Is ther a market for Wooden Pirogues | SouthernPaddler.com

Is ther a market for Wooden Pirogues

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aeromotorwindmill

Active Member
Jan 13, 2007
32
0
Georgia Tennessee
I was just wondering if anyone here thinks there is a market for pirogues. The one I built I did a lot of extra stuff on, I was thinking if you could make a profit on them it might be fun and a way to make a few extra bucks.

second question, can you build a good boat that will last without coating with epoxy?

the boat I am thinking of building would be like the one I have posted, painted and with the UJ seat built in...

I have been working for the large bank doing realestate appraisals for 20+ years and it would be nice to do something I could take pride in and get a little enjoyment out of.....just a thought, maybe wishfull thinking on my part
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
I would suggest checking or looking around and see if there is a market for them in your area.

One way to do that is to have one on the top of your vehicle and see what the respond is. Or attend attend boating shows , fishing tournaments (Local not the Pros) , paddling clubs , paddling waterways , shops selling canoes and kayaks ( think consignment).

If you would make them to sell then I would epoxy saturate them , glass them all the way around and if you wanted to then paint them.

Just remember , that might require a professional business license and taxes unless you sold them to friends.

Who knows , you might be on something there but I found that if you take a hobby and make a profession out of it , real soon it becomes work and all the fun is gone. :twisted:

Chuck.
 
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aeromotorwindmill

Active Member
Jan 13, 2007
32
0
Georgia Tennessee
was just thinking out loud

When you glass them, the cost goes way up, you have a lot better boat, but it may be the differnce in someone being able to afford one and not.. my thinking was something that was a good boat, that you could sell and build in the $300 to $ 400 price range, if they were glassed it would cost you close to that....

you guys have built alot more these things than I have, so I thought I would ask what you thought, there is a market here for them with all the small stream, rivers, swamps and ponds here, the glassing puts it out of the range that I think you could sell them,

Well, it was a thought
 
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bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend aero,

I had some good ideas, bout makin' both kinds 'er jest takin' special orders. I even joked about ya workin' 2-3 years az a real estate agent 'n retiring.....but then it dawned on me. We dont have no small airplanes no more.....cept fer my pal Pete who rebuilds 'em. The ambulance chasers shot 'em all down.....like they done a heap a companies who never put out nuthin' bad.

Ya gotta buy a heap of insurance so ya wont end up in the poor house when somebody drowns 'n the jury sez ya failed ta warn when ya sold that defective boat (that turns over). :cry: :cry: :? The small airplane folks had ta give it up cuz they caint afford the insurance. After the ragheads crashed our towers, airplane insurance went so high, most companies caint even buy any.

I liked yer idea 'n it felt good hummin' that David Allen Coe song, but mebbe ya best sell a few at the county fair 'n tell 'em yer name iz Juan Valdez? Git a stylish hat 'n pull it down low. If they ask bout a money back guarantee tell 'em "I guarantee if I git yer money, ya wont git it back". If they ask bout a warranty, tell 'em "no hablo ingles".

regards
bearridge

ps I dont have no more insurance, so ya better not listen ta me neither. :mrgreen:

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free. P.J. O'Rourke
 
A

aeromotorwindmill

Active Member
Jan 13, 2007
32
0
Georgia Tennessee
maybe a disclaimer

maybe a disclaimer, something that says " use of this boat may cause anything from a broken nail to death, and if it kills you, you problay had it coming anyway and should thank the boat builder for speeding you along your way" make them sign it and you are covered...
 
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bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend aero,

If that worked, they would have kept rite on makin' breast implants. It dont 'n there never wuz a problem with breast implants.....cept greed. :?

regards
bearridge

A journey of a thousand miles can sometimes end very very badly. unknown
 
S

seedtick

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2006
1,161
7
Denham Springs, LA
listen to old sparkey
you need to understand your potential market

make a boat or two and bring it around to public fairs/festivals and see how many folks are interested (really intersted -show me the money interested)

Do the math how much can you sell the boat for, how much does it cost to make it, how many can you sell, how long does it take to make one?

Say building the boat from buying lumber to delivery is two weeks. Sell the boat for $400, cost is $200. You've grossed $200 in two weeks. Better not quit your day job for that if you still have bills.


Right quick you learn that you don't want to build a $400 boat. So you ratchet up to a higher level and build one that'll sell for $1500. You material cost goes way up and you probably can't build one in two weeks. Friend Keith and I will spend two weeks just on varnishing. So now you can gross (IF you have the market) 7 or 8 hundred dollars a month. Don't quit your day job if you have bills.

Don't mean to discourage you, but in my experience, but it's hard to beat minimum wage building a boat. You may well have a better plan.
 
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dawallace45

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2003
1,067
1
66
Oakhurst , Queensland , Australia , 4650
I've often wondered if there was a market for handmade kayaks in the style of Jems Okwata and the Southwind here in Australia , I know there is a very limited market for high end custom work with kayaks , a old mate of mine was building kayaks and selling them for $10,000 each , probably still is but I lost contact and haven't seen him for about 10 years , beautiful work but only doctors , lawyers and stock brokers tended to be able to afford them , there is a big market here for plastic kayaks and SOT's but is there a market for timber kayaks in the $1000 to $2000 price range , also would people buy hand made paddles ? I'm the sort of person who only buys any thing if I can't make it my self so to me the thought of buying some thing some one else has made just isn't on but I know not every one is like that , last year when I went with my wife to the banks regional managers Christmas party I was talking to the other fellers there [ they were all bank managers ] and it turned out that not one of them owned any tools , the closest they come was one guy had a Swiss army knife , none of them had ever even changed a tyre or even knew where his spare was kept in the car , most of them weren't even sure how to go about changing a light bulb , one guy did have a hammer but he used it for cracking nuts , these people wouldn't be building their own kayak but would they recognise the quality of a timber kayak over a rotomoulded plastic one ? Is there a market for paddles ? I know some people have no problem with paying $200 or so for some U-beaut racing paddle but do people in this throw away age recognise the quality and workmanship that goes into some thing like a handmade paddle in the greenland style ?

Probably the wrong questions to ask here as most of us do recognise quality and workmanship and are used to doing things for our selves

David
 
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aeromotorwindmill

Active Member
Jan 13, 2007
32
0
Georgia Tennessee
may high end is the way to go

I have some friends, that are brothers and they make knifes, high end knifes and they have a waiting list, granted there is not alot of buyers in the market for $500 to $1500 knifes, but apparently there is enough for them to stay busy and make a living......I am think the answer to my orginal question is no, but it never hurts to kick things around
 
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islandpiper

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2006
2,556
4
Ponchatoula, Louisiana
www.islandpiper.com
Actually, after building the twins last summer I had the same notion......man, these are easy to build, everyone in Louisiana wants one, wow......I could quit myk job and just build pirogues, and learn to smoke a pipe and all that...

Well, I did the math, and figured out that everytime someone wanted a pirogue I'd just give them $72.50 in cash and it would work out just the same as if I'd built it and sold it to them.

Now, I don't build boats for anyone else and figure that about every ten days I've just saved $72.50. Problem is, I have looked everywhere and can't seem to see where all that cash is stacking up. I'm pretty close to the University so I thought I might get one of those overeducated liberal professors to help me figure it out.

Piper
 
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aeromotorwindmill

Active Member
Jan 13, 2007
32
0
Georgia Tennessee
to bad

It would be nice to do the pipe thing and be the wise old boat builder and you right they are easy to build, I was thinking about if the numbers worked out, which it doesn't look they do, I would build 5 or 6 at one time and that way you could save on time, material, kinda do the henry ford thing.....just a thought...
 
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islandpiper

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2006
2,556
4
Ponchatoula, Louisiana
www.islandpiper.com
Aero.........here's a thought. Become a local hero. Line up a couple of build-weekends with the local Boy Scout Troop, or Sea Scout Ship and walk them throuogh the build. You and a Scout Leader could "kit" the boats and have the Butt Joints all done.......and put the whole troop in the mood for the first campout of the Spring next year if you get this going in February.

Get the local paper and TV station involved, take contributions for materials.....

Or, make reservations for some table space at a local music and old-time festival, set up a finished boat and a couple in the process.....make long shavings off the gunwales with a Jack Plane and answer a million questions.....

Either of these would be fun, you could meet new people, do something nice for strangers, maybe get a free dinner now and then.

What do you think? Sound feasible? and sometlimes......just once in a while, someone will want to buy one your YOURS since you are the local expert. Then you can name your price.

Piper
 
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bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
If ya buy some plans 'n start buildin' boats fer profit frum 'em, do ya owe the fella who come up with the plans some dough.....off each boat sold after the first one?
 
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