# Conchfish 17



## jglidden (Feb 13, 2014)

As I am sure you know, there are a plethora of options and paths you can go down that all influence total cost in different ways. For a basic budgetary number: my CF17.5 will be close to $8000 without the motor and trailer. That is everything from resin, hatch gaskets, GPS, power pole, hinges, casting platform, JP, all lights, electrical switches, fuel tank, etc. Just the hull alone is around $4000.


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2019)

Pick a resin, pick a core, then you need to decide on floor, full cap, no cap, etc... @jglidden is pretty close to an average cost though.


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## 75Luber (Aug 19, 2019)

jglidden said:


> As I am sure you know, there are a plethora of options and paths you can go down that all influence total cost in different ways. For a basic budgetary number: my CF17.5 will be close to $8000 without the motor and trailer. That is everything from resin, hatch gaskets, GPS, power pole, hinges, casting platform, JP, all lights, electrical switches, fuel tank, etc. Just the hull alone is around $4000.


Thanks! Just wondering what ballpark hull cost would be.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Read the threads on this hull. There is one guy listing all of his time and his running total cost.

Can't remember which one it is though. 

Read on grasshopper.


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## 75Luber (Aug 19, 2019)

DuckNut said:


> Read the threads on this hull. There is one guy listing all of his time and his running total cost.
> 
> Can't remember which one it is though.
> 
> Read on grasshopper.


Thanks!


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## Nick Gencarelle (Aug 19, 2019)

The basalt fiber fabric is a great option for this I believe we quoted a Chris Morejohn for a twill for this craft.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

DuckNut said:


> Read the threads on this hull. There is one guy listing all of his time and his running total cost.
> 
> Can't remember which one it is though.
> 
> Read on grasshopper.


It's Fritz


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Backcountry 16 said:


> It's Fritz


My brain is on the Fritz


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## 75Luber (Aug 19, 2019)

Fritz's build is correct. Thanks! These builds are fun to watch. I'm gonna give it a go as my next project.


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## Fritz (Jan 17, 2017)

Mine is kinda the ‘what if a Googan tried to build one?’ build, a cross between a cautionary tale and a cry for help.

That said, it’s sooooooooo cool watching my very own boat come to life in my yard. And I will catch fish out of that boat... if it floats.

Also, nobody told me there would be sanding involved.


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

"Also, nobody told me there would be sanding involved."

Come look at my Gheenoe if you want to see what 60 grit and a quick pass with 120 will get you. My entire boat is non skid.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Battfisher said:


> "Also, nobody told me there would be sanding involved."
> 
> Come look at my Gheenoe if you want to see what 60 grit and a quick pass with 120 will get you. My entire boat is non skid.


Sand in one spot for 30 seconds and you will be learning glass repair real quick.


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## 75Luber (Aug 19, 2019)

I apologize in advance but I've been around boats all my life. Not flats boats and skiffs though. I have to know what makes a production 17' +/- fiberglass skiff cost 40-50 grand? I'm not trying to offend, just ignorant I guess.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

75Luber said:


> I apologize in advance but I've been around boats all my life. Not flats boats and skiffs though. I have to know what makes a production 17' +/- fiberglass skiff cost 40-50 grand? I'm not trying to offend, just ignorant I guess.


Not everyone has time or can make time to build one and not everyone has the skills, tools, space etc. 
i will build one one day.


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## Fritz (Jan 17, 2017)

75Luber said:


> I apologize in advance but I've been around boats all my life. Not flats boats and skiffs though. I have to know what makes a production 17' +/- fiberglass skiff cost 40-50 grand? I'm not trying to offend, just ignorant I guess.


You’re not offending anyone. It really is a virus, I think, building your own boat and you get out of it what you put in kinda... sometimes less because we do not all have the same skill level and equal resources. Having an indoor work area would be a nice start, double better if you can get the hull outside when the real sanding starts.

My first guess is closer to 500 man hours and five thousand dollars will get me a 16’ poling skiff that I will be proud of. I bet Travis or Boatbrains could have a similar boat in under 300 hours and at least a thousand less.

And since it really is your custom boat, you will start dreaming and scheming of all the little touches that will make your skiff unique, most of those dreams will add time and money (and if you are like me a few will be silly, bordering on stupid).

I would encourage you to ‘come this way.’ I would also warn you that building a boat is both satisfying and enjoyable but is not fun (you know, like feeding then fighting a big fish then getting liquored up and talking about it is ‘fun’. Yeah, it’s not that at all).


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

75Luber said:


> I apologize in advance but I've been around boats all my life. Not flats boats and skiffs though. I have to know what makes a production 17' +/- fiberglass skiff cost 40-50 grand? I'm not trying to offend, just ignorant I guess.


Shop -$$$
Payroll - $$$
Taxes - $$$
Advertising - $$$
Prostaff - $$$
Insurance - $$$$$$$

Boats are made from raw materials that are commoditized and everyone uses. Some materials cost more than others, some less, but they all use basically the same stuff. Where the cost really comes in is when they use fancy materials like carbon or kevlar.

Then it is up to the marketing department to make everyone believe you have built a boat that warrants the kind of price the builder is asking. The time spent on the fine details cost a lot of money.

Remember this, the last 10% takes 90% of the time. This is where most builders skimp to get it out the door.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

@jglidden is representative. I'm hoping to be all in for $11,500. That is hull, poling platform, new 30 horse Twatsu, trim tabs, trailer, nice prop, no gps, basic lighting. A friend gave me his Ramlin from under his HB. I plan on spending around $750 getting it spruced up.


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## Jred (Sep 22, 2013)

DuckNut said:


> Shop -$$$
> Payroll - $$$
> Taxes - $$$
> Advertising - $$$
> ...


Carbon fiber is not that much more expensive than fiberglass


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## salt_fly (Apr 23, 2012)

Sure wish the site administrator would start a "boat building" forum so that all these would be in one place .


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## Pole Position (Apr 3, 2016)

Jred said:


> Carbon fiber is not that much more expensive than fiberglass


Huh?


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## Jred (Sep 22, 2013)

Pole Position said:


> Huh?


Less than 10$ a yard more when we’re talking about the roughly the same thickness .008” fiberglass to .009” carbon. I’m also not 100% sure as I’ve never built a boat but I don’t think you’d need as much carbon fiber as you would fiberglass


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## 75Luber (Aug 19, 2019)

Yeah I'm kind of a busy body, I have to have some kind of goofy project going on all the time. My latest was a '75 Bronco. Totally rebuilt, replaced all the rusted sheet metal from top to bottom, all the body work and prep. The fine tuning of the panels and body prep turned into a test of wills between me and the vehicle! 

Fritz is correct about the fun part. Started fun and then tuned into damn it man! But it returned to fun after I was done and got to ride in it again.

I would like to do it as a fall/winter project but probably wouldn't be best unless the shop was somewhat climate controlled (for the glass work). Correct?


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Pick out the right hardener and you'd be fine on all but the coldest days. (assuming you're not in North Dakota)


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

Depends on how long you take to do it. I started in Feb with the hope that most of my glassing would take place during the warmer months. Like @Sublime mentioned - I'm probably going to buy smaller amounts of hardener since I don't think I'll finish before the end of the year. If I'm still working when it cools down, I'll switch hardeners up and hopefully keep on trucking.

Also as far as cost goes, you can get down fairly cheap if you want. Mine will likely be one of the cheaper ones out there, mostly because I managed to score a large amount of cloth for free and I'm rehabbing a used motor that has some sentimental value to me. I went with Carbon Core PVC60 rather than D-cell, which saves a lot too. The epoxy will be expensive, but you could cut some cost with poly. I haven't decided if I will build my own trailer or rehab a used one. Same with the poling platform. I've got a small metal fab shop so that helps a lot.

I'm making it a point to not count the pennies (I've found that for me, it's best not to know on projects like these), but I expect to fall somewhere around 5k all-in, depending on trailer/platform options, the cost of paint, and how much work the motor needs. If that ends up being off, I hope nobody tells me. 

Seriously though, I will go back and ballpark the cost for the build when I'm done. I'll have to estimate consumables and stuff, but it will be good info to have when/if I decide to build something else.


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## Bob (Feb 2, 2007)

It's great to know the cost of the total project upfront, but 90%+ of the builds will be spread out over 6+ months (some of those a couple of years), so the budgeting is spread out in the same smaller bites as the build. Unless someone starts selling a supply kit, the material & consumable costs are spread out over the length of the build and "seem" to be a little less painful. At least that's what I've told myself in the past  When it comes time for rigging a new motor, jack plates, trolling motor, electronics, batteries, etc. are what kill the budget buzz for most since those large purchases happen near the end and almost at the same time.

For me, time became much more precious than the budget, which is why most buy instead of build. Hours sanding will never be given back when you could have been out fishing instead.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Bob said:


> It's great to know the cost of the total project upfront, but 90%+ of the builds will be spread out over 6+ months (some of those a couple of years), so the budgeting is spread out in the same smaller bites as the build. Unless someone starts selling a supply kit, the material & consumable costs are spread out over the length of the build and "seem" to be a little less painful. At least that's what I've told myself in the past  When it comes time for rigging a new motor, jack plates, trolling motor, electronics, batteries, etc. are what kill the budget buzz for most since those large purchases happen near the end and almost at the same time.
> 
> For me, time became much more precious than the budget, which is why most buy instead of build. Hours sanding will never be given back when you could have been out fishing instead.



Good points. The motor will be a major chunk. I abhor debt, so that will be a hit to my mad money that will hurt.


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