I was talking to the factory (VP of Customer Service) in September. I asked him how things were going. He said business was down, but that their typical customer base was not as severely impacted by the economy as many of the other boat builders were. Alot has changed since September. Alot.
I see that CC is supporting their dealer network by pushing year end sales specials for their dealer's inventory on all of their models. My dealer has told me that production has ceased on the Roamers until all of what's left in the dealer inventory chain has been sold.
They're not a price-point boat, but like I stated earlier, they're competitively priced with other high value boats on the market like Sea Ray, Cobalt, and others. Shoot, has anybody priced Nautiques, Moomba's, or Malibu's? Good grief those are damn expensive boats!
As far as how today's CC business model compares to yesteryear's CC, I suppose one would have to specify the era. Reading the Legend of CC, two or three times now, I don't ever glean from that book that CC boats were economically available to everybody, but something of a luxury only the more fortunate could afford. Perhaps they became the everyman's boat in for a time in the middle part of the last century, but from their earliest days, CC boats, starting with CC Smiths 'Duck Boats' were something built for the more wealthy consumers available.
I love my '06. I'm truly excited about the 69' Commander I'm getting, and am planning may weekenders on the water with the Commander being the mothership anchored in a nice cove or off a nice point on our lake and the Launch being our excursion boat. Why only burn two V-8's worth of fuel when you can burn three?
In the next couple of years my kids will want to be hauling tail around the lake skiing / tubing / etc. on Today's CC while my wife and I will hang out on Yesterday's CC worrying about them.
By the way, I love the forum. I've been lurking for a good long while now.
Kevin Bray
'06 Launch 22
'69 31' Commander Express