How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

[dingbat]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

We are easily at 125$ but don't forget ND is doing fantastically economically speaking and MN isn't too terribly far behind compared to the rest of the country given we have no oil. It is amazing when I see boats that are 15k down south where the identical or lesser boat is 10K more here and cars are easily as bad (maybe a bit of a stretch) and that includes the east coast. Our 11,000 lakes and many rivers contribute to why boats cost so much and hence service since everybody has a sub 20 foot bowrider or fishing boat in their garage. I don't quite get why cars and auto service cost so much more here other than the the much higher quality of life compared to most states. With that comes a lot of educated people, high incomes and high demand. The internet really opened my eyes as to all of these things. Even a basic nationwide search on cars.com is a frustrating experience when you just want to buy locally and realize the realities. We have multiple sets of friends who transplanted from the south who lived in very large houses in gated communities which translates to a ho hum $500,000 or $600,000, everyman house here. I have bought multiple cars down south, had them trucked up here and still saved a ton plus get a car that never saw salt.

I don?t buy it. Maryland is the wealthiest State in the nation and the Baltimore?Washington Metropolitan Area boost 5 out of the top 10, and 11 out of the top 25 wealthiest counties in the country. By contrast MN is number 12 and ND is number 27 wealthiest State.

If your theory held true, I should be paying a heck of a lot more for boating services than they do up there yet I pay significantly less.
I surmise that your costs up there are so high because of the limited opportunities because of the short boating season. Down here marine service is a 9-10 month season and mechanics are a dime a dozen. The supply and demand will not support such exorbitant prices. How long is your boating season?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

I'd just like to add that there are a lot of "rip-off" shops out there that do a crappy job and charge enormous prices for it, and a good mechanic that does the job right and for a fair price is worh his weight in gold.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

Prices around here seem to range between $50/hr for the shade tree or "ex-pro" hanging out is own shingle to $90 plus for big name dealers.

In my experience they are almost all a spectacular disappointment (twice now either costing me more to fix damage that the original service caused or outright stranding me) so I try to do as much myself as possible.

As posted above I doubt I will try to service and set up the Scout's 4 carbs. At least the Yamaha dealer I use for the bigger stuff has, so far - knock knock, seemed competent.

 

[jkust]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

I don?t buy it. Maryland is the wealthiest State in the nation and the Baltimore?Washington Metropolitan Area boost 5 out of the top 10, and 11 out of the top 25 wealthiest counties in the country. By contrast MN is number 12 and ND is number 27 wealthiest State.

If your theory held true, I should be paying a heck of a lot more for boating services than they do up there yet I pay significantly less.
I surmise that your costs up there are so high because of the limited opportunities because of the short boating season. Down here marine service is a 9-10 month season and mechanics are a dime a dozen. The supply and demand will not support such exorbitant prices. How long is your boating season?

There's not much to 'buy'. We pay a lot for stuff. My theory isn't scientific but a general application of the realities of MN. Lots of lakes, lots of boats, lots of people that can afford a boat a and a big need for service. Not necessarily wealthy but have enough income to support owing a boat plus many also own a second home on a lake. I think it is a slippery slope to tie everything to just wealth. That is to me a very liberal thought process. Our season is early to mid june through August. This year the lakes didn't warm up to a nice comfortable temp until almost July 4th It has already been in the 20's and already snowed flurries up north and it is only September 15th. Like I said I can rationalize why our boats and service are at the high end of the cost contium, but I don't quite understand why our used vehicles cost so much more. We have a small metro area with a relatively small population. A used car that I pay 20k for can be found for substantially less all over the country. I only discovered the huge service cost differential when I bought a limited edition car from down south in Florida and it arrived needing undisclosed mechanical work. It was a single person used car dealer that sold it to me and I ended up having to fight to get him to pay for repairs. That fell apart when he realized getting it repaired at a MN dealer was 2.5x more costly than his local dealer. Again, we get a lot of transplants here and I have know multiple that were unprepared for the cost differences for things so much so that some felt they accepted too low a salary. Given we have 9 months of cold and negative 40 degrees doesn't make us flinch, our taxes are amongst the highest in the nation, and it isn't cheap to live well here, I don't know why people come here and then it is difficult to get anybody to leave.

 

[americaneagler77]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

Unless the work requires the special use if tools, I do all maintenance and repairs.
Is a form of theraphy and pride.
H

agreed

 

[Brewman61]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

MN isn't exactly an inexpensive place to run a business. Plus I belive we have the highest, or pretty close to the highest, per capita boat ownership rate in the US. All factors into the prices charged.

 

[Lakes84]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

Depends on where you go. I just had all of my electronics put on my boat. I went to pick it up just today and the labor rate was 39.90 an hour. Mind you this is boat electronics, not mechanical, so I'm sure there is a difference. The store? Fishlectronics in NorthEast Minneapolis. Good people.

See you on the lake

Joe

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

Just had the water pump replaced in my Mercury Model 110, had a new shift handle installed and they check the lower units oil, take into account, I purchased all of the parts and took them in with the motor, total cost, $100 their shop rate here in Montana is $100 per hour

 

[25thmustang]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

I don?t buy it. Maryland is the wealthiest State in the nation and the Baltimore?Washington Metropolitan Area boost 5 out of the top 10, and 11 out of the top 25 wealthiest counties in the country. By contrast MN is number 12 and ND is number 27 wealthiest State.

If your theory held true, I should be paying a heck of a lot more for boating services than they do up there yet I pay significantly less.
I surmise that your costs up there are so high because of the limited opportunities because of the short boating season. Down here marine service is a 9-10 month season and mechanics are a dime a dozen. The supply and demand will not support such exorbitant prices. How long is your boating season?

I have read an article or two now, one from 2010 one from 2011. Both listed New Hampshire as the wealthiest state. Kind of shocking as I don't think "wealth" when I'm up there (I do go to rural areas though).

 

[stubbsboogie]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

It costs me about 650to to get my yearly service done. That is everything that mercruiser manual says to do. I do not have the skills, knowledge, time or tools to diy. I have a very trustworthy dealer. Never has a business treated me so well. That is why I drag the boat 3 hrs to orlando to have it worked on. Getting it done this way by them allows me to theoretically not even have to check the oil for a year(I do check it and other fluids) peace of mind Is worth alot to me and the fam. I know others on iboats discourage this but I don't mind paying someone who I trust with the knowledge that it is done right.

 

[BugsBunnyBoater]

Re: How much do you pay for service on your boat? Are prices up or down?

Going rate around here is $120 and it's been that way for a few seasons now. This is for the service departments at the boat dealers.
Independent fixit guys that are established may be closer to $100. Doesn't seem to be any shortage of work for these places- I wonder if people are paying for work on to keep their existing boat running instead of getting a new one?

I bet so people are paying to keep what they have working instead of buying..