Made from wood?

[Hushinish]

I am a joiner, and have often enjoyed putting my skill to work on the various yachts I have owned.

I live a long way from the sea, but I wondered about making made to measure items, like hatches, gratings, rubbing strake section, interior fittings etc. anything that could be made to templates or sketches and posted to the customer. I wonder, does anyone think there would be a demand for that sort of thing?

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[Peterduck]

I am part way through refitting the interior of my old gaff ketch "Swallow'. Now, I live a mere 40 km from the boat, but I still make a lot of components at home and take them to be fitted. Then I take them home again because of some small misfit because I had not taken enough measurements. I have found the hard way that taking measurements is something of an art form. [Hey Dan, how about an article by one of your Gurus on how to take measurements that work?] The angle that you'd swear was a right angle ain't; the piece that you are certain is a rectangle has a slight invisible taper, and so on. Nothing, it appears, is as it seems, and the older the boat, the more that this applies. "Made to measure" sounds fine, but the devil is in the measuring! Try convincing a customer that it's their boat that is not square, not your workmanship!
Peter.

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[clouty]

There are no right angles. Nothing is symetrical. You have to pattern, which is fine for two dimensions, but if the item has thickness too, then you need to be clever with a bevel and a woggleboard. Builders' plastic is good for patterns/templates. 'swhy boatwork costs. That and replacing the tools that get dropped in the dock.

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[ccscott49]

As long as you get an adequate pattern, something which is virtually impossible for a wooden boat, you should get some customers, but I wouldn't hold my breath, boats are just not symetrical or in most part measureable, by the amatuers who will be sending the patterns/measurements, just a word of warning. IMHO, but I could do with a couple of new gratings!

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[Evadne]

There are already a couple of companies offer this service for gratings, Onward (Southampton) for instance either make to measure or will sell you ready-cut grating parts. They are very expensive, though very good, but (crucially for me) only come in two sizes. I could see the problem if you were to order a grating which turns out to be 5mm too small/large because you are not an expert measurer.
However I could see the advantage in being able to buy small, cunningly moulded or shaped pieces such as cockpit coaming mouldings and cappings, made from a pattern or the rotten original, likewise for non-critical bits such as lengths of ready-scarphed rubbing strake.

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