I just visited the Bell website to investigate the weight for a used boat and noticed they no longer offer their Whitegold layup.
When did that happen and why?
Assuming the answer to the second part of my question is demand, is the blackgold that much better that people were willing to pay?
Was the profit margin too low for the Whitegold?
What do you think?
Lack of demand?
Seems like everybody goes for kevlar or black gold to strap onto their Escolade these days…
I disagree
So far I have not seen any canoes or kayaks on Escalades. Or Hummers for that matter.
Jim
Aploogies for highjacking the thresd.
white gold
is really their strongest layup despite all the black gold hype. Go with Hemlock Canoe if you want a really tough and beautiful kevlar/glass combo. Dave Curtis does a great job.
demand and profit, i guess
they cut out fiberlar lay-ups a couple years ago. i think that’s a tough and cheaper way to get a really good hull. but i guess if you can buy a new whitegold magic or whatever, you can buy the blackgold, too. BUT, i can’t believe how much bells cost nowadays. seems like they’ve nearly doubled in cost in the last six years or so. i know it’s partly to do with the cost of blackgold cloth, etc. but i think the mark-up has got to be pretty darn high, too.
Cost of Bell Canoes
The Bell canoes are expensive. However, in late 04 I picked up a never been paddled 03 WhiteGold Magic from a dealer for $1200. And that’s the problem, he had to practically give away a boat that he had in inventory for almost two years.
I kept the boat for about six months, sold it for what I paid for it and bought a sea kayak. Nothing against the boat, just too many toys and the sea kayak was going to get most of my attention at the time. Wish I’d kept that boat though, I’m looking to buy another one now.
For anyone looking to buy a Bell, do an internet search of dealers and then check their inventory. Sometimes this pays off, even if you have to drive a bit to pick it up.