4 ms·

Yeah, that's what Piotr told me (I'm the author). Boats are already very much a luxury good and the first question is not of reaching a large market but proving

Yeah, that's what Piotr told me (I'm the author). Boats are already very much a luxury good and the first question is not of reaching a large market but proving that the product is superior. Once that's established you can differentiate up and downmarket. In the article I note a cheaper (still $175K) version is already in the works, and of course costs only go down with scale. I'm not one to get excited about toys for millionaires either but this one is potentially the beginning of a major change to a pretty gross industry.

ogre_codes 6y ago
> I'm not one to get excited about toys for millionaires either but this one is potentially the beginning of a major change to a pretty gross industry. I agree on all counts. I should have known the price tag was going to be up there when in the first couple paragraphs it mentions the boat is all carbon fiber. While boats are luxury goods, there are some great options in the $75k range which are similar at least on the surface to this one. That's what got me about this thing, it's not just double the cost of a comparable, it's more more than 3 times the cost.
zbrozek 6y ago
I have no use for a boat. But my parents have one from the early 90s and would love to get an electric replacement. I think $100k is probably the upper limit though... And I've often thought about how easy (compared to cars) it would be to make a good one. I thought it would make for a good between-jobs hobby project.
- nickff 6y ago
  Cars are extremely complicated; boats are much simpler because the production volumes simply do not support such complexity. That said, an electric boat is subject to a great deal of corrosion and other problems; I personally know of two electric boats which have caught fire and sustained significant damage.

4 ms·

Yeah, that's what Piotr told me (I'm the author). Boats are already very much a luxury good and the first question is not of reaching a large market but proving

by devindotcom 6y ago

ogre_codes 6y ago
> I'm not one to get excited about toys for millionaires either but this one is potentially the beginning of a major change to a pretty gross industry. I agree on all counts. I should have known the price tag was going to be up there when in the first couple paragraphs it mentions the boat is all carbon fiber. While boats are luxury goods, there are some great options in the $75k range which are similar at least on the surface to this one. That's what got me about this thing, it's not just double the cost of a comparable, it's more more than 3 times the cost.
zbrozek 6y ago
I have no use for a boat. But my parents have one from the early 90s and would love to get an electric replacement. I think $100k is probably the upper limit though... And I've often thought about how easy (compared to cars) it would be to make a good one. I thought it would make for a good between-jobs hobby project.
- nickff 6y ago
  Cars are extremely complicated; boats are much simpler because the production volumes simply do not support such complexity. That said, an electric boat is subject to a great deal of corrosion and other problems; I personally know of two electric boats which have caught fire and sustained significant damage.