While the Pro-Lite is a step in that direction, there have been quite a few rolled edge skiffs built over the years. Please don't take that the wrong way, I like the Pro-Lite boats, especially since I designed the hull for the 20CC! I want to take it to the next level and actually design new hulls that are more efficient and build them with full liners so they are finished the way most people expect. Build them with modern materials to keep the weight down and you could have an efficient small boat with a fancy finish. Personally, I like the utilitarian nature of the rolled edge skiffs, but I am not the average boat shopper.
One thing that may also be causing the costs of boats to go up is the reduced volume. During good times, a company can buy resin by the tanker load, around 40,000 pounds if memory serves. But if production drops too low, then you can't use it fast enough and it goes bad in your tank. So now you have to buy the resin in totes (2000 lbs?) or if things are really slow, drums. The less you buy, the more you pay. That goes for all the materials. Some of the builders are actually having trouble getting parts as the suppliers are so dialed back that they can't respond quickly to an order. The last statistics I saw estimate that as much as 75% of the marine industry is unemployed right now. It is really ugly for those of us in the business.
One of my clients was selling quite few boats in the 25-30 foot range over the last few years. He said those sales have all dried up and he attributed it to the home builders going bust. Many of his buyers were contractors who were doing really well, now they can't afford the boats any longer. I think it is going to be a while before those buyers come back.