Hi Peeps,

As a retailer trying to gauge the feeling of the general buying public, we have received the latest pricelist's and have heard of prices from other brands we don't stock, so have a good idea of the costs of each product group for 2016.

Yes, the poor old Aussie Peso has copped another shelacking on the world stage and coupled with rising inflation in Asia, the prices of most of the new gear coming out has increased from between 10-30% for most brands.

So the question is ....

How much is too much to pay for :

Carbon raceboards?
high end wave boards? (Carbon or quality lightweight wood)
and of course the humble all rounder?

Are you happy to forego quality of build and lightweight to save some money?

With pressure from Chinese manufacturers on the big brands from Cobra, and a saturated market on the entry level gear, bringing board/paddle/bag etc packages down to less that $800, how much are most prepared to pay for the 2016 range of gear?

I think I have a fair idea, but am interested in the thoughts of the SUP community.

Please discuss ....

DM

Hi guys,

No stress, of course there are many variables involved over differing socio economic sectors and locations. Some people will always have the coin for their fave toy.

This was always going to be a prickly topic. I'm just curious. We have already made our first orders so it's not going to influence us either way. Just curious, as I'm sure many retailers would be.

DM

As a self confessed board whore (on average I buy a different board every 3 or 4 months to try something different or to upgrade with my ability) i was advised by my local retailer of the price rise (the biggest a 30% increase on one of main brands) which would see a carbon race board for over $4500 and over $3500 for a surf sup and told him straight up there's no way I'm payin that amount for any board particularly when other brands such as Sunova can produce the same quality at just over $2G's. I see a big benefit for local manfactures such as Deep also being the choice because of the excellent quality they produce while keeping their prices reasonable.

There is a point where it doesn't matter how good the product is if it is outside the budget of the regular joe then it will fail in the competitive marketplace and some of the expected 2016 prices apprear to be headed that direction.

Everyone would love a Ferrari but drive a Holden because that's what the budget allows.

Great topic. I thought that when the "top brands" hit 2K it was getting a little ridiculous and couldn't go much further. How wrong i was.
Yep, i got excited when i unwrapped a few shiny numbers from asia, and yep some of them surfed really well. Not one of them lasted.
I'm waiting for my third board from Deep. All under 2K and all as tough as. But that's not the best thing.
The best thing to me is supporting a local business that puts out a quality product. Like we used to back in the good old days.
Remember? I do. My first car was a HG holden, my favourite was an XY falcon. Maybe i'm just getting old......

When I first got into SUP about 4 years ago, I was astounded that 2nd hand SUPs were only $200 less than a new one. That reflects high demand and short supply. There is now an abundance of 2nd hand SUPs on the market. You lose $1000-1500, or more, on a big brand board within 1 year of buying it new. the loss is more than the purchase price of a cheapy.
Being a largely retiree [or close to] market which means cashed up and willing to spend to be seen with the coolest and most high tech stuff, they upgrade every year. Let's face it, why would you be seen with a 2014 SB Allstar that is blue with red strips when the latest Allstar is Blue with green strips with the same performance for 95% of the population. I'm not retirement age and am thus very happy with this glut of 2nd hand SUPs as I can pick up top quality boards often for half the new retail price or lower.

I've seen the same thing occur in the era of sailboards, so it is to be expected. Many businesses will not be sustainable, unfortunately.
You'd also have to ask why the top brand boards are so expensive when they are manufactured in a low labour cost country such as Thailand, whilst ones in China are cheap and pretty good. This is despite the hysteria in spin, commentary and advertising that they fall to bits. Many of those boards suit probably 70% of the SUP population considering the purpose for which they are used.
Like in sailboarding, the sponsored riders with their hands out, and everyone else trying to make some $ out of a passion, force up the final selling price.

Also the race scene, with SUPs also happening to be the world's slowest racing paddlecraft, forces all the R&D dollars into it, but really racing only suits a small percentage of the SUP population.

Don't get me wrong . I love SUP both racing, ocean and waves and proudly own 3, 2nd hand boards [race , downwind and wave..all premium carbon boards.. Fanatic, SIC Bullet and PSH ]...but the prices for new premium boards are outrageous. The more people who decide enough is enough and vote with their dollars the better. There was one chap on a SUP club forum last night proudly telling a newbie asking for advice about buying a first board, to expect to buy 4 or 5 boards!!! Seriously?

This is why, in the case of the racing scene, the one design thing could be such a good thing for racing. Maybe a hard board one design might be the go? Maybe just stick with inflatables.

Those of us who were in the sailboard Windsurfer One Design scene in the 80-90's, would look back at that time with big smiles on our faces remembering how much fun, camaraderie, and just how competitive it was, for not a big cost.

I'll leave you with those thoughts.

I might go and surf SUP tomorrow.


cheers

...and the AUD has fallen just as much against the Thai Baht too...but on the positive side, we'll all be staying in Australia and have more leisure time and will need toys...

cantSUPenough said..
There are so many factors:

Nice list. I would add:
7. Your age. Most people discovering SUP after having let the years made enjoying waves seem a thing of the past have been struck by rediscovering their youth again... this is invaluable!

On a side note, we have the same phenomenon now in the euro zone. The benefit is to make locally-made boards more financially viable: Gong for instance is going to produce its high end line in Europe now. It also boosts the second-hand market, which may help custom shapers, as reselling a custom made board was always an issue.

It will be super interesting so see where it all goes, i know when i look at pricing from the big brands it scares me a little!!

Maybe there is another option just around the corner for a high end board but at a very good price.

One would also have to think local boards might increase there price as most of the products that they are made of are imported plus as they get busyer and have trouble keeping up usally the price will increase or as they imploy more people and the overheads go up prices will go the same way. Its all a double edge sword in some ways.

Could be a fun ride!!

bazell said..
In a new board anything over 2k is hard to justify.

That's an interesting question, isn't it. How do you justify $1000, $2000, $3000? I used to buy mals that were under $1000. Then I bought a McTavish board which cost closer to $1500. My frame of reference moved and I ponied up the $. Then after my first el cheapo SUP I was told the new board was going to be >$1500 - potentially over $2000. And they wanted my to buy the paddle separately. And the bag! I guess there is more to making a SUP than a surfboard - so my frame of reference moved again.

So the idea of "hard to justify" is a little relative. People who have been SUPing for some time may struggle with the higher prices because they remember lower prices.

There is no doubt that $2k is a lot of money, and if you don't have it you don't have it, but I know that $2k can disappear quickly if you plan a short holiday somewhere - but a SUP is forever (almost).

Just a thought...

Interesting topic

2500 is brdering on the high side for me. Nonetheless, I look to second hand as a new product devalues very quickly. Race boards supposedly become obsolete after the new boards are released. How do you justify the price . . . . Darren i don't know. Putting it another way, if 14 ft race boards were 2500 or less I'd be more inclined to buy. . . . . New (Latest and fastest)


seen this happen in windsurfing where the top race products became unrealistic and thus killed that end of the market 4 most

s

I was given a heads up on new pricing today and the 30% suggestion is spot on. Great opportunity for Aussie board makers.
Sucks to be so far away from them

Been in it 2 years, first board sub $2000, second just over.
Money not the issue, (not that I'm rolling in it), but once a board is over $2500, serious questions arise - it's a hobby I can't justify the spend on.
Enjoying trolling the second hand market - every board is new to me, I don't need the latest.
Can move older boards on at a not too significant loss to keep new variety arriving.
If higher import prices let the local market thrive, good.
People need to get off the "brand" mania.
But if they can justify a BMW over a Toyota, let them spend.

I think we have all been a little numbed by the huge price tags already, I know I have anyway in the short time (3 years) paddling. 3 years ago I remember just hardly believing I was spending nearly a grand on a secondhand Allwave, yet 2 years later could see the value in getting a secondhand Falcon for the best part of $2k. I actually think it is just something we get used to, especially around the top end, the price just "is what it is", and if you want it you pay.

I think the main problem with the proposed 30% increase is that the buyer doesn't get any extra benefit for the increase, just a victim of the economy. It would be a very different discussion if brand X produced a board that was 30% more expensive but was also 30% faster for the average Joe.

For me personally I am happy to seek out secondhand, but I acknowledge that paddling means different things to each person. If I had to simply put a number on what I think is "too much" for new, I believe anything beyond $3k for a race board and $2.5k for a Surf SUP is getting excessive.
Of course some of the pricing has been up in this range long before now.....

30% price rise , what a joke, but i guess in a booming trendy new market people will wear it, anyway i buy what i like so i guess ill just suck it up and hide them better from the wife

PTWoody said..
It's inevitable that the prices people start asking for year old boards is going to escalate as they will need the extra coin to afford the price hike on their new board.

Fine, but the problem is they can ask and may not receive. There are so many boards on the 2nd hand market and most just sit there if they are overpriced which most are, because people are trying to offload boards they paid too much for in the first place. A 2nd hand board is only worth what someone wants to pay for it, and if a buyer thinks their board is worth more than the seller, and if there are other boards available with negotiable sellers, then that board will not sell.

Price elasticity issues in relation to the demand for SUPs have come into play long before the depreciation in the dollar, and I would estimate about 2 years ago when the oversupply started. The depreciating dollar [against $US] has now accentuated the changing nature of the SUP market in relation to people's price sensitivities.

For a total $2000 , I now own 3 top quality high performance carbon SUPs, all less than 2 years old. Best part was I able to buy and sell a few others along the way, to try out different styles with no losses being made, until I found what I was really wanting. Awesome. If I did that 3 years ago it would have cost me a fortune.

$4500 for carbon race board, well its to much.

I believe they have gone beyond the cut off point for most..

Problem is you'll drop so much one foot out the shop door.

a top oc1 is $5500 and they certainly have a lot more going on then a foam core over sized surfboard.

Oc1's keep their value. Something sups dont

I guess its time for the locals to step up.

Maybe local shops should work with locals shapers. Create a model only the shop can sell or something of the like.

Its time for the australian industry to come together