lets talk top gel coat.......(nautiques)...

key

when and if do you all think this will happen again??? color option for top deck of boat. i dont know what the big deal is for them NOT to offer it. atleast make it an OPTION. comments.......

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Oct 08, 2009 6:34 am Post subject:

been there pet peev for years.

Suprahunter · Soul Rider Joined: 28 Apr 2008 Posts: 486 City: Lowell

For 09 and up they offer a top stripe in color.

key · Posted: Oct 08, 2009 9:03 am Post subject:

Suprahunter, im talking full deck color including inside of boat. i just dont get it. i know its been there thing/mark,........but it not being atleast an option is rediculous.

DRAGON88 · Posted: Oct 08, 2009 10:53 am Post subject:

I think we'll be seeing a return of the colored deck as the market gets smaller.

Think about it this way, when you're selling every boat you can possibly build, why bring back an option that in the end just costs you more money/less efficiency. That's why I think they stopped doing it in '04...

Chattwake · Posted: Oct 09, 2009 4:47 am Post subject:

I'm not sure what the deal is. I can tell you that, talking to my friends who are reps or who work at the factories, colored gelcoat is exponentially more expensive to produce than simple white is. Considering the fact that the top stripe option on my 230 was around a grand, I wouldn't want to know what it would cost to get the entire interior a custom color.

krbaugh · Addict Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 758 City: Edwardsville

Its not the color it is the labor adding the stripe

Chattwake · Posted: Oct 12, 2009 4:20 am Post subject:

No, I'm pretty sure that the process of adding pigment to the gelcoat is the expensive part.

krbaugh · Addict Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 758 City: Edwardsville

I am pretty sure that it could be a factor but not the biggest part of the cost Wink

So we will have to agree to disagree

Ralph · Posted: Oct 12, 2009 11:33 pm Post subject:

Chattwake · Posted: Oct 13, 2009 4:07 am Post subject:

Jesus. I talked to my friend who's an Axis rep about this and I'm just relaying what he told me. He said that the pigment process of coloring gelcoat is the expensive part. Maybe he's wrong so maybe I'm wrong. What's your source of information? It's not like I'm just making suppositions here.

krbaugh · Addict Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 758 City: Edwardsville

I talked to my friend that works at Centurion he is the plant manager.
"The real cost is the labor created by repairs in scratches during
production. The white is easier to repair and does not show the scratches
like colors do. Also there is a increased cost of warranty due to the colors
attracting more heat from the Sun."

t's not like I'm just making suppositions here.

Wink

core-rider · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 531 City: Huntsville, AL

I'm sure there is some added expense in gelcoats other than white, but for arguments sake lets just say you wanted a boat all one color... I'll choose red for this example since everyone bitches about all black boats. If all a boat company had to do is prep the mold and spray in some red gelcoat, that to me is less labor than say adding a different color somewhere in the red. Then there is the labor and time it takes to mask off the area, change equiptment for the different color, etc.

Now granted there is much more gelcoat on the newer CC models than say my '03, so maybe the added surface area they have to spray combined with the added cost of colors other than white is reason enough for not offering it. The way I look at it, the surface has to have gelcoat applied no matter the color, so why not offer optional colors at a cost? If someone wants it bad enough to pay the premium it's their choice... CC just has to complete the order and make a little more profit. Everyone is happy in the end. Exclamation

Chattwake · Posted: Oct 13, 2009 6:25 am Post subject:

krbaugh, its' good to know that eveyone's not just pulling stuff out of their asses here. Sounds like we've got two different theories as to why colored gelcoat costs extra - both of which have support from someone who is actually involved in the boat making process. I guess I could call my nautique rep and see what he says.