Chinese ripoff

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by alidesigner, Nov 3, 2010.

  1. Alik
    Joined: Jul 2003
    Posts: 3,075
    Likes: 357, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 1306
    Location: Thailand

    Alik Senior Member

  2. alidesigner
    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posts: 189
    Likes: 6, Points: 18, Legacy Rep: 93
    Location: Australia

    alidesigner Senior Member

    They might only be Alibaba but they seem to be profiting from the work of others.

    The text on that page is the same as on that armacrafts web site.
     
  3. Alik
    Joined: Jul 2003
    Posts: 3,075
    Likes: 357, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 1306
    Location: Thailand

    Alik Senior Member

    Yes, I believe they built this boat for armcraft.
     
  4. Ad Hoc
    Joined: Oct 2008
    Posts: 7,774
    Likes: 1,679, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 2488
    Location: Japan

    Ad Hoc Naval Architect

    Alibaba is the chinese equivalent of something like ebay...in the sense of being able to search for 'something' from 'somewhere' to buy in or from china. It is huge! It is the number 1 'search engine' that chinese use for items/eqpt/products.

    I bought some 20tonne of sandstone from a company i got off Alibaba, saved a real fortune going direct to the quarry supplying the stone. I saved over 85% in total cost.

    But Alibaba does not vet the companies nor really care too much. I paid for all the importing of my sandstones (for my patio) but when they arrived in Japan...er...nope...no such payment was made to cover..despite me confirming and double checking BEFORE i made the payment. Even though i still had to pay extra for a cost i thought i'd already paid for, i still got an amazing deal....over 85% cheaper than i could buy from a DIY store or quarry in Japan!

    Alibaba is 'collecting' as many companies as possible to expand....when i complained to them about the company i used to buy my stones not covering the costs of import, as agreed, they just shrugged their shoudlers and washed their hands of it. The company is still listed on their website.

    But as alidesigners says...having a GA is a far cry from the cutting files etc. We know of several companies that have GAs of ours, without our authorisation.....but end of the day...it's just a GA....a pretty picture, it is NOT a design. Anyone buying a boat from such companies, chinese, assuie, uk or otherwise, has been 'conned' into thinking said company knows what it is doing.

    This happens every day, the world over....
     
  5. CatBuilder

    CatBuilder Previous Member

    An all Chinese material boat would scare me enough that I'd be afraid to take it to sea.

    Yikes!
     
  6. Alik
    Joined: Jul 2003
    Posts: 3,075
    Likes: 357, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 1306
    Location: Thailand

    Alik Senior Member

    Sounds if You buy the same Chinese materials from European and US suppliers they become more reliable :D
     
  7. CatBuilder

    CatBuilder Previous Member

    No, same thing stands true here. A boat of all Chinese materials would scare me badly.
     
  8. Aqtek
    Joined: Nov 2010
    Posts: 5
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: USA - Colorado

    Aqtek Junior Member

    As much as I hate to say it you must have a patent in order to qualify for any level of protection. And getting a utility patent is very difficult for a boat (design patents are the norm for boats and are for the most part useless). It's also probably a waste of money because global coverage is quite expensive. The best protection is to do a deal with the Chinese company before they copy your design.
     
  9. WickedGood

    WickedGood Guest

    Hey Alik

    That is one really cool looking Sea Duck Hunting boat.

    has everything. looks seaworthy and a roof to keep the ice & snow off and a dive platform for the dogs to retrive the ducks

    If you want to send one of those to Maine; Ill run it for you as part of my Hunting Guide service and we split the profits.

    Capt Walt
    Master Maine Guide
    **********************

    [​IMG]
     
  10. alidesigner
    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posts: 189
    Likes: 6, Points: 18, Legacy Rep: 93
    Location: Australia

    alidesigner Senior Member

    These guys came to us, promised to buy but just needed more info. So for 2 weeks we answered all their questions and then they went quiet. Next thing we know is our boat is on their site. So if you try and do a deal with Chinese I recommend getting some money before you feed them any info.

    As for patents they are worthless unless you can afford the legal costs of enforcing them.
     
  11. Ad Hoc
    Joined: Oct 2008
    Posts: 7,774
    Likes: 1,679, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 2488
    Location: Japan

    Ad Hoc Naval Architect

    All you need is a proper QA dept/person to check the eqpt being bought..
     
  12. Aqtek
    Joined: Nov 2010
    Posts: 5
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: USA - Colorado

    Aqtek Junior Member

    I have a patented electronic consumer product manufactured in China under license to a Taiwanese company (double wammy!!!) for a number of years. The product is relatively high volume (nearly a million units per year) so there is a pretty good incentive to copy it but I've had no problem. I believe that if you give another a business person a good reason to partner on a project then both win. Like they say it is the art of the deal. But I bad partners can really screw things up.

    Another thought, if Australia has the equal to our Commerce Department they may be able to help. Sometimes a sternly worded letter from a government agency can be helpful.
     
  13. Alik
    Joined: Jul 2003
    Posts: 3,075
    Likes: 357, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 1306
    Location: Thailand

    Alik Senior Member

    Yes, but originally it is designed to hunt criminals in Nigeria :D
     
  14. Landlubber
    Joined: Jun 2007
    Posts: 2,640
    Likes: 125, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 1802
    Location: Brisbane

    Landlubber Senior Member

    ...why, is it open season in Nigeria?
     

  15. alidesigner
    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posts: 189
    Likes: 6, Points: 18, Legacy Rep: 93
    Location: Australia

    alidesigner Senior Member

    I found a legal page on the alibaba web site so I sent them an email and copied in greenbay and the page has been removed. Wont stop them but a small victory.
     
Loading...
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.