Re: [bolger] Jim Betts Boatbuilding Tips
Jim Betts best tip:
"Now for the bad news. Yes, you may build your own boat and
save half
the price of a similar production boat, but I assume you are
building
in wood and wooden boats are not easy to sell. NEVER BUILD A
BOAT
THAT YOU CAN'T SIMPLY THROW AWAY AFTER FIVE YEARS. [emphasis added]
That's cruel, but true. Building a boat is a labor of love.
You have the
dream, do the work and enjoy the results; that's your
reward. It
should be enough. How many people can say the have had a
similar
reward?"
Please join me in voting no in our current poll.
Thanks,
Mark
"Now for the bad news. Yes, you may build your own boat and
save half
the price of a similar production boat, but I assume you are
building
in wood and wooden boats are not easy to sell. NEVER BUILD A
BOAT
THAT YOU CAN'T SIMPLY THROW AWAY AFTER FIVE YEARS. [emphasis added]
That's cruel, but true. Building a boat is a labor of love.
You have the
dream, do the work and enjoy the results; that's your
reward. It
should be enough. How many people can say the have had a
similar
reward?"
Please join me in voting no in our current poll.
Thanks,
Mark
The Coast Guard document is available on-line (MS Word format) at
http://www.duckboats.net/USCGPamphlet.doc
Mark Goldberg
http://www.duckboats.net/USCGPamphlet.doc
Mark Goldberg
This was part of an e-mail sent out by Worldboat.com, a seller of
boat plans (non-Bolger mostly), but seemed to have several important
bits of info for us Bolger builders, too, so I thought I'd forward it
to the group.
Has anyone ever gotten a USCG Manufacturer's Identification
Code as he mentions, to get better prices on supplies (and maybe be
tax-exempt?).
By Jim Betts
- Do not undertake a boat-building project that will take more than a
year to complete. Your labor will become a bore and your needs and
wants may change.
- Talk with others who have built the boat. The designer should be
willing to supply names. If possible, see the boat in action.
- Try for a design where all the building can be done by you alone.
Yes, you can get a helping hand from time to time, but don't
count on
it.
- Failing that, try to get a partner to help with the building for a
share of the ownership. (And a share of costs, to be sure!)
- Become a "Custom Builder," not an amateur builder. Print a simple
letterhead. Get a USCG Manufacturer's Identification Code (Or
your country's equivalent Ed.), This is the three-letter
code
that is the first part of the hull ID number on manufactured boats.
Get the forms from your local Coast Guard station (or write to your
national coast guard headquarters Ed.). This is free. Put the
code
on yourletterhead. The reason for all this is so you can buy equipment
directly from the manufacturer at OEM prices. (Usually about half the
retail price.) Put your Hull Identification Number on your boat as
per instructions in the Coast Guard material. In then becomes a
custom-built boat, not an amateur-built boat. This pays off when
you sell it.
- Speaking of the Coast Guard, write to the US Coast Guard at 2100
Second St. SW, Washington, DC 20593 for their free 52-page booklet
"Safety Standards For Backyard Boat Builders." It tells you about
powering, safe loading, flotation, ventilation, fuel systems,
electrical systems, capacity, and much more.
- If you have a sheltered building site, fine; otherwise plan your
building schedule around your weather. Cold hands do poor work.
Besides, most glues do not set a low temperature.
- Do not make major changes in the design. In fact, DO NOT make any
changes unless you discuss them with the designer. Every detail has a
reason.
- Build a boat "one size" bigger. Say 20% or so. You will be happier
longer. Most boat builders and buyers move up in a few years (But the
really smart ones often move down in size after the dock fees and
maintenance costs for a
few years.)
- Study the local boats and boating conditions. Talk with local boat
owners. You don't want, for example, a deep-keel boat on the
Maryland Eastern Shore.
- If possible, make your hardware rather than buying it. Wooden
cleats are easy to make from scrap wood and cost nothing but your
time.
- The most useful tools are a power plane and a belt sander. They can
cure many a problem. Also sawdust and epoxy, which fill many a void.
- (A baker's dozen.) When buying wood at your local lumber yard,
NEGOTIATE! You are not "building an amateur boat," you are "starting
a boat-building business." This is good for a 20% discount on your
order. Trust me on this.
Now for the bad news. Yes, you may build your own boat and save half
the price of a similar production boat, but I assume you are building
in wood and wooden boats are not easy to sell. Never build a boat
that you can't simply throw away after five years. That's
cruel, but true. Building a boat is a labor of love. You have the
dream, do the work and enjoy the results; that's your reward. It
should be enough. How many people can say the have had a similar
reward?
####
Jim Betts invites comments on this article. He can be reached at PO
Box 1309, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742-1309 by regular post only.
boat plans (non-Bolger mostly), but seemed to have several important
bits of info for us Bolger builders, too, so I thought I'd forward it
to the group.
Has anyone ever gotten a USCG Manufacturer's Identification
Code as he mentions, to get better prices on supplies (and maybe be
tax-exempt?).
>>>>>HELPFUL TIPS FOR AMATEUR BUILDERS
By Jim Betts
- Do not undertake a boat-building project that will take more than a
year to complete. Your labor will become a bore and your needs and
wants may change.
- Talk with others who have built the boat. The designer should be
willing to supply names. If possible, see the boat in action.
- Try for a design where all the building can be done by you alone.
Yes, you can get a helping hand from time to time, but don't
count on
it.
- Failing that, try to get a partner to help with the building for a
share of the ownership. (And a share of costs, to be sure!)
- Become a "Custom Builder," not an amateur builder. Print a simple
letterhead. Get a USCG Manufacturer's Identification Code (Or
your country's equivalent Ed.), This is the three-letter
code
that is the first part of the hull ID number on manufactured boats.
Get the forms from your local Coast Guard station (or write to your
national coast guard headquarters Ed.). This is free. Put the
code
on yourletterhead. The reason for all this is so you can buy equipment
directly from the manufacturer at OEM prices. (Usually about half the
retail price.) Put your Hull Identification Number on your boat as
per instructions in the Coast Guard material. In then becomes a
custom-built boat, not an amateur-built boat. This pays off when
you sell it.
- Speaking of the Coast Guard, write to the US Coast Guard at 2100
Second St. SW, Washington, DC 20593 for their free 52-page booklet
"Safety Standards For Backyard Boat Builders." It tells you about
powering, safe loading, flotation, ventilation, fuel systems,
electrical systems, capacity, and much more.
- If you have a sheltered building site, fine; otherwise plan your
building schedule around your weather. Cold hands do poor work.
Besides, most glues do not set a low temperature.
- Do not make major changes in the design. In fact, DO NOT make any
changes unless you discuss them with the designer. Every detail has a
reason.
- Build a boat "one size" bigger. Say 20% or so. You will be happier
longer. Most boat builders and buyers move up in a few years (But the
really smart ones often move down in size after the dock fees and
maintenance costs for a
few years.)
- Study the local boats and boating conditions. Talk with local boat
owners. You don't want, for example, a deep-keel boat on the
Maryland Eastern Shore.
- If possible, make your hardware rather than buying it. Wooden
cleats are easy to make from scrap wood and cost nothing but your
time.
- The most useful tools are a power plane and a belt sander. They can
cure many a problem. Also sawdust and epoxy, which fill many a void.
- (A baker's dozen.) When buying wood at your local lumber yard,
NEGOTIATE! You are not "building an amateur boat," you are "starting
a boat-building business." This is good for a 20% discount on your
order. Trust me on this.
Now for the bad news. Yes, you may build your own boat and save half
the price of a similar production boat, but I assume you are building
in wood and wooden boats are not easy to sell. Never build a boat
that you can't simply throw away after five years. That's
cruel, but true. Building a boat is a labor of love. You have the
dream, do the work and enjoy the results; that's your reward. It
should be enough. How many people can say the have had a similar
reward?
####
Jim Betts invites comments on this article. He can be reached at PO
Box 1309, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742-1309 by regular post only.