Zach Matthews
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Guys,
Are these boats too big to cartop myself?Honestly, yes they are, and moreover you run the risk of doing damage to the hull by flexing it or having it slide off the roof.
Essentially the $145 serves the same purpose as a deductible on an insurance policy.
Correct: http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/gear/matthews_rod_warranties.aspx
Zach
Jarrod –
I think it’s a lot more likely that you will see no-fault warranties fall away in light of current economic conditions.
As for the prices of the rods, I suspect that we’re actually already benefiting from most companies operating their warranty departments at a loss.
Corey –
I can give you a good estimate but no, I cannot tell you what the costs are. But if you’ve ever worked in a shop of any kind, you know that typical margin in a retail environment is about 40-60% depending on the product.
Let’s assume a $600 high end fly rod. The cost to the dealer of that rod would be between $240 (60% margin) and $360 (40% margin).
Since the dealer is really a middleman, what you’re seeing reflected in those original prices are the “wholesale” costs of the product, which represent the manufacturer’s expenses plus its profits.
This is where I don’t know the answer, because manufacturers don’t typically release their profit margins and all we can do is guess. If the manufacturer makes the same profit margin as a dealer (i.e. 40-60%), then their original (i.e. manufacturing) cost on that $240 to $360 product would be $96 (60% margin on smaller figure) to $216 (40% margin on the higher figure).
However, that number isn’t nearly as fixed as the dealer margin; manufacturers have to pay for warranties (obviously), and also marketing, R&D, employee overhead, etc.
I really would like to go dove hunting but I am just not clear on how to get it done and I don’t know anyone who dove hunts here in Georgia.
Tim –
I don’t know; I am thinking that the reel I played with had a cork drag like the Vortex but I am not sure whether this one does or not.
Zach
The long and short of it is that we have all been getting a free ride. If you actually read the warranty card that comes with every rod, it says “warranted against manufacturer defects” except in a very few no-questions-asked policies (like with TFO). Frankly, a lot of the no-questions-asked policies are reflective of the original cost of the rod to the rod maker; it’s a lot easier to just hand over a new rod when you don’t have that much in one.
Between the lakes on the Madison can be awesome in October. Check out http://www.CampfireLodgeWestYellowstone.com. They have cabins, rv parking and campsites are on the Madison between the lakes in the Gallatin Nat’l Forest. Plus, their rates are very reasonable. I stayed there for 4 days back in July. They also have an awesome fly tying shop with over 1000 Whiting capes and saddles in stock… see http://www.JimsFlyCo.com.