New Olympic events.

Re RS classes, it is a big list of products which they've been thro. There's also the Q'Ba and the Vision, perhaps these are now deleted.

Originally posted by turnturtle Rumour has it that Neil Pryde lost money on the RS:X project overall, whereas you certainly don’t get that vibe from the Laser product... if anything the low cost of production with tooling amortised many times over, plus the relative replacement rate of the low cost consumable parts gives the impression the Laser is a bit of a cash cow.  So even if the price is a fraction of the full RRP for a stand alone punter, it’s clearly reasonable sound commercial logic.... otherwise why bother with the sh*t fight in Connecticut?

Laser 1 is a massive cash cow. Colossal. The biggest in boatbuilding. Only rampant mismanagement could make it any different.
Of the sort by the sounds of it that could make the rsx ie Olympic class since what, 2010, and assoc sales volumes to youth and olympic hopefuls anything other than a cash cow.

Laser turn over around 3000 boats a year worldwide and give or take have done for last 40y. Roughly a 10 million annual turnover. Even when you split that beTween the two territorial builders, if you can’t make money from the manufacturing side, selling an unchanged, crude product built in the same way for 40y and delivered with massive margins into a massive captive quasi monopoly as part of a vertically integrated model you have to ask big questions of yourself.

Rs have long understood that, especially for the 50% or so of their product line that is lower volume grp built in sporadic batches, it is far better to sub out to a specialist contractor and let them suck up the commensurate inefficiencies and risks of small volume Batch building. They once had a production capability but recognised it was less efficient / profitable.
Rotormoulding requires big specialist facilities so they also rightly leave that well alone and pass on warranty / defect etc risk to subcontractor.
Whilst grp and high ish although not laser volumes, Aero is rtm which also requires specialist tools and facilities, and again warranty can be put back on supplier.
They aren’t stupid, Rs - they are effectively an integrator and vendor of their products, which in any industry I’ve seen is the part where the biggest jump in the value chain occurs. Suppliers of parts can be beaten up to tiny margins very easily. They of course do successfully invest a fair bit back into supporting and marketing their products!

The big difference with RS:X is that I don’t know anyone who electively sails one for fun, or even recreational ‘club racing’.  I sure as hell don’t know any holiday companies buying them as part of their beachside offering.... if they did, no doubt it would sit in a shed gathering sand.

Edited by turnturtle - 13 Nov 18 at 4:17pm

Originally posted by turnturtle The big difference with RS:X is that I don’t know anyone who electively sails one for fun, ]

There's a very good reason for that.

Originally posted by Daniel Holman I’m sure they never expected it to be a free ride success. Still, olympic and youth pathway selection should be a great position commercially, if handled well.

Edited by turnturtle - 13 Nov 18 at 3:59pm