Maxum Boats Discontinued...

[ApS]

Don't see too many of these anyway, but at least one member here will be interested:

"...Brunswick Corp says it has phased out its Maxum brand, and will not have production for the 2010 model year. But the company will continue to sell remaining boats in inventory.

"'It was a difficult, but necessary, decision, driven and based on economics,' Brunswick spokesman Dan Kubera wrote in an email to IBI. 'This decision emerged from our continuing efforts to review every aspect of our operations, including our brand portfolio, in an effort to position Brunswick to emerge from this downturn a stronger company....'"

http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsd...08ibinews.html

[VtSteve]

Maxum was kind of the Buick to Chevy analogy. Bayliner and Maxxum were very similar, with the Maxxum line being dressed up more. Brunswick, IMO, has been badly managed for many years. They concentrated too heavily on getting share anyway possible, in order to spread their outdrives and motors on as many makes as possible. In doing so, not only did they flood the nation with too many brands, but they were ill-prepared for a slowdown, much less a stoppage.

What they did do is create a defensive posture amongst the many private brands of boats. Many brands thought it was not desirable to buy engines from a company that also competed with you. Smart thinking.

The outcome of today's boat market will be higher prices than we've had. Not so much the increases in MSRP's, which are generally not as important. But as MSRP's rise through next year, the bottom-line deals will not be nearly as great. My guess is that the out the door price of 2011 models will be about 20% to 25% higher than what we've just witnessed.

[brk-lnt]

I first heard of this about a year ago. We have a Maxum boat (a 2000 2300SC). It's a great little boat for the money and performs well for our needs.

I briefly considered selling it when I first heard about this, and before it was more common knowledge. In the end we decided that we'll likely keep this boat a few more years, and it was paid for the day we picked it up, so it didn't make sense to try to unload it just on speculation that as a discontinued brand the value would fall significantly in the future.

[codeman671]

I have a Maxum 2100 Sport deck. Great little boat, the control max thruster system makes this boat idiot proof for even the most amateur boater to park. Hearing this, I am a bit concerned about parts support going forward.

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by codeman671

I have a Maxum 2100 Sport deck. Great little boat, the control max thruster system makes this boat idiot proof for even the most amateur boater to park. Hearing this, I am a bit concerned about parts support going forward.

I had that thought also, then thought "what parts"?

The biggest maintenance item would be the power plant, and they all use Mercruiser engines and outboards, which isn't (for the time being) going anywhere.

Next biggest item might be dash/steering components, which are also basically off-the-shelf and easily sourceable with replacements.

Probably the only items that might be of a concern is something like a windshield assembly, as those are proprietary on most makes, or possibly something like a replacement carpet. But, even carpets canvas and cushions/seating are duplicable by many local vendors.

When you think about it, for most boats the biggest irreplaceable fully proprietary item is the hull and related structure. And if THAT goes bad, you most likely ain't replacing it