Old moulds

[Guest]

Wonder what happens to the old moulds when builders discontinue a model? F'line et al claim they can't build a sub 30 footer profitably, but I bet someone can. Well, actually, Bavaria appear to be giving it a go, amongst others. I wonder how much the big boys would sell an old mould set for?

Proven hull design, plenty of feedback from owners, and a chance for someone to change a few bits around? I understand that this happened quite a bit in years gone by, but what about more recently?

 

[cfrew]

Bring back the Fairline 36 Turbo! There is definately a gap in the market for this particular type of Motor Cruiser.

However, I was told once that most manufacturers can only use the hull moulds five/six times and then they are usually destroyed.

 

[NorthernWave]

The daewoo and Vauxhall Astra too.



FIXED IT!!! So good being an inny!!!

 

[kimhollamby]

Some old moulds do survive to be reincarnated but there are a few problems, if the experience of the past couple of decades is a measure:

a) new boats built out of old moulds have significantly higher prices to buy them in 2003 than the secondhand equivalents that can be found on the market at the same time. To use Claire's example, a 'new' 36 Turbo, even if the moulds have survived the chain saw, would not come to market for less than a quarter of a million I suspect but it would still look like a boat built in the 1980s/early 1990s. This is much less of an issue of course for boats with a truly classic look, such as Nelsons and the like.

b) old moulds take up a lot of space and they do tend to get chopped up after a while, especially as they are usually stored out of doors, catching rainwater and (ironically) develop osmosis or other ailments requiring extensive refurbishment.

c) old moulds are also chopped up by existing manufacturers to protect design and brand image.

I suspect the answer to providing greater impetus in the sub-30 market is for someone to think out of the loop and then for owners to be brave enough to buy the result (ie it might not necessarily be GRP hull and deck with lots of options, mouldings only doing some of the work and stainless steel everything etc etc).

In Bavaria's case, they have taken plenty of heat for it, not all of it well-informed, but that company's solution is to apply full production line thinking to what it builds. It is real Ford model T stuff, not to everyone's liking but it does bring with it prices that have made me turn my head on more than one occasion when walking past its boat show stands.

As a prospective boat buyer (and no, I haven't got a clue what yet) I suspect I know where you are coming from.

kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[boatmad2]

Waterside Leisure have just brought out a new river cruiser moulded by Viking using the old 30ft Senior moulds I belive

 

[Guest]

Not coming from anywhere, particularly. Other than thinking back to the summer, looking around our boat, and wishing I could change a few things.

Case in point: fuel tank. Full, mine weighs half tonne, and it sits transversely (I would have said athwartships, but I think that's a one way ticket to the PBO forum, innit?) ahead of the engines. Now I wonder why the tank isn't V shaped, and down as low as it can go in the bilges under the midships cabin? If it were, then the cabin could be 18 inches wider. It occurs to me that stability would be improved, too.

There area flock of improvements like this that most owners can think up (which begs the question: Why can't the damn boat designers?). If you took a classic boat like the T36, fixed the niggly daft things, and brough the interior up to date, there'd be a market, surely? Or my Targa 29, or the recently dumped Targa 30...

 

[jfm]

Fairline most definitely cahinsaw theirs to smithereens, to protect brand/image. They told me this on a factory visit. They do last for much more than 5/6 boats, cfrew. If not accidentally bust a mould should last for an entire run of 50-200 boats

 

[Bejasus]

The Waterside is made by Viking Mouldings using the mould of the old Seamaster 30

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/h00>http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/h00</A>

 

[kimhollamby]

Yes, it's true that the moulds usually last a lot longer...especially if well maintained. Given the cost of tooling there is a significant incentive to preserve moulds as long as possible.

Chainsaw may also be used to protect designer's interests. Some manufacturers employ designers on a royalty per boat basis.


kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[hlb]

I can remember being at school. It's a long time ago. We used to get old saucers and things and cover them in vasaline. Then make glue out of flour and water, tear old newspaper up into little bits and stick them on. After a few weeks we had a brand new saucer and could paint it. But would it suffer from Osmosis??

<font color=blue> Haydn

 

[burgundyben]

I know the whereabouts of the Fairey Spearfish mould, someone just built one, I know, I know, I keep going on about Fairey Boats.

"Who was he?"

 

[chippie]

Someone in Auckland made a swimming pool out of one. I wonder how long it will last.

 

[oldgit]

the reason the tank is not placed anywhere in the bilge area is with regard to the problem of moisture destroying the fuel tank.To remove the( very leaky) fuel tank on my Regal involved having to use a chain saw to remove decking(totally rotten)and bearers(bit rotten).Foam filler in voids was satureated with water.It must have weighed a ton!

NV.