: HI all, I have just finished my first S&G yak (an artic tern). I had such a
: nice time building it I'm now going to try a skin covered walrus. I have a
: feeling I'll be building more yaks in the future. My question is......what
: am I going to do with all the boats I'll have. Is there much of a market
: for them out there should I chose to sell them? Or can a homebuilt be only
: loved and appreciated by it's builder? I must admit it would be nice to
: make a little cash from one of my hobbies rather than spending so much
: money! Any thoughts?

When you go paddling in the spring, and that's assuming that you will have the next boat done by then, take the less appreciated boat along, with " For Sale " sign attached, and see if you have a market. Invite friends to go paddle with you and mention, after they have enjoyed themselves that you would be interested in selling it. I hear folks usually gather to see the the wooden Yaks, and if they are tuned in, they will notice a quick, easy way to get into one themselves. ?? As to pricing, that would depend on how good of work you did, how much you are attached to it "still" and how quickly you need to unload it. Surely,( as amatuer builders ) you could not sell it with the cost of materials, plus your labor in $$ per hour. As amatuers, we tend to take much too long to build, as we are learning and admireing as we go. As an amatuer, you don't have a NAME to put on it, such as Nick, Jay, Grant,George and others who are making a living at it. But, you certainly don't want to give it away either. My thoughts would be that I would take all material costs, including waste, shipping of materials, add a respectable wage, and be sure to cut out all the time wasted not really working on it, and use that as a starting point. Then, and this is the big "Then" you decide just how much you like your boat, whether it is well done or has too many flaws, how badly you need to sell it and figure from there.

There are NO rules that say you can't sell what you have purchased or built, but, if it's to simply build another of the same boat so you can make a buck, then you run into a whole other ballgame. As Tony mentioned, there are rules whether written, implied (Moral) that give the designer certain rights. You would need to talk to them individually to see what/how they feel about it, and if they charge any fees for those rights.

If you are selling your baot to build another of a different make, designer and so forth, then there wouldn't be that problem.

If you have enjoyed building your boat and using it, you will find this a very difficult process. I wish you luck, and hope that you aren't kicking yourself in the butt later. But then, if you decide that the new boat isn't as good, Heck, there are others out there, just build till you find the perfect one for you. You can always make your materials money back, and then some, so cost shouldn't be a problem. Right??

Rehd

Or, you could build one of those alluminum framed, canvas covered tents and just keep them. Enjoy!!