Initial Consultation with a Marine Architect

[67-LS1]

I've had an idea for a boat design for a while now and would like to discuss it with a professional. I don't have CAD drawings and such, but I do have some hand drawings and quite a few photos of design elements of other boats that could be used to convey what I'm visualizing.
My plan would be to have enough detail in drawing and specifications so that I could shop the design among builders. This wouldn't be a one-off, as I plan to build multiple boats.
What I would like to determine first is, is my design buildable, will it fit in the package size I want, will it perform as desired, and can it be built and sold for a price people would pay.
My question is, where do I start?
Thanks,
Dennis

[Tad]

LSI;

Go back to the homepage of this site and click on the boat design directory, then on designers. Go through the list and visit sites of designers until you find 2-3 that are doing the type of boat you are intending to build, or are just doing work that impresses you in some way. E-mail those people and ask the same questions you ask above, also ask about cost to consider the question.

Multiple boats infers tooling, this will be separate from design and construction cost. Go to the boatbuilders section in the directory, in there click on CNC, contact Janicki, North end, Blount, etc. for tooling costs. This has to be added to the cost of each boat.

Beyond that you need a highly experienced marine marketing consultant, good ones charge a lot, and are worth every penny. Some designers are very experienced in marketing production boats, many have no experience in this, ask. The good ones will have opinions and knowledge on what can be sold. You can do market research yourself, look at current retail prices of the type of boat you are intending to build.

All the best, Tad.

[gonzo]

What kind and size of boat are you talking about?

[67-LS1]

Tad,
I will look through the design directory. Thanks for the lead. I have seen Janicki and that's pretty much what I had in mind. I know I would have to amortize the costs of tooling and mold making over "x" amount of hulls to make it work. Does anyone have an idea as to how many hulls you could expect to get from a given set of molds prior to their needing major renovations?
I hadn't got to the point that I had even thought about a marketing consultant. I understand the need, but I guess at this point in my "idea" that seems a ways off.
I would have to have a consultant on board to help raise capitol also. While I don't have a clear idea as to the cost of a venture like this, I would have to assume it's more then I could afford on my own.
Does anyone have an idea as to what a set of conseptual drawings might cost. The vessel would be a power design, approx 35-40 LOA, and would be closest in design to a PT boat.
Dennis

[Tad]

Dennis;
A good tool, if treated well and looked after, could produce hundreds of parts. Probably far more than you can sell.

The marketing consultant knows people and will get exposure for your product, this is key to the success of your venture.

Tooling costs will be in the hundreds of thousands, design costs could range anywhere from $10-50,000 or more. You will also find someone willing to do it for less. Tank testing may cost $20,000 or more. Then the cost of actually building the boat. And then advertising costs, a page in a major US magazine will cost $20,000. You need a bunch of these.

Your initial sketches and a designer's conceptual drawings are the most important element in this venture. On those drawings rests the whole idea. This is not the place to save money by going to the lowest priced guy.

But your whole program needs to be tuned to where you are going in the marketplace. Are you after the high-end market, or the very bottom? If this is a budget boat aimed at local pedestrians, then tank-testing will not impress them. If your aimed toward upwardly mobile yuppies, tank-testing makes some sense. If you are aimed at experienced retirees, tank-testing is vital. And so it goes through the whole program.

Choice of a designer follows the same path, does the designers reputation matter or not? Is his name going to be part of your marketing plan? If so then he better fit with your product.

All the best, Tad.

[Stephen Ditmore]

If your idea is PT boat-like you might want to speak with the guy who wrote a two part article on the structural design of high speed craft in Professional BoatBuilder issues #67 and #68.
http://www.proboat.com/pbbbi.htm

Donald Blount is also an expert in this type.

[67-LS1]

Stephen,

I subscribe to Professional BoatBuilder, but I don't go back that far. I would like to read those so I'll order the back issues. Thanks for the lead. Did Donald Blount write the articles?

Also, at what speed does a boat become "high speed"? Is it a certain speed, or a certain speed for a given hull design? I would want my design to plane, mainly so as to leave a smaller wake, but it wouldn't have to do 50 knots?

Dennis