Is it really December again already? It seems that time has flown by again so fast this year that we can call 2024 a day, I´d say. All the while Boot Duesseldorf is on the horizon, the boating industry is busily humming to get the booths straight, their boats for the exhibition to the river Rhine and the staff briefed for this leading trade fair. And I personally feel like I had just returned from there … it still feels so fresh, but it´s almost a year in the past. Are we getting old?
Last year´s after boat show article had been called „Like a febrile delirium“ and it was exactly how it felt back then: The market shaken up, still beaten from the aftermath of Covid and the supply chain crisis. On top, much more, suffering from a – at least it felt like – runaway inflation with boat prices going through the roof. But how is it now? What can we expect from 2025 and this boat show in particular? Let´s look behind a few corners here ….
2025: A snapshot of the current situation on the boat market
First of all, I am not working as a boat dealer anymore and as such I am literally cut off from the first-hand information: No intranet, no official internal communications. Nevertheless, and that´s a kind of good thing, in this I am not solely focused on Beneteau anymore and I was able to widen my network, intensify contacts to many more players in the market: Shipyards as well as dealers and also suppliers. This, in turn, may have also increased the „gossip level“, but as I am taking anything with a good grain of salt anyway, I think I can handle it.
Currently, at least for Europe this is a pretty valid statement, one can say that boat sales especially for the big production brands are pretty much down. In certain areas and for certain size-ranges some insiders even speak of a „flatline“. New boats of that kind, meaning the mass-produced „cruisers for everyone“ suffer the most. This is a logical consequence of overall developments in our societies (shrinking middle class and such) but also especially in the boating market, the reluctance and sheer refusal to pay those high prices has made large parts of the market come to a standstill.
Many dealers are saying that they currently have the highest bargain rates in decades, some brands literally desperately lowering prices on new boats, on cancelled slots and on already produced but also terminated orders, especially from charter companies. I am not an analyst and I don´t want to dive deeper into the possible reasons for this. I´d like to emphasize a current fact: If you are really determined to buy a new yacht, now is the time! No matter which brand (of the big ones), dealers and shipyards are like wax in your hands: Ready to talk about many things they wouldn´t even have considered a year ago. In this, Boot Duesseldorf may be your chance to make a really, really (!) good deal. This time it seems, this may not be the usual marketing claim to lure in the visitors.
The world´s leading trade fair at the Rhine
I don´t want to call it „desperate“, but lacking a better word, I do. So, this situation can also be seen by just looking at the hall plan of Boot Duesseldorf. Two of the big brands, Hanse and Bavaria, are not coming. Hall 16 and 15 don´t show their booths. It´s especially sad for the German visitors because the Boot Duesseldorf should be their home turf, right? I mean, I can fully understand that cutting costs is a thing. And I have absolute sympathy for the premise to safe money. But I´d call it an outright mistake not to attend this world leading trade fair for these brands! This is a very, very dangerous signal into the market and the customers.
I remember five or more years ago when Dufour Yachts used to have a huge two story booth at Duesseldorf, displaying the whole range from very smal to their then 63 feet flagship. Things then changed for them and they reduced, two years ago with a litte stand and just two boats. Why couldn´t Hanse or Bavaria do this? I mean, you don´t need to set up these huge multi storied „experience worlds“, many brands just come with one boat and do their business, why don´t they? For Hanse, who have invested in a big nice new showroom right at their shipyard where you can have a Boot any day of the week this may make some sense, but Bavaria doesn´t have anything like this. Besides, the big French brands are now the sole dominators of hall 16: It seems as if the German brands have completely „surrendered“ to the French – Beneteau comes with their First 30 as a world premiere: Big bang!
I am sure we will again see around 250.000 visitors over the week long show and I am dead certain that a lot of business will be done there: But not for the dozens and dozens of Bavaria and Hanse dealers, for whom I feel sorry not to have the chance to get at least some contracts signed. That´s a pity and, as I said, I personally think it´s a grave mistake. But it is not just them: Oyster Yachts cannot be found on the plan, Elan Yachts aren´t coming either. Many designated areas on the plan aren´t confirmed yet. The hall 15, which was the former „special sailboat“-location, even has a huge area cordoned off. Dead space. Oh boy …
One man´s meat is another man´s poison
Is it all bad? No, of course not! One door closes, many others will open up. In this, I am very happy and look forward to see some interesting boats in January! KM Yachtbuilders are coming with a real boat. And not just any small boat, but a big-ass 54-footer, which is a must see for me! X-Yachts, last year kind of put aside in hall 15, could now return to the „real deal“ hall 16 and judging from the size of their stand, they will have a big time setup for the visitors.
With Groupe Beneteau in the center and no German competition in sight, I am pretty convinced that my ex-colleagues at Beneteau and the guys at Jeanneau will have a great show and good sales. Amel has a much bigger booth, as well as Wauquiez, two brands I also look forward to see again. Some newcomers now have the chance to present their products in the hall 16 rather than being squeezed back there somewhere in 15 like normally: Pure Yachts is there as well as a very interesting Swedish/Estonia brand called Heyman with a promising looking 42-footer deck salon yacht.
It seems like a trend I tended to see back in Cannes in September is also materializing here at Duesseldorf: The big brands appear to „suffer“ and are aching to say the least to attend while smaller brands and niche products seem to have found a new strength, a self-perception and self-confidence to come here and set up pretty nicely sized booths. There might be some truth to the saying that in a crisis, the niche is the safest bet. We will see. It´s just this sadness that this boat show has lost some of the great brands and exhibitors, paired with the excitement and pleasant anticipation to see some new stuff coming up. And you know what? Maybe this is a good thing!
Maybe Bavaria, Hanse and the others who don´t come this time need it to do a full reset, to re-boot and set up a new approach? Not a few people inside the boating industry tell me that the golden age of cheap cruising sailboats for everyone is just about to end. The bulk has been sold. High prices and cost overhead will eventually make the whole market shrink again. And isn´t this not a good thing? Who needs thousands and thousands of new boats annually flowing into the already bursting marinas? Don´t get me wrong: Everyone should be able to spend their spare time the way they like. But isn´t a bit of calming down, of a recollection of why we all do this, a not so high burning flame … isn´t this also a chance?
Clearly, building quality of boats overall had suffered in the past years dramatically. I guess it is about time that producers as well as clients kind of come back to the essence of sailing a bit more. Just think of the prospect that maybe all those rediculous superlatives, the „crazy“ boats, the BBQ-stations and lounge-decks … the floating amusement parks on the one side and those cheaply assembled low-price crimps are getting substituted again by beautiful, seaworthy sailboats. This might be a bit too harsh, but that´s what I think is the vibe now. Boot Duesseldorf is a perfect gauge in this respect.
Let´s meet then, shall we?
So, is „may you live in interesting times“, this old Chinese saying, a curse or a well-meant wish? Depends on your perspective. I. for my part, look forward to those crazy nine days at the Rhine! I am sure, even without the missing brands, there is still a whole world to discover and a lot to see! For a sailor, Duesseldorf is a sure „don´t miss“ of the new year. I am very happy that the trade show organizers had approached me and asked me to do a little 20-30 minutes presentation on one of the stages (in hall 10, I guess) about my Omega 42-project, which I of course confirmed. Very humbled. So if you want to meet me, it´s there or somewhere on the Beneteau booth.
As much as I love in-water boat shows, like Cannes or our own, German „Cannes of the North“, the Hamburg ancora boat show, especially starters and bloody newcomers really need a boat show like Boot: All yachts on dry stands, the opportunity to go back and forth, roam around, go inside, change from boat to boat. I hope that ´25 will be a bomber too and that all those brands missing this year, will return in full glory next year. So, in this: See you?!
Pictures 3 and 4 © by C. Tillmann and Messe Duesseldorf
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