I've bought a mould for a boat !

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Sailingsaves

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But it is not that big.

Was a gamble. Will I be able to make a boat from it and make a profit and so on.

But as I love all things boaty and love being practical and have no sense, I bought it. As I have to find an income, I am trying all sorts of schemes.

I am now going to attempt to design some unique selling points for it. I will be trying to make it strong but light, probably a composite. I do good work and will have to be sensible and not spend too much time making a particular piece of wood look beautiful and realise that I am in it to make a business.

A lot of reading to do and sourcing of cheap suppliers of poly resin and chopped strand mat, not to mention release agent, gel coat........

It has been a while since I used poly and epoxy and I did repairs, not boat creation.

I have lots of fittings kicking around, so could make a sailing dinghy. I am thinking maybe a bit like a Drascombe.

Any comments helpful or otherwise? Any tips? Not the best time of year to contemplate a layup.

I hope to have fun designing (that is what I love). Be even better if I manage to pop a good boat. BE REALLY great if I get someone to buy a boat before I start. Will have to draw up some fancy designs and get round the sailing clubs.
PICS below (only had a key ring camera with me - my phone does not do photos).
 
Good luck, but I hope your GRP work is better than your camera work! What are the dimensions? It looks more like a motor launch than a sailing boat, I can't see enough of the hull to tell, but there doesn't seem to be any suitable keel, centre board or lee-board arrangements.
 
Are you comfortable with the basic naval architecture equasions? If you want to build anything other than what looks like a basic rowing boat for lake fishing then you better become comfortable with them. If your doing this as a business then I would think very carefully before you go sticking cabins and wheelhouses onto things without taking into account things such as stability. Infact I think you might find that both your insurers and your customers might demand it.
Have you now stopped the electronics venture or are you going to be running both ventures side by side?
 
hate to be boring but if you build to sell then you will need to understand European directives etc etc. Alternatively you could just ignore them and do what has been done for years - build boats by instinct. Good luck.
 
Yes.
All good points as usual.
I know if I set it up as a business there will be the red tape.
Firstly I'm going to make a boat for myself (as I had to sell my little cruiser).
It will be a day boat obviously.
Once boat is popped I will install buoyancy tanks (probably make some moulds for them actually.
Centre box for dagger board or swing keel if I am lucky. Maybe stick some weight in the keel once I find out what line she floats at.
Outboard well.
Keel stepped mast (if the equations work out regarding stability). Yes, lots to find out about centre of moments and so on.
A small cabin (like Drascombe - crawl in to sleep) - don't want to create windage.
Transom hung rudder.
If I can create a boat that is light but strong in the right places, I hope it will fit in the trailerable day / weekend boat bracket.

Got to be cheaper than a Hawk 20 for goodness sake!

I do like the lines of the boat. Will take some better photos later! Here is a nice day boat that looks similar: https://publish.comcast.net/rpath/_...DdMLoJ4emdZhMa9cILlnAXpRGRJWh2MfW_FtSeengxNr/

Not looking forward to the rolling, cleaning, fumes. But looking forward to designing some innovative bits.

Lecky stuff still going on. Website is looking better (I think) thanks to helpful people here.
In fact, the chap I bought the mould from wants me to fix his melting LEDs ! I offered to do it for free if he passes on the word that I do a good job. I gave him a few samples already.

Going to Google sources for cheap resin, mat, gel coat, release agent, tissue etc (someone said to look in Halsted) look at some boat building sites / you tube. Can't find an excellent book I had on building a grp boat I bought once
 
I suggest that you take time off for a reality check.

The mould is going to produce a boat with one purpose. If it's meant to have keels and mast and things, you need all the other missing moulds, or to have wood/grp/design skills in abundance.

Just looking at it, the length/beam ratio indicates that it's a rowing boat. You might get away with adding a mast, like a whaler, just about.

If you take some decent pics, and add a few dimensions, it might be possible to deduce the original design function.


IF you are going to get the businesses under way and producing a profit, you must concentrate on what you are best at, and what you like doing. Spreading your undoubted talents and enthusiasm too thinly will lead to great disappointment.
 
sarabande said:
Just looking at it, the length/beam ratio indicates that it's a rowing boat.
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Yes. My first thought was to produce some light but strong tenders for people that own large boats. As we all know, most boat accidents are from tender to cruiser (so say the coastguard I believe) and I thought a light, strong, LARGE tender would sell well _or at least make a profit if I can perfect the quick build process.

If you take some decent pics, and add a few dimensions, it might be possible to deduce the original design function.
Click to expand...
Will do


If you are going to get the businesses under way and producing a profit, you must concentrate on what you are best at, and what you like doing. Spreading your undoubted talents and enthusiasm too thinly will lead to great disappointment.
Click to expand...
True. Disappointment is something I have a lot of and tablets for accompanied by insomnia.
Trouble is I am a good inventor (according to some experts that signed NDA's) but that is it. Not good at anything else _ certainly not selling the products, making contacts, even conversing _ I speak very quickly when I get excited. I have pissed off 2 CEO's even though they loved the products and managed to annoy a Tesco buyer and reached stalemate with Proctor and Gamble.
Wife thinks I am have some autism deep down and I am sure she is right. I need to network and find a business partner. Still working on it and Manufacturing Advisory Service have helped a lot.

Bit of loner.
Took a mate that wanted introduction to sailing for a spin in another mate's boat (I normally single hand).
After packing up, 2 weeks went by before I realised I had left some bits and bobs on board (like my cherished jacket) - I don't make mistakes or get flustered on my own, but put me with other humans and I'm adrift.

It can only get better and I have to work hard to develop the social skills and business skills needed. And whatever I do is better than sitting in front of TV or whatever all day.

Tomorrow I will see if I can fix the LEDs on that chap's boat for him and I guess that may lead to more customers.

Tonight I imagine I will be thinking of innovative buoyancy tanks / seats / thwarts for this large tender _but will take a few sleeping tablets as I am fed up of being awake until 4am.

Thanks for comments.
 
Dont bother you will never make a penny . That the hard facts . Sorry to be harsh but that's the boat building industry today .
 
Yep. It's a lake rowing boat. There are plenty of businesses up and running making them in grp. Businesses that have them inspected and with RCD approval. Businesses that will shop you if they think yours are unlicenced. The boats need to be more than 5 years old to sell without. Fresh from a mould you can't make that look right.

If you want a boat for yourself, go ahead. If you want to make money, forget it.
 
prv said:
Not within five years of building it.

(That's if you want to be legal, of course. Have to say I've never heard of any prosecutions under the RCD, but I'm not the one trying to make a business of it.)

Pete
Click to expand...

There have been prosecutions. Well known one with a Polish boat claimed to be Cat C but accident involving fatalities following a capsize. Boat found not to comply. Supplier went bankrupt. Think you will find that prosecutions are rather low key because they get wrapped up in other Trading Standards offences and tend not to hit the headlines, or offender withdraws product once TS start investigating.
 
Tranona said:
There have been prosecutions. Well known one with a Polish boat claimed to be Cat C but accident involving fatalities following a capsize. Boat found not to comply. Supplier went bankrupt. Think you will find that prosecutions are rather low key because they get wrapped up in other Trading Standards offences and tend not to hit the headlines, or offender withdraws product once TS start investigating.
Click to expand...

This one?

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/Mollyanna.pdf
 
clyst said:
Dont bother you will never make a penny . That the hard facts . Sorry to be harsh but that's the boat building industry today .
Click to expand...

plus 1

Build a boat for yourself and enjoy the process. Even though it is going to cost you twice what you think, take at LEAST twice as long as you planned and at the end you will have something that will be REALLY hard to sell even at 1/3 your material investment.
 
Regardless of the complications of RCD if you were here in Perth (West Oz) I would say forget it.
I know of a few people who have acquired molds for eally good keel boats now out of production. At least 3 types which are highly regarded as a design. The fact is that old examples of the same boat are still very good and far cheaper that a new build. So at best you could store the moulds and advertise that you will build an example if ordered. But the cost of materials will be huge. You may be able to design a very light dinghy using kevlar and carbon fibre. You may be able to sell it on the basis of extreme light weight but you would have to be very clever with engineering design of the hull internals to ensure it was strong enough. Or get the new owner involved in the design so it is his problem.
Stick with boat repairs as an income is my advice. good luck olewill
 
Well, I didn't even have any dreams about the boat last night so that must be an omen.

Going to see if I can help a chap out with his LEDs today. Fix my car ready for MOT, maybe help neighbour with his 6V motorbike lights and spend rest of day designing my dream day sailor (or at least tender - I could become the club's water taxi).

At moment I have the time. I will lay up a boat for myself for the experience and hopefully to float and see how it goes from there.

I'll let you know in about a year and a half I reckon.

I should at least be the one with the largest tender at the club.....and a mould to re-sell.

Many thanks
 
sailorman said:
Only the OP will know when it was built,get real
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I'm sure it would all be fine, that is until it wasn't. If someone was to die in an illegally sold boat I expect the nice people from MCA, HSE and Trading Standards would be quite persistent in their quest to put you out of business, confiscate all your assets, and send you off to prison. They are civil servents. They are good at that.
 
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