jackB wrote:
There was someone on this forum who estimated, H16 price (adjusted to inflation) has doubled since the 80's.
First 16 bought new in 1973 - $1,200
Third one in 1983 - $3,200
Fifth one in 2007 - $7,500
Current MSRP ~ $10,000
Adjusted for inflation:
1973 - $6,417
1983 - $7,628
2007 - $8,588
Not completely accurate of course, since the cost of the various components (resin, foam, aluminum, sailcloth and especially labor) have had wildly different inflation rates. I have also never bought a boat at MSRP. The 1983 and 2007 boats were bought in August, when the dealer was trying to move inventory.
I would suspect that the cost of labor is significantly higher (adjusted for inflation) than it was 40 years ago. So are the costs of regulatory compliance (resin and solvent emissions are tightly controlled, especially in CA).
Also consider that overhead is now spread over a much smaller production volume.
jackB wrote:
I would argue, the H16 success is relative affordability of the boat. Even now the H16 is the most affordable performance cat available as new.
Bingo. Same reason that the Wave and Getaway are good sellers. Good bang for the buck