Re: Anyone cut back on bigger boat purchases due to operating cost?
Hi Big Prairie.
The cost deference is entirely a tax issue. Before the the gas cost explosion (worldwide) the Germans pushed through a series of “Environmental Gas Tax” increases. It had nothing to do with the environment though, it all goes to feed a very hungry (one of, if not “the” most expensive governments in the world) socialist government. It was seen as a “punishment tax” by the “Green Party” for those who have to rely on automobiles for transportation.
Diesel is tax subsidized (to support their auto industries products) and therefore not affected to the same degree. They have been pushing diesel as “green fuel” under lobbing pressure from the automobile companies. Funny thing is, now they have just passed new environmental laws banning diesels from most (soon to be all) major city centers. My 12 year old (private) gasoline powered car received a “Green” sticker meaning I can enter the major cities whenever I wish, while two year old VW diesels are receiving “Red” stickers, and on certain days are banned from town.
You do see a lot of private, large, steel river boats (Displacement Hulls) running diesels, but these are all really old low tech designs. The high tech diesels are run only in offshore power boats and racers, but here we are talking about mostly custom mega yachts and race boats costing zig millions of dollars. The people that have these also have private helicopters & jets. Fuel cost doesn't interest them.
Contrary to popular believe, Europeans also have very heavy cars & SUV's with 6, 8, 10, & 12 cylinders and they suck gas like you wouldn't believe on the Autobahn.
My last company car, an Audi had monthly gasoline cost of 2-3,000 Euros and repair cost of 17,000 Euros in the first year. We also had a Smart for city trips, (the worst car I have ever driven in my life) with 12,000 Euros in repairs in the same year. Don't look over here for solutions to problems in the States, you won't find answers.
Just because it is German, doesn't mean anything other than it cost more. The Japanese are ten to fifteen years ahead of them in all areas now.
Europeans drive “small” only when they have to. Our friends that left Germany, and have emigrated to the States, in every instance have gone for the biggest, baddest trucks/SUV's they could find.
As far as high tech in motors go, I think that found in boats (outboards) is generally more advanced than that seen in cars. The have in the past evolved along the lines of motorcycles, although the newer breeds of Japanese outboard motors are very close to the motors offered in their autos.
Germans don't have (exception, motors bigger than houses for cruise ships) any boat motors so to speak. Years ago you found the occasional BMW six, Porsche V8, or some old Mercedes diesels (Taxi motors), but the repair cost were ten times what a normal motor repair would have been, so they died off rather quick.
The German manufactures bought (licensed) much of their newer advanced diesel technology from the Japanese manufactures.
Sorry for running so long with this post, but if the answers were easy, the world wouldn't have problems (and no I don't have answers to all world problems).
Cheers and happy boating.
