There’s no doubt that bass boat prices have soared over the past few decades. You won’t find a boat manufacturer, including those of us at Phoenix Boats, who will argue against that.
But there are reasons for the rising costs of rigs, which I will get into later.
When I went to work for a Missouri dealer in the 1980s, the top-of-the-line Stratos was an 18-footer with a 150-horsepower outboard for around $25,000. In those days, all you got from the manufacturer was the boat, motor, a gas tank, single axle trailer and gauges. Any other extras, such as depth finder, trolling motor and additional accessories were added on at the dealership. The materials used were not as good as today’s either. Wooden stringers and transom was what everyone used.
Today, that same size Phoenix with a 150-horespower Mercury, trailer and two Lowrance graphs, starts at around $50,000. And it’s built with composite materials that are far superior than in the 80s.
So, the boat price has basically doubled.
Now, compare that to a half-ton Chevy truck. In the 1980s, that truck cost about $7,000. Today, a base model will cost you at least $47,000, so it has more than quadrupled the price of the 80s, whereas comparable bass boats have doubled.
When you look at a Chevy truck like most anglers “want” to drive, the cost goes way up. The extended cabs, 4WD, upgrade luxury and/or off-road packages could run the truck up to $80,000 to $90,000. But many of these add-ons didn’t exist in the 1980s. So trucks have gone way up as well, but the “want,” rather than need, has been a huge factor as well.
It’s the same with bass boats. Many of us want more than the 18-footer with 150 horsepower.
Our 721 model, which is 20 feet, 11 inches, comes with a 250 Mercury, a 24-volt Minn Kota, two Lowrance Eagle graphs, 10-inch jackplate, hydraulic steering and brakes on a dual-axle trailer retails for $70,895.
That’s a lot of money, but it’s not enough for a lot of today’s anglers. They add upgrades in trolling motors, electronics and shallow water anchors that push the price to $81,995.
And beyond that we have the ELITE X family and the LXE family that can get in the $90,000 to $100,000 range if you want to load them up.
In addition, the cost of the fiberglass resin we use in our boats has more than tripled since the 1980s. Compound that with the fact that bigger boats require more fiberglass and composites to hold the higher horsepowers and take the beating we give them.
Without question, the cost of today’s bass rigs have gone up, but you have to look at the whole picture to understand.
And remember this: While the truck you may be driving has quadrupled in price, the same 18-foot boat built today may have doubled since 1982, but today’s rig is a better-built boat with more and better equipment.
