If I offer it, will anyone order it?

[john zimmerlee]

Though my design won the 2008 Int'l Concept Boat Design Award and I now have a patent, none of the four kayak manufacturers that expressed interest can take on this new project in this economy.

You can see the boat in action at www.streamdancer.com

Start up costs prohibit my producing the boat myself.

I'm thinking of offering plans for the boat and including the foot-controls/electronics for about $400.

The boat can be built out of material from Home Depot and would take just 2 weekends with modest tools. The entire boat including plans would cost under $1200.

What kind of a market is there for a build it yourself boat?

John Zimmerlee
Stream Dancer

[Eric Sponberg]

Welcome to the world of boat design. I can't afford to build my own designs either.

There is a small but steady market of DIY boatbuilders. Expect to sell lots of study plans, which you should offer, maybe as a free download, and a few sets of full-plans. For your boat, at that size, $400 is about 10 times too much. Think in terms of $40, and you might sell some.

To make a good business of it, you should study the websites of other DIY providers, look at the detail they provide. Also, have an easy method to pay for plans (credit card, pay pal, etc.) and make your plans downloadable from your website.

Eric