It appears that we're going to have to, for the short term anyway, amend an age-old saying. "There are only three things certain in life: death, taxes, and tariffs"! Which means if you've been contemplating the purchase of an Ultra Products West reel, anchor, flip swivel, or any of their beautiful high-performance stainless steel items, now is the time to buy. You have until May 15 to avoid the tariff-induced price hikes.
As of today, Section 301 Tariffs have impacted more than 300 commonly used components, materials, and parts for recreational boats in the United States (source, National Marine Manufacturers Association). Even our little online store is beginning to see price increases and supply chain disruptions.
Our Ultra Products West warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, FL will soon be receiving a container of new stainless steel marine products from the manufacturing facility in Turkiye. The cost of this shipment is $420,000. The tariff line item duty we have to pay in order to bring the products into the country is $105,000! There will not be a resultant 25% increase across the board on all Ultra Products, as they will absorb as much as they can, but there will be an unavoidable bump in our prices.
Fortunately, we have until May 15 before the price increases take effect. All our Ultra Products have the pre-tariff price with the tariff-increased price shown with a line through it. For example, a 260' Flat Rope Reel (with new yellow Dyneema) right now costs $2,200. On May 16 the price increases to $2,420. A 35-pound Ultra Anchor is currently $1,760. That same anchor jumps to $1,936 on May 16.
We're sorry that the price increases are coming. And the timing, right as boaters are prepping for the coming season, couldn't be worse. Let's all hope the tariffs are temporary, and we can get back to normal prices soon. In the meantime, we have our boats and hopefully, a very satisfying Summer of boating on the horizon!
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Darren OBrien
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