Current price of Hinckleys...

Hinckley Yachts have quickly become my favorite of high end yachts. The craftsmanship, classic look, power, jet propulsion, jetstick, quiet and steady ride, etc. For what you get, I definitely think that they are priced appropriately.

I've been seeing them sell for about $2.5m for a 5 - 6 year old T55 and about $500k to $800k for a used (5 - 10 year old) model in the 40 - 48 foot range, non fly bridge. I read somewhere that their new prices may have dropped a bit because of the economy.

Does anyone know what the (new) base prices are for the T55, T48 and T44? I'd pick up the phone and call but right now I'm not ready to talk to a salesman. And, how long do they take to build one once you place your order?

The last I heard is that a new T55 is around $3.25m or so. But, that was about 5 or 6 years ago. Granted, with a few options I would guess that it'd be easy to add $100k to whatever the base price is.

They sure do seem to hold their values well. Nothing like buying some boats and seeing your value drop 20% two seconds after turning the key.

Haha, yes, the question is A and not D. That's ok though. I've done a "fair share" of research and find myself disappointed with the other options I've seen. It is really hard to please me when it comes to certain aspects of style and quality. I'm also in a remote locale, far from the NE. So, the Hinckley name is relatively unknown here (not a status symbol) and "kicking the tires" is not a viable option. As far as the price, look, feel, style... each person has their own set of criteria and are guided by those criteria, cost included. In the end, one guy buys a Lexus and the other guy buys a Mercedes. To each his own. Like most people, however, costs is an important criteria. Some people can afford a new Mercedes S65 and others go with a used S550. We're all in a different boat.

Bringing it BACK to the original topic, the question has to do with pricing of Hinckleys. It's not about why someone chooses or prefers one boat or manufacturer over another. Each person has their own set of criteria and it's a bit simplistic to think everyone is focussed on status when it comes to a particular manufacturer.

About the current market data, almost any of us can do a quick search to see how many Hinckley boats there are currently for sale via brokerage. But, you're getting some important facts wrong and not reading my statements very well.

From 2008 to mid 2011 Hinckley has sold over 50 of their Picnic boats. "The most successful product launch" per the CEO of Hinckley. That's for a boat that costs $800k and during a recession time period, not during the boom years.

The've also sold since October 2010, eight of their 48' Talaria boats. That's a new boat for them which costs $2.1 million. (Which I myself just learned of this base price). Of course, they sell many other models, not just the T48 and the Picnic boat.

Per their CEO, they are up 60% in new boat sales this year over last. They had to trim back employees just like everyone else in the business. But, for you to say that they're not selling very many new models is a statement that lacks facts.

Also, re-read my statement about re-sale. I say, "They sure do seem to hold their values well. Nothing like buying some boats and seeing your value drop 20% two seconds after turning the key." The statement is obviously made as a general statement and isn't limited to the past 3 years of market data. Do you really take my 2 seconds literally? We're talking about IN GENERAL that there are SOME boats that have a significant drop in resale value... but Hinckleys have (historically) had a strong resale value. You're missing the point of my statement.

Well, this just happens to be a forum where we all share a lot of information and throwing out questions is pretty common. I tossed a couple of questions out, wondering if anyone knew the answers. I also said I wasn't ready to start calling salesmen yet. Maybe you didn't catch that bit. When I'm ready, I'd rather be more informed vs. not. Besides, I posted my questions on Christmas --- and there aren't too many sales offices open on Christmas.

Haha, well, I'm no salesman for Hinckley, this is for sure. I'd obviously be a bad one if I were.

I did spend time since my original post Googling over the holiday weekend. The only advantage of being sick and in bed I guess. So far I only found 2 current prices for new models & both of them were via the Bloomberg interview. I did send a request for pricing to Hinckley.

As far as the wrong facts mentioned, it relates to that Hinckley's aren't selling very many new models. The Bloomberg interview mentioned that sales are up by 60% over last year.

To be honest, I've always been lacking on the "mechanic" knowledge of boats. Engines, frequency of repairs, etc. The same has always been true with car engines. Thankfully for cars there's Consumer Reports and local dealers everywhere. A reminder from someone to look being the "looks" was good. But, the "status" symbol thing... not so accurate with me anyway. Maybe in the NE, but not here.

Since this article was written they were sold again in Jan 2011:
Debt Trips Up Hinckley, Venerable Maine Yacht Maker - NYTimes.com

Thanks for the link. I think I ran across that article when it was published a couple of years ago. I forgot a lot of those details. I'm glad things have turned around for them, especially for the employees who lost their jobs.

Just looking for answers about new pricing vs. tangents and "status symbol" comments relating to why someone might be interested in a particular manufacturer. Since my original post I found a couple of prices myself and am awaiting to hear back from Hinckley.