Where the outboard industry is heading??

Rainbowbridge

Rainbowbridge

Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Hi Wordlings, An old boat buddy who grew up smelling 2 stroke fumes sent me this....some food for thought, eh?

Would love to hear your thoughts....as this truly does effect our future Lake Powell experience....

just saw the message about other webistes...but if you click on 'watch on youtube' it works....ain't life uncomplicated? 😋

 
The REALLY LONG video is available with the right tap. Maybe really tedious is a better descriptor. I gave up and went back to football.
 
Hybrid would be cool but all electric, while a neat option, is way to limited by current battery technology. Things could change fast but nearly every major automotive manufacturer is re-examining hybrids. But all it would take is one major breakthrough in batteries to make full on electric take over. If it’s not ready for the highway it’s in no way ready for travel over liquid or air through the air IMO. Under those circumstances you must have power when you need it, you can’t just coast over to the side of the highway, people could die

I am hopeful though that between recent advances in quantum computing coupled with AI that we might soon have mind blowing batteries that charge in minutes and last for thousands of miles
 
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Sadly it’s more than gas v electric etc. it’s really more about the state of the Boating industry overall. Outdoor Recreation, Sporting goods, Boats, RV’s, camping, hunting, shooting sports sectors all seem to be going through a tough stretch and lower participation rates.
COVID brought a huge unnatural bump in sales as people turned more to outdoor recreation. People bought anything and everything, costs rose as well. I saw it firsthand in my business. Many companies thought the new Boom in demand would last forever, it didn’t and won’t. They overproduced and have a glut of product. Many people can’t afford what they bought or what they might want to buy. Now lower participation has caught many companies unprepared to move forward. I hope it’s just a blip! Costs of gear is getting out of control. Sadly, many of the younger generation are not following in the footsteps as far as outdoor recreation goes!
Too much computers, video games and not enough outdoor time. Take a kid fishing, hiking, hunting, camping. If not exposed to it early, many kids will never choose to enjoy it as adults, and if no participants , nobody will care to conserve and protect our outdoor resources, it is the future! Just my two cents worth!
 
I watched the video and did not see discussions about gas vs electric. What I did see was prices doubling after covid indoor restrictions drove up demand for outdoor recreation. Of course, new technology and inflation play a part, but for sure sticker shock is very real if you have not looked for a new boat in several years. I'm an old man with an old boat, old bird dog, and old equipment, but I have been watching the used boat market for the last three years. Every morning, I start off the day with my coffee and look on KSL classified at the boat market. I have seen many older boats for sale for probably more than they cost new. I have also seen many of these boats on the market for months, delisted, and then show up later listed again for the same price, so many of them are not selling. I looked at a new jet boat at an Idaho dealer recently and the salesman told me that boat price was half as much in 2019 as it is now. Maybe if I hold out long enough, I can find something pre covid prices:LOL:
 
sio2 said:
Electric vehicles, of any type, will never match the power, torque, and range of internal combustion. Ever!
Imagine an electric powered 747 . . . ain't gonna happen
Click to expand...
I feel ya but not ever is a long time, economy Teslas took my Porsche off the line with ease. I love me some combustion engines, don’t get me wrong but with a break through in battery technology we’d be looking at a whole new ball game. But for now, I agree, it’s hard to beat the ease, convenience and reliability of a combustion powered anything.
 
I just watched it too. Kind of depressing. Seems like the industry was somewhat shortsighted, the way it is portrayed
I bet a lot of boaters on here miss the days when you could basically overhaul your whole outboard motor in your back yard, or even at the dock.
I'm kind of in the market for a late 1970s model pickup truck. You know, the kind with a carburetor and a distributor...
 
Hillbilly said:
I watched the video and did not see discussions about gas vs electric. What I did see was prices doubling after covid indoor restrictions drove up demand for outdoor recreation. Of course, new technology and inflation play a part, but for sure sticker shock is very real if you have not looked for a new boat in several years. I'm an old man with an old boat, old bird dog, and old equipment, but I have been watching the used boat market for the last three years. Every morning, I start off the day with my coffee and look on KSL classified at the boat market. I have seen many older boats for sale for probably more than they cost new. I have also seen many of these boats on the market for months, delisted, and then show up later listed again for the same price, so many of them are not selling. I looked at a new jet boat at an Idaho dealer recently and the salesman told me that boat price was half as much in 2019 as it is now. Maybe if I hold out long enough, I can find something pre covid prices:LOL:
Click to expand...
I agree, the New Boat industry is challenged right now. IDK what that means for us die hard boaters. Not only do new boats cost a lot their reliability and long term serviceability is questionable. You can spend a half a million dollars on a new top of the line surf boat and it’s got as many computers and “do dads” (technical term) on it as new luxury car. It’s all flat screens for gauges and even the stereo is controlled by the computer. My dock neighbor’s expensive boat wouldn’t fire and he asked me to look at it. I crawled under the dash and saw a three inch bundle of wires terminating into the display. I could only check the battery voltage and then told him that he was on his own. It was just dead. The dealer told him that since he was just out of warranty that they needed to install a $7,000 proprietary computer just to get it to start and then from there they could look for any faults.

If the industry builds things this complex it is overkill and many of their problems are of their own making. Another well heeled friend has had nothing but trouble with his new twin outboard 350 hp Mercury set up, the whole boat is plagued with technical issues, especially the motors.
(Maybe Mercury could build them here instead of in China?)

So what happens to these over engineered toys with glass cockpits in 10 or 20 years? Probably junk as electronic parts become obsolete and unavailable.

It’s a sad situation, I’m keeping my 90’s technology going as long as possible.
 
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I've got the perfect solution. Just build a matter-antimatter reactor, fuel it with d lithium crystals and you have warp drive! Nothing to it! I've seen it on Star Trek for decades! 😄

Imagine getting from Wahweap to the San Juan in seconds! You'd be through Maytag Straits before you'd even notice how rough the water is! 🤪

Seriously, I don't think the technology that can replace the internal combustion engine has been invented yet. While electric motors can suffice for certain situations, the battery technology needed to enable us to totally eliminate internal combustion engines is well down the road and may never get there. We may need a totally new technology to accomplish this. The Star Trek solution may not be so crazy after all!

Ed Gerdemann
 
Edward Gerdemann said:
I've got the perfect solution. Just build a matter-antimatter reactor, fuel it with d lithium crystals and you have warp drive! Nothing to it! I've seen it on Star Trek for decades! 😄

Imagine getting from Wahweap to the San Juan in seconds! You'd be through Maytag Straits before you'd even notice how rough the water is! 🤪

Seriously, I don't think the technology that can replace the internal combustion engine has been invented yet. While electric motors can suffice for certain situations, the battery technology needed to enable us to totally eliminate internal combustion engines is well down the road and may never get there. We may need a totally new technology to accomplish this. The Star Trek solution may not be so crazy after all!

Ed Gerdemann
Click to expand...
Maybe but never is a long time. I believe that the next five years is going to see advances that change our world like no time in our history. Microsoft’s new quantum chips that use a newly discovered plasma type matter, a 4th state of matter that acts like a transistor are revolutionary in their computing power. Coupled with AI and more research unbelievable advances could be possible. It’s hard for us old timers to wrap our heads around but it’s coming, a technological revolution. All they need is to discover a way to build a battery that charges like a capacitor and discharges like a battery, they may find it in the upcoming decade.

Back to boats, I love my old Iron Duke Pontiac derived antique 3.0 Mercuries in my houseboat, cheap, reliable and good on fuel. No need for me to re-power, ever. As for new boats they cost too much and are way too hard to work on IMO

I case anyone is interested about the new advances in quantum computing here is a link

www.pcmag.com

Microsoft: New Chip Means Quantum Computing Is 'Years, Not Decades' Away

The breakthrough with Majorana 1 comes after a nearly 20-year quest to harness a new state of matter, which Microsoft says it has now done with its 'topological superconductors.'
www.pcmag.com www.pcmag.com
 
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sio2 said:
Electric vehicles, of any type, will never match the power, torque, and range of internal combustion. Ever!
Imagine an electric powered 747 . . . ain't gonna happen
Click to expand...
Torque! The electric have won that game. Being a drag racer I have seen first hand what Tesla has to offer from a dead stop. They can drag a house and not slow down much. The railroad is using electric motors to pull the trains. Never say never in this case.
 
At this time we are still charging batteries primarily with fossil fuels . When you generate power then store it to be used later there is a lot “lost” in the process. Trains , subs and the previous mentioned coast guard ship, are hybrids of sorts using fossil fuels or nuclear to generate the power to run electric engines .
Batteries currently are very heavy and lack the range to become more mainstream, and a fair amount of power is used to just haul the batteries along. Battery technology improvements are the key to making electric vehicles more effective and more versatile.
Weight, down time in charging, short life span of the batteries, much lower efficiency in colder temps, manufacturing them with less negative impacts from mining rare earths etc. and needing much longer range per charge are significant hurdles that must be overcome. Running out of power in the middle of nowhere is an issue with battery electrics, can’t just run out with a can of electricity to get you back to where you can recharge. Hybrids have a big advantage there. Right now batteries will still be primarily charged with fossil fuels. So those saying they are cleaner, really it’s just polluting somewhere else. Currently even making batteries is not very clean or planet friendly.
The way technology is rapidly improving I imagine these issues will be solved at some point it’s just a matter of how long it will take.
Not sure it will happen in my lifetime?
 
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