I think a fair profit
margin would be 3 to 5%.

3 to 5%?

Find a likely tree.
Break out fire and chisel.
Make your own dugout canoe.
That's all that would be left of the boat business at a true 3-5% margin.

The boat business is *not* the automobile business. One of the major missing
factors is volume. When I was in the car business,
it wasn't unusual for my single, medium size dealership to crank out 1000 new
cars in a year. There are a lot of manufacturers that don't sell 1000 boats in
a year, nationwide. Probably most.

When comparison shopping, it is well to remember that there is a value
associated with being considered a preferred customer- rather than the cheap
screw who beat the last $50 out of the deal and even *then* bought a boat 200
miles away.

It's important to weigh all factors when deciding on the best price. Some
dealers can offer more value than others, even while selling the exact same
product and options.