Has anyone here started a boat building business from scratch?

[RealityBoatCo]

You could read all the business books in the world and it would not make you successful. Just less likely to fail, they help with planning. But every dealer I ever talked to said show them a boat and they would talk about buying it.

[wet-foot]

I am looking at converting a small fiberglass boat 10' LOA into an inflatable.
Is there a fast or smart way to have the maximum load rate increased?
The HIN could remain the same I do believe? Is this done through the US Coast Guard or?

Thank You in advance

[gonzo]

The fast and smart is to sell the boat and buy a bigger one.

[wet-foot]

The fast and smart is to sell the boat and buy a bigger one.
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Fast yes, smart? - is to learn and explore so I build.

[Robbi]

Hi aqualoco!

You have a very nice boat there and I think you should someway find a market for it.

Are there any boatclubs in your region? Do they have a powerboat racing class for "children"? Here in Finland was once such a class created. The boat that was designed for it is 3,10 m long and 1,25 m wide. It's meant only for one person so you can imagine that it's quite small. The maximum horsepower of the outboard engine is 15 hp and it will go about 30 knots. I once tested one and it really was fast. It had a gas pedal which was quite sensitive.

What about contacting schools? In my school they had a mold of a small boat that one could build as a project. Unfortunately I didn't buld it. Somebody should have told me to do it. A 3 m boat will not take up so much space and is definitely interesting for everybody.

The propulsion system is very nice in the boat. I have a long time planned to modifie some boat to jet propulsion. It's just so hard to find old jets here in Finland. New ones are very expensive. Looks like you have a legend jet on it, or am I wrong? Could you show more pictures of the jet and engine installation?

Don't sell it. Buld one just as a hobby first and see how it will progress.

Good Luck with your plans!

Robbi

[wet-foot]

Is it possible to find a used jetski? You should be able to pull the jet drive unit out and use it in your boat. Or buy one on E-bay have the person rip out the drive system and ship to you ............. $2,500 should do it.

[jetties2003]

hello, my name is john morin. i just read your post about a 3 ring binder you recieved from the uscg. i live on N. Padre and would like to pick up that info. where did you get it. thanks for your help and good luck building your boats.

[Corpus Skipper]

The CG mailed it to me when I applied for my manufacturer ID.

[RealityBoatCo]

Hey aqualoco, you got that company off the ground yet?

[Jocko]

This seems very similar to current Bombardier sport/jet boats. They are very popular and functional/recreational. It seems as if the problem isn't a market, but competition within the market - current production boats also have opened up the bow - added rails and towers for towing etc. The provided pictures look a bit dated to sell in today's market - maybe re-engineering would also be a benefit.

Question - could a small business compete against a multi-national corp?

I wish you the best of luck. Your boat pics look charming. I'd suggest shooting for a niche within the overall market - something that larger companies can't spend the time focusing on.

I'd suggest that that market is pretty 'dynamic' in the sense that they are thrill seekers - that would imply that they are in pursuit of 'image' and performance. Compare your boat to Harley motorcycles - same crowd... (the ones with money, not the greasy tatooed hard core rebels...) Would your boat look appropriate being towed by a $50,000 black sport ute with a host of aftermarket gimicks? driven by a 20 something dude with gelled hair?

[yago]

Originally Posted by Jocko

look appropriate being towed by a $50,000 black sport ute with a host of aftermarket gimicks? driven by a 20 something dude with gelled hair?

that's just the design brief we have all been waiting for ;-)

[Bijit Sarkar]

Hi Aqualoco,
I wish you all the best in your venture. we (meaning my company) have started a new shipyard in Calcutta .We are right now manufacturing 30-40 ton hull blocks for some Indian Navy ships.
I am planning to manufacture frp speedboats, the first of the line is just out and will be launched in a week. Its a 5.7m hull with 2x40 hp mariners.
Hoping , like you , a get a stream of buyers knocking on my doors soon.
Regards
Bijit Sarkar

[aqualoco]

Hey Keystonesteve, although at first glance, there are simularities, my boat is a little different than the Watermouse. Mercury Marine owns the rights to the Watermouse and its produced only in an outboard version. Mercury sponsered a program that let kids race the Watermouse. Disney did use these boats but not sure if they still do. I think they have gone to a more contemperary design from another builder.The Lark or AquaLark is a much older design from a different builder and was made in a Jet and outboard version. Below,pics of the Mercury Watermouse is on the left and the Lark on the right.

[aqualoco]

Hello Wetfoot and Robbi, thanks for you interest and input as well as everyone elses. The Seajet used a small jet pump and intake housing made by Berkley back in the day. Since these pumps are outdated and no longer made, it was built using a Kawasaki jetski pump. The intake housing also was cut out of the jetski and molded in the boat as well. This process works but it's just not pratical. Especially if any signifigant amounts are to be made. There is one aftermarket manufacturer that makes an intake housing and uses the solas pump, all as a bolt in unit. This is the way to go but the cost of the unit with trim system is around $1,850 unless buying in large quanities.

[aqualoco]

Hey RealityBoatCo., No I am not there yet but thanks for asking.