Jamie is right on the money - the local shop should always be supported. Regarding the prices, my local has just listed the new 09 price list and the boards look to be within $50-100 of last year. So a $2600 last year up to $2700 this year is a 3.8% increase. My electricity and rates have gone up by more!

Comparing the prices between here and the UK it looks like they are just over 10% higher here, although as VAT is 17.5% compared to 10% GST the difference is actually larger.

e.g.
Starboard Kombat (Technora)
UK GBP929 ($1923)
AU $2199

JP FSW (FWS)
UK GBP1059 ($2192)
AU $2400?

The most frustrating thing is that once the 09s come out the surplus 08 stock in the UK will be reduced by far more than it is here due to the quantity available. The size of the market here is probably one of the main factors; there is so much more nearly new kit available in the UK that they can't afford to charge too much for the new stuff or nobody will buy it.

Every year the same cry goes up 'its all so expensive', so Here we go again with real figures.

Even the most expensive sails on the market have only increased by $10 a year for the last 15 years, only 25% in 15 years. There are plenty of brands on the market for the same price as sails in 1993 in current models or last years stock.
In 1988 there were 44 Gaastra dealers in austraila and 38 pryde dealers. Now all could be counted on one hand, so there is no market increase to help keep prices down.

Here are a few comparisons to boards sold in 1993 and equivalent ones today.

1993 prices
Hotworks slalom carbon kevlar '93 $2400 - (CPI adjusted to todays $ value $3240)
F2 sputnik wcup edition '93 $2600 - (CPI adj $3504)
F2 axxis 268 $1799 - (CPI adj $2292)
Mistral energy chs $2195 (CPI adj $2797)
Bic veloce $1899 (CPI adj $2415)
Wave scaple polyester wave customs $1150.

2009 prices
pro model Jp $2700, exocet $2500, Mistral $2499, starboard wood $2499 w/carbon $2849.
Technora/ sandwich construction boards 2009 - Naish $1899-$2199, starboard, $2199, Mistral $1899- $2099, exocet $1999- $2150, JP $2499,
Bic techno 118 $1850, Tiga $1850.

Sails
1993
pryde combat 5.5 $720 (CPI adj $943) - 2009 price $950ish
WC race 7.0 $1095 (CPI adj $ 1395) - 2009 price $1300

Gaastra wavefoil 5.8 $625 (CPI adj $796) - 2009 $940
Gaastra racefoil 7.0 $999 (CPI adj $1273) - 2009 $1180

Fiberspar Tidal wave mast
2pce 255 carbon $545 (CPI adj $656) -
2009 Powerex 55% carbon $490 or 75% carbon $545

From the shops still in business you can buy sails from $650 for 2009 models and 2008/7 models for the same price .ie no more expensive than 15 years ago.

SO we are paying no more for most products, some are cheaper and others have increased only slightly. If you like to sail you will find the money for your enjoyment. What you spend your money on is your business alone, but the price of windsurfing gear is not contributing to your lack of finances any more than nearly 2 decades ago.

You are paying more for most all other things in life but not more for sailing gear.
$3.50 for 375 mltr water, $2.50 can of coke, $9.50 small popcorn and coke at the cinema, $16.50 cinema ticket, $500 000 median house price. How many people have 2 or more cars in the household, a boat, 2 or 3 tv's, dvd/video players, computers and 3 mobile phones, ipods etc?

WOW nice venting

From the Uk and USA mags and websites I've found Aussie shops are as cheap as anywhere

Good news for all those worried about price rises on boards.

the new 2009 pricelists for Mistral and Naish have been released and guess what?

There has been a price reduction on most boards - about $100 on average.
So it is not all doom and gloom as some of the free ride boards start from $1799. Oh and the naish sails are the same price as last year, so no increase there either.

Paul said...

Every year the same cry goes up 'its all so expensive', so Here we go again with real figures.

Paul, I must say if those were the prices Australians paid back in 1993 I am not surprised so many windsurf stores went out of business.

I remember back in 1993 I used to buy F2s in Germany for AU$1200 and Customs for AU$1300. That's brand new RRP. The shop I used buy from bought F2 boards brand new wholesale for approx AU$ 450 to AU$500. At the end of the season most boards went out the door for about AU$650 to AU$900.

BTW, doing a CPI adjustment on the board prices makes little sense as the technology has dramatically changed in the past 10 to 15 years.

WINDY MILLER said...

$3.50 for 375 mltr water ....the biggest robbery of all.......paying to put air in your tyres a close second, corkage 3rd.

everything is going up ....except for my wages

thank you. thats exactly the point im trying to make. for some reason our cost of living in Australian seems to be going up in a disproportionate amount to earnings increases.

The same can't be said for Europe or the US... yet our inflation rate for example is lower than the inflation rate in Germany. While I am not 100% clued in what indicators they use in Australia to work out the inflation rate it does seem something is not quite right.

Not saying gear prices are any more than before but i do believe that the prices of new gear are the reason for a decline in our sport. I am a young windsurfer myself and without the help of first my parents (thank god dad was a windsurfer) and now my sponsors I can afford gear. But for your average young person 6000 to get a full set of kit to sail in all conditions is a **** load more than a pair of rugby boots and a ball or even a surfboard or 2.

Comparing 1993 prices with those of today CPI adjusted DOES prove the point that gear is cheaper, simply because of the fact that the modern boards are made with much more exotic materials, are lighter and perform better than in 1993, yet they are cheaper.

The $1799 board of today is the high tech equivalent of the '93 $2000 plus models.

Stehseglar's point about stuff being cheaper in Europe is a valid arguement, but only in regards to questioning why different regions have different price structures for products. We could all name a product we have seen much cheaper in another part of the world. But the price of windsurfing gear in Oz has remained the same or decreased over 20 years despite the massive increase in costs in almost all other aspects of Aussie life.

The mountain bike example is a perfect example of what price increases in an industry has occurred over the years for two points.
First it shows what people will spend on a hobby (probably as they can use it regardless of weather) when they want to.
Secondly it shows the massive increase in bike costs in an industry that must be 50 plus times larger at least than a windsurfing market. In the early 1990's you could get a good bike for $199 and great bike for $399. Now not much in the stores are under $500 except for the cheap chinese made stuff, and as has been said before Good to top of the range bikes start at $1000 and go to $5-8-9000.
Bikes should be cheap if so many are sold in an expanding market. Are the bike companies over charging us making too much money???? Are the store owners all rich??

MTBs have got much cheaper. I used to race in the late '80s early '90s without shocks (like most people). This was because front shocks then cost $800+ and aluminium frames were rare too because of the expense. Now try to find a $1K+ bike without an aluminium frame and front shocks...

Gestalt said...

you can add to that that steel just went up 30% as well.

Yep! and that's on top of a 16% rise in Feb, and a 6% rise in April.

That's an actual rise so far this year of ugly close to 60% with more to come.

rick77 said...

when I was buying my first short board I went the cheap option with a Bombora Exit! over the $2,200 Mistral option. The year was 1995.

Could the plastic board make a comeback! :)

It already Has Ricko,
Starboard Kombat Tuffskin = 1200 (from memory). Kombat epoxy = 2200. a couple of kilos extra to lug around + $1000 in beer money.....


Anyways it costs wot it costs and the seconds market is such good value everyone can sail with good gear and no more complaints....hey

I know what you mean, but while the Laser sail costs a fair bit ($850), a lot of that goes to keeping dealers alive and paying for the 150 boats or so that have to be built every time we get a worlds. And partly because of that, you get to race your $850 sail against hundreds of other sailors. When it gets old, you pass it on to someone else who gets another season out if it.....it's not like junking good sails because they were '04 models, which is the way the boards market it.

Personally, I just have one good sail which comes out for titles and is never allowed to flap; seems to work well.

stehsegler said...

ok... so the aussie dollar just dropped below 90 cents... that's almost 8 cents less than a few weeks ago... does that mean board manufacturers will drop their wholesale prices to cut the shops and ultimately consumers some slack?

If the answer is no we know who the greedy people are in the supply chain...

If $1 AUD is only worth 90c USD then won't things get more expensive again rather than cheaper?