Dinghy building from mould - cost, condition, work...

[boony]

Hi all

I was hoping for a little advice. Im in Australia.

Im being offered a dinghy mould and my intention is to start making dinghies as a hobby (and while unemployed) for spare cash. Ive previously done basic fibreglass repairs but this project will be a true learning experience in regards to working and building with fibreglass.

The mould is being offered at $400. I've sees some photos and it looks good but as yet I haven't seen it physically.

My questions are :

• is this a fair price for a used mould ? I guess this is very subjective.
  
• on physical inspection what should I look out for to ensure the mould is suitable for ongoing use ?
  
• according to the current builder the raw material cost would be around $150 per dinghy. Does this sound like a fair approximation ?
  
• another subjective question...as a one man project and once Ive gone through the learning process of building a couple of test boats, how many work hours from start to finish can I reasonably expect for each dinghy ?
  
• the tools I would need ?
  

Cheers for any help or further points I may have missed.

Update : this is a 2 metre long dinghy (rowboat) as opposed to dinghy sailor.

[urisvan]

i highly recommend the book "fiberglass and composite materials" by Forbes Aird.
you did not mention the size of the dingy but i think you can do it in one day if you work hard. but get aware of the toxins so you will need a good mask. do not hesitate to give money for a convenient mask.

[boony]

Cheers for your reply. I also plan on getting a book as part of the investment. Thx for the title.

Dinghy is a 2 metre.