Tools needed for medium scale boat manufacturing?

That is the way to go. That is what we did. Moved to an "eco zone" where there is no tax/vat on incoming materials as long as it is exported back. Labor was abundant and when they are substandard, they go back to training school set up by the government. Manufacturing space built/available for rent so no cash out to build a structure.

We manufactured parts and prefab parts for export so everything was exported in a container. QC/QA was simple. Cosmetic appearance first then a check on a go/nogo jig to verify dimensional tolerances.

 

Good to hear this type of approach is feasible. I am pricing aluminum fuel tanks and possibly flotation engine brackets (to set engine back 24in) with built in swim platform on each side. Should enlarge the useable deck space with the engine off the transom.

 

You are in the U.S. right? Why dont you sell as "Kits" where the parts are pre built to 49% completion. Similar to kit cars and kit airplanes. The customer buys the kit parts and completes the installation such as the hull and deck, center console, and all the kit parts. Then he/she install the motor/electronics of his choice like a custom built.

Same principle as the electronics. All the parts are built outside, preassembled into a pc board, tested, then the end manufacturer assembles the parts to produce a product to a specification.

 

Yes I am in Florida.

What are the advantages of 49%? With boats its tricky as they all have HIN hull id number and end customer might only be able to register as homemade. Also, much smaller market of people that are able to lower deck onto hull and properly join them, etc. Americans want convenience and dont mind paying for quality product.

 

"Kits", finished off to a certain percentage, might be a good idea.

It's been discussed here before, but there is a legal liability attached to manufacturing boats.

 

Kit built passes the liability to the builder. The manufacturer limits its liability to its product/parts.

With kit builts, the customer is not obliged to fork out a lot of money up front. He spends as he progresses and stop when he runs out of funds. Then he can sell the partially built kit.

S bell>You can, in your U.S. shop, complete the assembly and sell the completely finished product. Then you assume full responsibility to the product.

 

Understood.

I am also looking for good lamination schedule info. 200hp 4stroke power 460 lbs engine will be used

 

I don't think the labor cost saved with the layup of a 19' hull and innerliner offshore will offset import and freight costs. I could be wrong, but the labor in the hull/liner layup is a pretty small percentage of the overall cost.

 

It depends on the shape of the boat, any structural reinforcements you use, like stringers, frames, bulkheads etc, what kind of resins are used, what kind of 'glass' materials are used, like e-glass, carbon, kevlar or mat, cloth, woven roven, unidirectional, etc. Foam composites? Balsa?

Will you have a molded deck? Will you have a molded deck and liner?

It's also usually kind of a secret. There is usually a good amount of trial and error ($) involved and it's no good to inform competition how to do it.

What kind of building capabilities do you have? Have you ever worked with fiberglass?

 

Understood Sam. I have never worked with fiberglass

3 piece - hull, deck, cap

 

Interesting to see the kit boat idea proposed. When I was a young boatbuilder way back in the mid 1970s in NZ most production boats were available at any stage of completion from a bare hull shell on up to a finished boat, a lot of people would actually buy the bare hull and decks, then hire a custom boatbuilder such as myself to comlete it, it wasn't necessarily to save money but rather to end up with a better boat. I also owned a fiberglass laminating shop where we built our own line of dinghies as well as products for other companies. When we built our own boats the highest profit was when we sold a bare hull straight out of the mold for the owner to finish themselves, the next most profitable was when we sold a blem hull and the least profit was selling a completed boat. That was another time though when people still liked to build things themselves.
What country are you looking at building in??

Steve

 

That is the idea Steve. There is more profit if you sell only the parts as the manufacturer has the facilities to produce the parts which the customer does not have or is not willing to invest for one build. It can be preassembled, say hull and deck, with all the cutouts and holes, properly trimmed. The customer assembles it with minimum effort.

In our cost breakdown, we don't make money on OEM parts, only the cost of money or a little mark up. The biggest savings is the discount we get from the OEM. Up to 40%. All the parts that will be added to the boat is secured by a warranty from the manufacturer or sub contractors. Say bimini top is an option. The manufacturer can offer that but he/she does not make it.