# How to build a flats boat?



## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=PH16#.UElf7KOwv_c

Flats boat, not a technical poling skiff. Try the FS18 or PH15 for that.  Now the fact of the matter is most people spend about as much on a building than they would buying used and in good shape.  The advantage is that most builds take 2+ years and you can spread that cost out over the build.

There are of course many other plans and building techniques out there.  The nice thing about Bateau is they are tried and true and have a very active support system.  Hang out on their forum for a while and follow some of the past and present builds.

Swamp


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

To make a little money building boats, start with a lot of it, and set it on fire.

Seriously it takes a lot of capitol. I've built a few boats now and if I was going to start producing it would take multiple designs and prototypes. Not to mention the time commitment, and worst of all the legal, liability and regulation issues. You can't just copy an existing design. I would say to start you will probably need 25-50k. Most boat companies fold in a few years so it's a huge risk. 

If you just feel the need to build like I did then bateau.com is a good option. If you want a cheap boat then buy a cheap hull and strip it to make what you want out of it. If you want to start a business, start doing a ton of research about building regs through the CG and ABYC.


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## Kane_Thorp (Jun 14, 2012)

Thank you all a lot. Good advise and ideas!


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## East_Cape (Jun 3, 2008)

> Is their a way to make molds at a moderate price? Say 5k? A 14-20ft flats boat or something. I wonder how eastcape started their company?  I love eastcapes, and WILL own a vantage caiman and lostmen one day. I'm just wondering how one gets started in "making" boats?


What we wanted wasn't out there so Marc and I made ALOT of sacrifices to make a dream come true. When i meson a lot i mean no pay ck for years which puts a strain on your loved ones and then only the few survive...
I also had almost 10yrs in the industry before starting East Cape as I for sure would've have failed if i didn't have the inside knowledge that we had prior to starting...
19yrs in the fishing biz and this is all i know now. Besides, if your wanting to build a mold that tells me your thinking something. So, if thats the case send me a PM and I'd love to hear your thoughts as we are a true semi-custom to one off builder. 
Hope this helps and tight lines!
Kevin


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## Avidawg (Jun 29, 2012)

Great advice! Coosawkane you should definetly hit up East Cape, any time you can find a mentor to guide your way your learning curve will be exponential. I always wanted to build a house so I got jobs as a laborer, helper then carpenter, etc... and over time gained the skills, tools, and connections to make it happen....follow your dream and the money will be there.  ~Cheers~


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

I am trying to build one in that price range.  
http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1342645031

I am still working on the plug, but I am going to make a mold from it.  If it runs fine I have a few friends that want to splash a hull.  I dont have intentions of starting a business with it though.  As you can see it dosent have the elegant lines of many of the comercially available hulls.   I am building it because there isnt a flats boat out there with a variable deadrise hull (other than a panga).  And there definitely isnt one that also incorporates a tunnel. 

Hopefully you can learn something from me, but I certainly wouldnt turn down any advice from ECC!  Thats priceless.


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