thompsondockside.com

Thinking out loud, if a completly new Cruiser's or Thompson, say the 16' Sea Coaster, could be duplicated, what would be a market price? Would $20,000 be to much? $10,000? Material cost is probably $3000. Finding good fir plywood might be the only problem.

How many could you sell in a year, @ 20K, 10K, 5K, if volumn was low, current specicatons for new boats are most likely waved.

Anyone ever try this?

Believe you can buy a new Lyman 13' for about 12K?

Coments?

Look at Skiff Craft in Plain City, Ohio which still today makes plywood lapstrake boats. They make 3 or 4 per year. From what I understand, they make almost no profit on them. Their profit comes from repairs and restoration of their own older boats or boats by other builders.

Geisler in Canada still makes strip-built wooden boats. I have no clue of their price range.

I think $3,000 is way low for materials cost for a 16 ft. lapstrake. I have spent that much on restoration of a 17 ft. Sea Lancer. And that was very little rib and plywood hull planking. In fact almost none. I needed plywood for deck, plus a little for a partial garboard repair and some white oak for a few ribs. Paint, sealer, varnish, chroming hardware, floor covering, wiring, upholstery adds up quickly to lots of money.

I would guess that materials alone would run $10,00 and then add labor and overhead and mark up. Maybe $30,000 selling price??? Who would pay that price plus having to add a trailer and motor?

I see no market for brand new small outboard or inboard/outboard wooden lapstrake boats. There is a small market for mahogany carvel planked inboard runabouts and utilities such as made by Grand Craft and Van Dam and a few others.

Andreas