[Manos]

Kitten we have no disagreement. But you may consider that one person needs to know how to do it and then he can supervise all others doing it.
When I am talking about 'all others doing it' I mean the unskilled labour.
Any way I agree that if you pay nuts you get monkeys and in this life nothing comes free.
In SAfrica (where is now getting a bit expensive) it was the low exchange rate (Zar 16=GBP 1 wheras now is Zar 12.6 = GBP 1) and low labour costs (about Zar 1000-1500/month for unskilled) that made things cheaper compared to Europe and the US. Also I cannot see why outboards were cheaper in SAfrica than in Europe??
In all, a boat package (I mean any boat RIB, Cruiser, Sail etc) from SAfrica is still cheaper than if it was bought it in Europe even when you pay tax and vat.
Any way RIB price OUGHT TO COME DOWN .
Is ridiculous to pay 100K+ (as much as a house and more) for some plastic tubes and fibre glass whatever work and skill is involved in bulding it!!
I know of a certain builder who makesd NET about 50-60K on each 10 mtr RIB he sells. Is that fair???

[Alan]

Originally posted by Manos
I know of a certain builder who makesd NET about 50-60K on each 10 mtr RIB he sells. Is that fair???

Given that there are not many people building 10m RIBS I wonder who that could be? I could hazard a guess I 'spose. Point is that it might not be fair for them to be making that much profit but if the market will stand it, good luck to em I'd say.

All of passing relevance to us mere mortals of course.......

[Jonny Fuller]

Simple fact is, if they are making that much (which I doubt) you and everyone else has no obligation to even look at the brochure, let alone buy one! So why get flustered, just don't buy one!(and don't keep worrying about it) end of story.

[Manos]

Hear Hear Alan & JF !!
...and my mole says that is a FACT that this particular builder makes that much!!

[Jonny Fuller]

For the purposes of this argument, let's say they do, so what? If you or anyone else thinks something is overpriced, don't buy it! What's the problem?

[Manos]

NO PROBLEMA COMPADRE.
Just an observation!!

[Jonny Fuller]

OKI-DOKI