HP in general is getting expensive. I/Os are ridiculous considering most are designs that have been around for decades. A mercruiser 5.7 is based on the truck engine introduced in 1996. An engine that can bought for $2K which means mercury pays a lot less. The FI systems are nothing special. The transom assemblies and outdrives date back decades. An alpha drive costs almost $3k. A bravo is almost $6K. Transom assemblies are $2200-2500 for either. A 5.7 power package costs $14k-$15k. A 377/bravo is close to $20k. What does that do the prices of the boats they?re installed in?
Then there?s issues like weight, fuel economy, noise, and maintenance. Although the repair parts on I/Os aren?t too bad price wise, replacing a starter on a SBC in a twin engine m, cabin cruiser application with the engines installed below the deck and you spend the day standing on you head in a greasy, hot bilge that?s always wet. A 250verado offers the same speeds as a 377 bravo, but at less than half the weight. Then there?s noise and mileage. The verado beats the 377 hands down. The verado costs $19k and change.
The industry has also come to realize that cabin space on most boats is wasted space. How many people really do overnights on a 26? cabin cruiser? Damn few. Most lack generators and battery power only goes so far. I see countless examples of these things at the marina that look like they?ve sat unused for years because they were bought by people who stepped up from open bow runabouts, who quickly realized that extra 4?-6? of hull was a lot more cumbersome, thirsty, and difficult to maintain. And no one wants to sit inside when spending a day on the water.
A lot of open bow runabouts don?t have a good ride, and when the lakes and rivers get busy, the chop goes up, and the boat kicks your ass. That started in the mid to late 80s when the builders went with lower deadrise designs and lighter weights. The purpose was to improve acceleration and top speed. Many highly efficient hulls were developed then, but many don?t ride very well. Look at boat literature from the early 80s. Look at the hull shapes. We had a wellcraft 196 sunhatch when I was a kid. The hull running surface on that thing looks like something you?d see on a modern CC(only the old wellcraft may have had more deadrise.). We got caught in a storm one day. I don?t remember much about it but my parents said it was terrifying, and I do remember sitting in the cuddy and lots of water pouring in. This was due to waves breaking over the bow. But I don?t remember ever being tossed around. This was a ?19 runabout. Find one that can do that today.
The CC has replaced many of these older boats as the new jack of all trades. In recent years their lists of creature comforts have grown considerably. Their open design and bow seating options allow them to do more than job. They can fish, or they can park on a sandbar with the family. Inside the console you?ve got enough space for one person to change their clothes or take a leak. And that?s all they need. The helm on a brand new boat is a large expanse of flat fiberglass that allows the owner to add electronics as he sees fit. Their hull shapes cut through waves and chop, offering a much improved ride. There?s tremendous freeboard at the bow which adds a sense of security to the passengers. The modern CC is to boating what SUVs are to cars and trucks. There?s a reason why that market segment is so hot now.
