Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Page 3 of 6 FirstFirst 123456 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 53

Thread: would like your opinion please

  1. #21
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Indianapolis
    Posts
    90
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I was just looking, Fry's has DesignCAD 3D Max for 59.95...

    There well may be other CAD programs that are as cheap or better, but I know that this program does surfaces very well and that's what you need if you are doing a boat. I don't recall if it has assemblies and part files separately, but I think it does. You need that feature if you want to easily break the finished design down and make drawings of each part.

  2. #22
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    31
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    i am loving all the input and thank you for all your tips however we are getting away from the original question which is do you think the performance boeting communaty will support this kind of bussiness. i ask this because i know the old maitinance fears of wooden boats still exist even tho the reasons for them do not

  3. #23
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Covington, Louisiana
    Posts
    242
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    My biggest problem with downloading a free cad program was how the hell you work the dam thing? I really don't know if all that cad is necessary. I asked a guy one time about his tricked out rock crawling buggy did he use cad to draw it up he said no and he said that he was asked that question a lot though. I mean this thing was freaking SICK all kinds of crazy bends with the tubing.

    I personally want to build my own aluminum flat boat one day, which I hope is soon, saving for a welder now, my plans are to find a boat I like copy a few things and throw a few of my own ideas into it. I joined a boat building forum which can't remember the name of and people were like you needs this cad program and this and that I go so frustrated with the program which I feel I don't need. I think it BS really. I'm amazed how many rock crawling guys and boat builders around Louisiana that I have heard from others that don't use a cad program.

    I say if you have your plans how to make the boat then you're set, go for it, if you really have been building boats for you are friends for a while then why you need a cad program?

  4. #24
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    31
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default hey chris

    well nobody ''needs'' cad and i'm no expert on it. it's just suposed to make drafting easerand faster. makes making changes easer. say i wanted to change the curve of a deck. i pull up the old drawings point and click the new line. the cad makes all the dementions changes automaticly then a few more clicks and the info is sent to the cnc machine and within less than an hour you have the new parts ready to put together.

  5. #25
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Indianapolis
    Posts
    90
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Well Dave, that's the idea, and sometimes it does work that way too!!

    The bottom line is that you can build it in the computer, know what it will weigh, know where the CG will be and, if you use a good tool like Jim Russels design program you will have a real good idea of the stability, the top speed and what it will look like when it is done.

    You would have to build a half a dozen boats to get even close to as good a boat that you will get using the tools that are available today.

    If you spend less than $500 in computer tools and some time will yield a really capable boat the first time out. If you look at what it would cost you to do each iteration and home in on an acceptable design it is far less expensive to do it this way.

    When you go to produce it, the parts come out of the router or waterjet table ready to assemble, all the same and everything fits right. Every time.

    Do you have to do it in CAD today? No, but you would be crazy not to. If you know what you are doing and have somebody that can use CAD then it is a faster and better way to do it. No question about it.

    Most free CAD programs don't have any instruction or tell you how to use them, so it's really easy to get frustrated and give up on the idea of using them. The basic idea of all modeling programs is to define things like plane shapes or surfaces and then join them to form surfaces that are the shape you want. Without either a knowledge of how modeling works or some good tutorials it's going to take some time to learn how to use it. Just because it isn't easy doesn't mean it isn't worth it or the right way to do it, you just have to stick with it and learn to use the tool.

  6. #26
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    31
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    i agree with you yellow. many factors affect the performance and safety of faster boats. definatly will go cad and refine my designe from the get go. may i ask what you designe on yours? since they have programs that can tell me things like lift points and cg that alone will save me a lot of headaches.

  7. #27
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Covington, Louisiana
    Posts
    242
    Post Thanks / Like

    Question

    Yellowjacket I find that certain things can't be downloaded onto my apple mac book pro computer is there cad programs that will download? I guess I shouldn't really right off cad, who knows maybe I'll try it again but doesn't seem worth it in my case if I want to build one boat well I guess it would be good but I wouldn't want to spend the money all on a cnc machine to cut it all out for one boat.

  8. #28
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Indianapolis
    Posts
    90
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Chris, you are wasting your time with an Apple machine. Essentially all of the CAD programs are set up to run on Windows. Some folks run an windows emulator but I don't know anybody who is running a serious CAD program on an Apple machine. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.

    David, we design gas turbine engines. Here are a couple of parts that we do on a daily basis. Parts like these compressors and the inlet housings are complex items that are machined or cast. These comressors are 5 axis milled from titanium. The inlet housing is investment cast in aluminum.

    Here's an example of a boat in CAD that most here can relate to. It's a model in progress of a B&H D mod runabout that I'm working on. I've done the top framing and decking and am working on the bottom framing and will skin it after that. I've cut back the skin on the deck on one side so the framing is visible. All that is left is the cross frame below the driver's knees, the forward battens and one cross frame ahead of the cockpit.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  9. #29
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Las Vegas, NV / Lake Havasu City, AZ
    Posts
    0
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default Owning a Boat Company

    Good Morning,

    I started a small boat manufacturing company about one year ago, and I figured I could share with you what I've learned along the way. Nothing spectacular, but to be a "legal" and legitimate boat builder, you'll need to jump through a few hoops.

    1. Form a business entity - LLC or a corporation to protect yourself in the event of product liability issues/lawsuits. LLC is the simplest and generally the easiest/cheapest to form. All profits/losses are direct pass-through to you as the owner. I have multiple LLC's for various projects and wouldn't dream of doing it any other way.

    2. Apply for a USCG MIC - Manufacturers Identification Code. They will award you a code that becomes part of your hull identification number. The first three letters always identify the builder. They may try and tell you to build one first, register it in your home state as a "backyard boat builder", then they will award you a MIC. I called BS on that and just applied. I've attached the one page application at the very bottom of the post.

    3. Build USCG Legal Boats - I see there has been some discussion about motors. This can always be tricky, because people want to go fast. We all know that big motors can cause big problems. The USCG process for rating motor capacity is something of a white unicorn. 90 degree turns at WOT, slalom courses at WOT, blah, blah, blah. Guys that I have spoken to in the industry have NEVER seen this done and generally follow the guidelines described earlier in the thread. Find the maximum safe motor capacity as the builder, then back it off a notch or two. Your capacity sticker should indicate your maximum motor capacity. If someone exceeds the rated capacity after you sell them a boat, its on them. Flotation foam is required for any boat under 20 feet in length. You'll need to do some calculations to determine the amount of foam required, or just go with your instincts. No foam means non-compliance and potential liability.

    Here's a link to the USCG Boatbuilder's Handbook. This is the document to follow to keep yourself out of trouible. http://www.uscgboating.org/regulatio...downloads.aspx

    4. Marketing, Advertising and Networking - This has been touched on already, but it's a critical part of any business. Doesn't matter if you build the best boat on the planet if nobody knows you're out there. BRF and other websites are a great venue, but you'll need to consider boat shows, online and print media, direct mailers, etc., etc. More is better and keeps folks talking and interested.

    Those are just some of the major considerations from my personal experience and yours may differ. I don't profess to be an expert. My company is part hobby and part business, as I'm fortunate enough to have been in public safety for 23 years. This will be my retirement business and I have realistic expectations about making money. They say the quickest way to make a million dollars as a boat builder is to start with 2 million!

    In the year since I've started, we've built 5 boats. I recently purchased another mold to add to the product line. I've sold one boat to a gentleman in Texas. It was a custom order and worked out well for everybody. The other four are in the Domn8er Powerboats showroom in Lake Havasu City, AZ, waiting for buyers. The money isn't flowing like it once was, but things are getting better. We'll have them all out at the Havasu boat show April 20-22, as well as Desert Storm. Marketing, marketing, marketing.....

    I don't want to drone on, and by no means is the list above all-inclusive. If you have any questions or want to chat about anything, please feel free to drop me an email at twisted@twistedliquidmarine.com. You can also give me a call at 702-521-5773. Anything I can offer to help is on the table.

    Also, thanks to Ron and Ted for having a site like this, where these discussions can take place.

    Respectfully,

    Geoff Archer
    Twisted Liquid Marine, LLC
    P.O. Box 2361
    Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405
    888-521-4626 Toll Free
    702-521-5773 Mobile
    www.TwistedLiquidMarine.com
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Attached Files Attached Files

  10. #30
    Team Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    31
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    good morning all,

    to yellowjacket==SOLD. if someone asked me to pencil and paper one of those turbine blades i think i would just turn around and go home.lol. just so i'm clear on this the cad will tell me how much lift i will get and where at a given speed right? by any chance ar you mr. b&h ?

    to geoffarcher,
    went to the uscg site some time back to see how they figure hp rating. it just gave me a headache. i am a bit concernd that a light boat will get to low a rating for most of us but as you stated this may work out as a plus from a leagal point of view. was planning a lllc. just not to that point yet as it is early in the prosses . that's why i'm lovin al this input now BEFORE i hang myself.lol. got lot's of marcketing ideas from the standerd stuff to shooting the curl on a sunday afternoon. btw say hi to the colorado for me. back in 1970 i lived in bullhead city and that's where i saw my first boat races and been hooked on the sport ever since. thanks again for all thiss great info.

    david harrell

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Evinrude E-TEC Outboards-What is your opinion?
    By kymarlee in forum Technical Discussion
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 05-19-2011, 09:54 PM
  2. What The (boat-racing) World Needs Now...
    By Danny McManus in forum Boat Racing Encyclopedia
    Replies: 67
    Last Post: 01-09-2007, 07:55 PM
  3. Points Drive THE SPORT
    By Ron Hill in forum Boat Racing Encyclopedia
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 10-31-2005, 10:40 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •