C-Forum

Anybody know if Victor at Class V is still building boats.

I cannot get this guy to contact me
Is winter a bad time to build glass boats???
Am I missing something??
I have money to spend, but no builder.

Any help/insite would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi

I know how to spend some money... get Drakkar boat from US dealer.... Wheelboy is a nice c-1 . ..

if it has to be kevlar i think WB can be made but it will be most expensive ever roughly 2000 €

just joking,



marko @ drakkar

Hi shawn,
Glass boat builder here that would gladly take your money. In exchange for a boat of course.
www.millbrookboats.com
JKaz

You can give money to Kaz even without the order os a kayak .he is a nice man after all.

Here is a free tip ....

If you have extra a lot of extra money start a kayak company. 100 000 feels like litle money


marko

Speaking strictly from my own experience in the old days, building composite boats (good ones, that is) takes a special (and often a peculiar) kind of person. A wandering life-style is usually involved, and getting rich (quickly or otherwise) is seldom the primary motivating factor. John Sweet, Andy Bridge, and Paul Schriner were about the only quality custom builders I knew in those days that worked to a regular production schedule and consistently delivered excellent custom boats on time and as promised.

In addition to a whole lot of manual skill and esoteric knowledge that must be obtained through an expensive and lengthy hands-on trial and error process, composite builders must also have an extraordinary amount of patience to do their work well. Since composite boat customers usually have neither the skill nor knowledge to make their own equipment, such people are well advised to learn to practice some patience of their own when dealing with a custom boat builder.

Quality boat builders are a rare breed and people with a thousand dollars or so wanting to own a light, strong composite boat with a hot design and super-duper graphics are, well, a dime a dozen. That may be the only point you are missing.

When composite boats were de rigor, and there were many more custom builders around the country, waiting times for a new boat were often measured in terms of several months or more. Some people that bitched about that level of “service” from a particular builder often found they had to wait even longer. Others found out they could not buy a new boat at any price!

As for building boats in winter, there is an additional problem with cold temperatures and good boat construction. There is also some good skiing and the winter holidays to consider. Some builders head way South for the winter and the warmer paddling climates. Others just hole up until the spring weather makes for easier (and stronger) boat building days. Some only do plug and mold work in the winter to be prepared for the spring rush of customer building “requests.”

So, if you want a new boat in a hurry, then buy something in a Tupperware model from a local dealer near you. You can likely even use some plastic money for the purchase! Otherwise, be patient, and try to contact the custom builder again. Either way, avoid public remarks about someone’s business practices that do not suit your immediate needs.