Cost of mold- 24ft Center Console Hull- Insight needed?

Hello,

Strange question but I wanted to ask.

How much would it cost to have a hull mold made off my own 24ft x 8.5ft plug we built? For some reason, I can not even get a ballpart estimate. Is it $20k or $200k? Any recommendation in who to contact to get a solid estimate.

We have a different idea for a 24ft boat design and layout that I want to try building.

I know this sounds like a NOOB question but we are getting closer to completion of our plug.

Thank you for your time. I am grateful.

 

What is your plug built from?
Is it fully faired now, and ready to lay up a mould on?
It sounds like you are not too keen on building the mould yourselves?

Re how you now have a 'different idea' for a 24' boat design, how different is the hull shape to your existing plug?
Or will you use the same plug / mould, but just a different layout?
There is not a lot of scope really for radical change on a 24' centre console hull.

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply. We took an older hull, lengthened it, and changed the running surface. The also made it a rolled gunnel.

It is faired and ready to pop a mold off it.

 

Noone here really enjoys supporting theft of designs. So, before anyone supports the endeavor, best explain the 'older' hull.

 

Understood. I am not splashing a hull.
The plug is a Garvey with a progressive V and a pad added. Our own design. Very different idea to make a cheaper 24ft v skiff.

 

I do have to ask this, if you are not confident to make the mold, how are you going to use it? After all, laying up a mold is exactly the same as laying up the boat. If the plug is finished to your satisfaction, just start waxing and laminating.

People are probably not keen to give you an estimate because of several reasons:
1. If the plug is indeed finished it's a very cheap thing, just the materials and a few hours of laminating or chopper gun. If they're busy it's not worth their time.
2. They can't give you an estimate without actually seeing it, since they didn't buildt the plug they have no idea if it's done right, if it will demold in one piece, or if the plug is indeed finished to a standard they like.

Any place dealing with fiberglass can lay up a mold, it doesn't matter if they do boats, cars, or kitchen sinks.

 

I agree that the process is the same,no matter what the product is.The questions that I would pose relate to the surface finish,draft angles and absence of sharp corners that can make the whole process much more difficult if not done correctly.Has our enquirer any prior experience that allows him to get these elements right?If the answer is yes,it is indeed just a matter of laminating,but only up to a point.A maker of hot tubs might not appreciate the need for such things as waterlines on the outside of the mould or the amount of framing to retain the original shape.Good luck with the project.

 

Thank you for the replies. Ironically our specialty is not in fiberglass. We have all other aspects in place and are trying to compartmentalize the process.

Have one person finish the plug, one company make the mold, one company build the boats for us.

The logic is that we are not tied to a specific company or person and allows us to ensure we get what we want.

Also I have not found a company that would be willing to do it all from start to finish.
I am open to all suggestions. Thank you for your time and insight.

 

Any FRP shop can make a crappy mold.

If you seriously are interested in a proper production mold built by a professional, we are just coming off of producing tooling for a 48ft CC. We do have some AOC MoldTru LPT68000 low profile tooling resin leftover.

We are located in South Carolina. You can find my email and phone number on my Facebook page.

keep in mind, your plug will still likely need to be modified. It probably needs a flange installed, and it needs sufficient framework internally so it can be flipped & moved upside down without crumpling.

 

Costing is based on square footage.

US average is currently about $385 / sqft for zero-to-hero (start with nothing, deliver production mold)

For plug provided, expect $65 to $185 depending on modifications required, finish requirements, and material selection.

Cheapest mold I’ve ever built was $48/sqft.

Production can be anywhere from $5/sqft to $100/sqft. Varies with laminate thickness, material, and labor. There’s economies of scale for larger projects. Labor is the highest expense of any project. For production work over 150sqft, we usually do it via vacuum infusion process in order to deliver a more consistent product.