Can Concept Rekindle Its 32 Sport Deck? Don’t Bet Against It
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To bluntly belabor the obvious, sales of closed-deck V-bottom sportboats with stern-drive power have been plummeting since the mid-2000s—and the recession of 2008 came close to pounding the final nail in their coffin. Do they still get built by the likes of Cigarette Racing Team and Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats? Of course, and they’re stunners, works of art if you will.
But compared to performance-oriented center consoles and catamaran of the outboard kind, V-bottom sportboats are few and far between.
So why did Concept Boats, which has been building center consoles in Miami for 35 years, rekindle its 32 Sport Deck model? Simple, the company doesn’t expect to build a lot of them. So far, according to Concept’s vice-president Eric Avila, the son of founder Luis Avila, they’ve had just a couple of orders so far. And that is exactly what they expected.
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“We brought back the 32 Sport Deck expecting to build no more than a few a year,” Avila explained. “We wanted to be able offer one for our customers. We don’t expect to sell a lot of them. Center consoles will always been our primary business.”
To help its cause, Concept equips the 32-footer with outboard rather than stern-drive engines. That just where the primary power market is right now, and to call outboards “a fad,” as a few low-watt dim-bulbs have insisted for the past 10 years, simply ignores reality.
Or suggests that a few stern-drive fanatics need a dictionary.
Concept has at least three things going for it with the 32 Sport Deck. First, the model is based off a proven hull that the company has used for its 32-foot center console for years. Second, outboard-powered boats have been the company’s bread-and-butter since the senior Avila founded it in 1986. Fourth, Concept’s expectations for sales are realistic.
And last but not least? They don’t have to rely on 32 Sport Deck sales to keep the lights on.—Matt Trulio
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Source: https://www.powerboatnation.com/can-concept-rekindle-its-32-sport-deck-dont-bet-against-it/