Chaparral Boat news

[204 Escape]

We took our boat to the dealership for winterization last week. I was talking to a salesman there about the economy, and their sales of boats. he told me that the had ordered "3" new Chaparral boats, and had to order the trailers for them, to have them on time to sit the boats onto.

The problem, is this. They (Chaparral) can't get the needed finishing parts to complete the boats. They have been waiting for a LONG TIME, for the needed parts to finish the boats, and ship them out.

Therefore they don't want to order the trailers, just to have them setting around waiting on the arrival of hte boats themselves !!!!!! That would make yo want to !!!!

 

[Chris]

Interesting information, thanks for passing it along.

The boat industry has been beat up very badly.

Man, it certainly doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, that when Mercury is struggling badly and Genmar have filed for chapter 11 that things are really, really bad. And that goes without mentioning all the companies that have literally closed up shop all together.

Hopefully things will turn around for the better before too long.

-Chris

 

[204 Escape]

Spealing of "struggling", I really hope that work comes around for me pretty soon. I've been of since the last Friday of July this year. The construction business in Kansas City is in worse shape now than it was when Reagan, Bush Sr., and that damn peanut farmer was in.

I'm down over 60% of my normal income, and am about out of insurance for my family.

I can feel the pinch right NOW !!!!!!!!

 

[bigredinohio]

Bad times all around. I know Ohio and Michigan are some of the heaviest hit with all the automotive going belly up but hopefully things will start to turn the corner. My business has been very slow as well.

 

[Wet-Willy]

We're feeling it up here too.Not bad enough the economy has slumped,but our biggest industry(INCO) was sold to Brazilian mining conglomerant Vale.To add to the hassle,it's contract time.The union rejected Vale's offer and has been on strike since June,with no signs of an agreement anytime soon.This has left many(including myself) out of work due to the fact that much of the local commerce depends on mining up here.(I used to work for a contractor hauling ore)I've just had a bit of luck in finding a new job last week hauling lime locally after being laid off all summer.Not a great job,but still a paycheck.

When life hits rock bottom,the only way it can go is up.

 

[Chris]

The new home construction business is starting to pick up here in Toronto. And that's an area that usually leads the economy.

Hopefully things will soon start picking up around where you guys are located too.

-Chris

 

[204 Escape]

30 days ago, our EST got a call from Vegas, and they told him, that they had 7,500 carpenters setting home. Chicago, said they had OVER 5,000, and St. Louis had over 6,000.

Some of the guys from St. Louis had NEVER seen a down turn in the economy for housing in 25-30 years. They don't know how to act.

I've been in the business since 8/1977, and I personally have N E V E R seen it this bad !!!!!

If I don't go back to work BEFORE the end of Nov., my health ins. is G O N E !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kytekeith]

I heard Chaparral had thier first report of quarterly lose since they have been in business .

 

[Chris]

I heard Chaparral had thier first report of quarterly lose since they have been in business .

The boating business has been a mess. It looks like things are starting to finally turn around, but the carnage is everywhere.

So many companies are now gone, it's hard to keep up.

-Chris

 

[Cooperider]

The problem with getting parts is from many of the smaller suppliers that make many of the parts that go into a boat are going out of business.

At least one windshield company that I know of went out of business, and there are also fuel tank builders, ladder builders, interior suppliers etc, that are all hurt when things get slow. Especially if they have most of thier business with one or two customers.

Many builders are finding that once thier stock on hand is used up, and thier main supplier is out of business, they end up having to wait on a new supplier to either build what they need, or to tool up and build it.

I've found that with some of the molds I got. The windshield vendor is out of business, so instead of being able to order a shield that they have the specs for I have to find a new supplier and have them design a new shield. This takes prototype costs and time.

As things ramp back up, companies are going to find it not that easy.