I know little to nothing of boats but I've never thought of a yacht as something you could pull behind your family sedan.
The SeaRay Sundancer 320 still qualifies by even that definition since it's over 33' overall length. You could pull it with a 3/4 ton truck, but it wouldn't be particularly fun to trailer a boat that size, especially since it's a wide load. Still wouldn't want to try and take one out on the open ocean, lol.I know little to nothing of boats but I've never thought of a yacht as something you could pull behind your family sedan.
But then again Wikipedia says a yacht is at least 33' long so perhaps it could be pulled by a standard SUV or light pickup ...
Was mainly pointing out that yachts are technically cheaper than this particular aviation toy. Which is absolutely amazing to me given the cost of materials in each of them.
It's the cost of skilled labor to make them, and the cost of the insurance for the manufacturer, and the economies of scale that the boat builder enjoys.
I understand where the extra cost comes from for aviation. I'm just still amazed that something far less complex like the Icon can be so expensive. The yacht example has twin engines, a genset, 12V/120V electrical system, fresh water system, and often advanced GPS/joystick/autopilot. I honestly have a hard time believing the "skilled labor" is much different for the Icon in question. Economies of scale and insurance liability likely makes up most of the difference.
The reality is every plane sold has to have a high enough mark up to cover the multi million dollar potential lawsuit for the next 40+ years the product is around. If a boat fails out of warranty worst case they loose a customer.
None of that really changes molds and major capital tooling. That's almost exclusively avionics advancements. Certainly nothing that was going to swing the needle for CapEx.
There's certainly a cost to some of those items. I doubt airbag seatbelts have a ton of impact in that area, nor does WiFi integration. Autopilots and servos existed prior to the latest gadgets, so it's not as if they're having to reinvent the wheel. It's mostly paperwork. They aren't redesigning the airfoil or putting in engines that are vastly different. There is a cost to that paperwork, absolutely. The legal liability is the big hairy number that no one seems to know. I'm sure it's a significant reserve on the books, but we can only speculate as to what that portion truly is.
Probably not targeted as much due to the nature of operation. However, as stated before, greatly increased volume of sales means the cost burden to each vessel is smaller. The absurd lawsuit payouts for product liability needs tort reform really badly. Aircraft manufacturers shouldn't be on the hook for some aircraft they made 20 years ago and be a named party in a lawsuit where some a-hole ran out of fuel in his Cessna 152.
Probably $100k assuming a 4 cylinder lycoming. Then add in $50k for airframe parts and another $20k for odds and ends (you need an interior, a ton of firewall forward stuff). So you’re in for $170k before you assemble it at a shop rate of $150/hr for 1,000 man hours. Now you’re at $320k and that’s before paint and profit. That’s what a certified RV-7 equivalent is gonna cost you.
yup yup. complete non-starter. The labor hours are out of whack. Bottom end tract houses (what these simple lawnmower kits are) are contracted for less on labor.
