Looking for 14’-20’ flats/bay boat molds

Looking for flats/bay 14’-20’ boat molds hull and cap would be nice but hull only is fine let me know what you have 843-480-2724

 

Welcome to the Forum Walker.
Are you planning on producing fibreglass flats boats to sell commercially?
If you are already building boats commercially, what other types are you building?

 

Planning on building flats and bay style boats and also microskiffs

 

I am just thinking that any existing moulds will be from somebody else setting up a similar operation, and not succeeding for whatever reason.

Have you done some market research, to see what people want from these boats, and how much they are prepared to pay for them?

There are a lot of plans available online for people who want to build their own flats boats, and there have been various threads about them on this Forum recently.

Here is one thread, about a Texas Scooter flats boat -
Help drawing and design Texas Scooter boat https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/help-drawing-and-design-texas-scooter-boat.63386/

Here is another thread about a similar boat - I guess it would qualify as a 'flats' boat?
Pocket tunnel bateau https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/pocket-tunnel-bateau.64358/

 

Molds have a maximum amount of boats that can be pulled out of them. The quantity depends on the quality you expect. Most used molds are at the end of their life, or past it.

 

+1 re Gonzo's comments above.
Walker, it might be easier / cheaper in the long run to build your own mould, and then you can build it to suit exactly the size of boat that you think would be most suitable / easiest to sell to the potential buyers out there.

 

I do have a frame of the 17’ boat I designed myself stitched and glued but I don’t want to have to go thru the process of cutting and building the boat up every time before fiberglassing nor do I want any wood in my boat. Can I make a mold out of what I have? Also for the deck stringers and floors/deck can’t I use closed cell foam then fiberglass over it? Or will it be to flexible?

 

Stitch and glue boats seldom emerge with the precision needed to build a molded product from.
If your design shown is proven to be a product superior to that which is currently available, the lines should be transferred to digital form and then reproduced to obtain a perfect mold.

 

Can I use closed cell foam to make the deck cap and stringers and fiberglass over them or will they be to flexible?

 

You can use anything you prefer, but you may need to hire an engineer or get proactive in researching the merits and structural values of various materials and combinations of materials available.
If you are going into production mode with this, I’d encourage you to accurately mold all parts to speed assembly and maintain repeatability.

 

It will depend on the number of transverse and / or longitudinal reinforcements that you place.
What advantage do you see, for a boat of that size, placing closed cell foam?. In either case, you will need to fiberglass it above and below.

 

That stitch and glue boat, does not appeal as a "bay boat", it would not handle anything beyond a slight chop. A mile in that, in choppy water, you would need a cup of tea and a lie down.

 

Never said it was a bay boat I said I was looking for a flats/bay mould and that was just a stitch and glue I put together and the last one I built just like that one handled chop just fine. Guess it depends on who’s driving.

 

I got the impression, quite reasonably, I think, that you had the idea of that stitch and glue being the basis to proceed to making a mould, as to it handling chop, I guess that is subjective, but I don't think the driver would make much difference.

 

Stitch and glue is not a very accurate way of building a hull. It is used for one-offs because it is simple and cheap. However, a commercial product should have a lot of cosmetic features to make it appealing. Also, the hull is maybe 15% of the mold you will need. The cap, hatch lids, console, seats, etc. are the bulk of the molds.