I got an e-mail from my dealer that states that NACRA is in the process of putting a website together for the purpose of making the A2 available factory-direct. This is supposed to be available to customers for a limited time. Dealers will not be able to sell the A2 while the factory-direct website offering is in effect, however, it is expected that the Dealer will be the source for the A2 when the time limit expires.

In my opinion, the factory is trying to save potential customers some cash by cutting out the Dealers, even if it is for a limited time. It might be the right time to make a move if the A2 is your boat of choice. Maybe Santa needs to get a "revised" Christmas list for those skippers who have been "nice"!

P.S. - Santa says that those of you who have been "naughty" are still getting a piece of coal!

Price?

The A2 is going to be seriously expensive in the UK. More than a Marstrom M18

Scooby,

I thought the strength of the Euro vs. the dollar would make the A2 more attractive. All the questions/answers on price for a new boat have only resulted in speculation, as far as I know. I am interested to see what the factory quotes on price.

I am also wondering if potential European customers will have to go throught the website/factory. Shipping a single A Class from Southern California to Europe could be expensive!

Yes very, and most prolly it would come via NL with a container load for Jan De Boer. Plus taxes it's going to be expensive.

What do the dealers think about this? Is it going to impact warranty support.

Do not get me wrong, I like the A2. It was in my top 2 list when I decided on a boat. However something has gone wrong.

The A2 pricing does not pass the giggle test. The A2 is more expensive than the Marstrom in the US and according to Scooby( and I have no reason to doubt him) will be more expensive than the Marstrom in Europe. That is wrong

I am using the Marstrom for an example because like the A2, it is an expensive boat to build. Those little custom carbon fiber features are expensive and both boats are loaded with them.

In terms of equivalent buying power, in their home market the Marstrom is $15,500-$16,000 while the A2 is $19,200. That is a big difference. The only differences I see is Marstrom is an integrated operation( most things are built in house) and the A2 is parted out. That should give the A2 a price advantage

I will have to stop talking about this. I am not helping anything. It is just that some things are wrong and they bother me. Like the couple that put a Hobie Mast Bob on a Catalina keel boat, it is just wrong.

I've e-mailed them for the Euro price of the M18(Ex factory and for delivery) and will hopefully get an answer in a day or so. I'll post it when I get the price. $15,500 to 16,000 sounds like a good price, what exchange rate is that on ?, does it include shipping, or is that ex Factory or to your door ?

That not a real dollar figure. It called level cost or buying power. It is a way of comparing comsumer cost in two countries. If you pay 1 euro and I pay $1.05 we feel about the same pain in our wallets. It not real exact plus I am remembering something I saw in a Table

I rounded to add margin because I am not real sure about this. So a 15,000 euro Marstrom A-Class ex factory for you would feel like me buying a $15,750 XXXX A-Class ex factory in the US

If you want a price from Marstrom send a fax or call. They do not respond very well to emails. If you call and need English, ask for Anne.

Firstly, I am earn in GBP so there is an exchange issue here.

Secondly, my e-mail was read 1 Hour after I sent it. I'll hope for a reply Wednesday 8th.

Hell I emailed Marlstom last week from Australia and exactly SEVEN minutes later I had a phone call direct from Torbjörn Linderson at Marlstrom in Sweden! Is that what you call slow?

You two must be special, I have to call or fax. In fact now that you mention it, they still owe me a receipt for the deposit my boat.

UH! Oh!! YOU PAID THEM A DEPOSIT??? then its no wonder you haven't heard from them!! (just joking, Just joking?) although it was my experienced a few years ago that I paid the deposit to a company for some "ON SALE" items and that was the last I heard from them. The company closed its doors 3 days later and disappeared in a puff of smoke. (is that bad busines or good business (for them)??????)

Carl,

My Dealer is not upset. He believes it to be a limited time offer (he thinks a few months). He has always gotten warranty money back from the factory and doesn't think that will change.

The exchange rate yesterday was $1.3252 to purchase one Euro. That is why I thought the US built A2 might be more attractive to the Europeans. Their earning power is significantly higher than it was in the not-too-distant past. For a Marstrom to cost $15,000 it would translate to 11,320 Euros. That is significantly less than I had been quoted a couple of years ago. If it is 15000 Euros, then that is $19,878. Anyway you look at it, the export markets for US made goods has gotten much more attractive.

Scooby,

The M18 has a wider platform than the A Class and is spinnaker rigged. That pricing will be interesting! I think it will be a bit more expensive than the A Class. Also, does the pricing include a mainsail and battens?

I'm not holding my breath about ANYTHING that I hear about the A2. I've called multiple dealers, e-mailed the factory, etc. I haven't gotten even the slightest acknowlegment on my interest in a new boat. Its a shame really. We have Sailing World's performance boat of the year, a great article in Sea Horse from Pete Melvin, and there is zero follow through from Nacra. The West River fleet is up to 15 boats, rumor has it that the NJ boys are up to 11 or 13. We have some real momentum going in the class! We really need a domestic builder to keep things going. Nacra is going to have to go factory direct. If you get another set of hands in the middle, they are going to price themselves out of the market. I want them to be successful, but this is the worst kind of start imaginable. I hope they get their act together.

Just spoken to Goran,

The M18 is EUR18,000 excluding sails and local tax/vat.

He is going to find out the price of sails from landerberg(Spelling) and get back to me.


Eeeeeeeeeeeek....

Ouch!!! 18,000 Euros is $23,853.60! Now buy a mainsail and battens for $1500, add tax and you are close to $27,000! Oh, I forgot to ship it to the US, so add that on! I am beginning to think that the A2 price might look pretty good, but I am comparing to a M18, not the Marstom A Class.
There should be some savings for deleting spinnaker gear, but probably not enough to make the Marstrom a price advantage over a brand new, sails included, NACRA A2!

€18k for the M18...

Marstrom quoted me at €18334 for their A-Class without sails (tax was unspecified).

XJ €13000 ready to race inc. taxes. Direct.
AJ €10000 r2r inc. taxes. Direct.
Aus Flyer €16200 r2r inc. taxes. Via Piet Saarberg.
Ger Flyer €14300 r2r inc. taxes. Direct.
Failed to get price for A2. No response from UK 'dealer'.

Looking interesting for across the pond trades.

I've been quoted 'around' £16000 for a A2 (£->$ at about 1.9)
M18 at €18000 plus (say 2K for main, battens and Spi) = €20K plus (UK vat at 17.5) and the €-> £ at about 1.45 gives about €23500 or 16200GBP so about comparable except the M18 has a kite.

No xmas pressies for me and bread and scrape to eat for the next 4 months......

I tell you right now 1500 Euro= main. 500 E = spi.

Wouter

perhaps the high price and the unwillingness to communicatie with potential customers has something to do with the inability to produce boats in the necessary amounts ? I suppose two guys are plastering those boats together in their spare time. It is certainly no mass production