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You sure you don't mean R2D2 and C3-PO?

JimH wrote:
"NOYB" wrote in message
nk.net...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

"NOYB" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
ups.com...

Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:
http://tinyurl.com/rc4vf

"Our second quarter results are in line with our expectations," said
Brunswick Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dustan E. McCoy.
"Throughout the key second quarter selling season for 2006-model-year
marine products, however, we have experienced significant declines in
retail demand, which has resulted in an increase in pipeline
inventories. As we now enter the off- season, we can't rely solely on
retail demand to rebalance the pipeline. So, we will be reducing
further our production levels, leading to a lowering of our earnings
estimate for the second half of the year. This is primarily due to
reduced sales and the impact of fixed cost absorption from production
cuts needed to adjust pipeline inventories. Although this will result
in reduced margins, we believe that managing pipeline inventories is
critical in a cyclical, as well as a seasonal, industry."

Translation: "Oh oh - things ain't lookin' so good." :)

Brunswick is a pretty decent barometer of the new boat building
industry as a whole.
They offer a wide variety of products, spanning price points everywhere
between "affordable, entry-level" to "exclusive".

New boat sales are softer this year in some areas around the US this
year due to a combination of factors that overshadow the fairly healthy
appearance of our general economic climate.

First, of course, is the impact of soaring fuel costs. Most builders,
including most of the lines offered by Brunswick, have been behaving as
if fuel were free for the last several years. The most popular selling
models have been the boats with the biggest engines. With fuel dock
prices routinely at $4/gallon or more, the concept of $100- $200 an
hour fuel burns in some of the medium size boats is turning off a lot
of prospective newcomers to boating. When the newcomers disappear, so
does a lot of the market for second hand entry level boats, and many
the current boaters willing to turn a blind eye to fuel costs hesitate
to move up to a larger new boat before finding a buyer for their
present craft.

The second major factor is the return of real estate mortgage rates to
more traditional levels from a 2-3 year period of record lows, combined
with a moderation (in some cases a decrease) in housing prices. Much of
the recent activity in big ticket luxury sales (which obviously
includes boats) was funded by consumers using their homes like ATM's.
I'm certain we all know people who "refinanced" several times during
the last few years, and went on a spending spree every time. If they
went for the adjustable rate deal and borrowed the max that almost
anybody would lend them, watch for bargains appearing in their
driveways very soon. :-)

Minor factors would include the rapidly escalating prices for new
boats. One of my industry contacts reports that he is "shocked" by the
preliminary pricing he has seen for 2007 models.

Chuck,
You practically plagiarized the post that I sent 30 minutes before you
wrote this.

Hmmm....I bet he did not read your post Nobby. Maybe you and Chuck are
twins separated at birth. ;-)

He's my alter ego.

I can imagine a Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker
scenario.........................