We have been looking at the possibility of offering classes to
help those who want to build a boat but would prefer to do so with some
guidance. After some serious searching, finding space that would allow us to do
so economically has proven that if we were to follow the same model others are using that doing so would be difficult.
This has led
to a new line of thought, I have the shop which houses my office and which I use to build the prototypes for
our new models, while it is not large but is sufficient to build one boat
at a time. Interested in taking a class on an individual basis, one instructor
and a builder with a helper if so desired?
This
approach has some advantages, you do not need to purchase tools you may never
use again, the focus is only on the boat you are building, and you don’t have
to wait until the boat you are interested in building is being offered in a
classroom setting somewhere. The class you book is your class alone, building
the boat you want, this offers you much more flexibility when it comes to
timing as you do not need to wait for six or eight like minded individuals.
Another advantage, we will be able to offer
in this setting is we can customize a design to suit your needs, or you can have a
custom design drawn and then come here to put it together. We may even have
what you are looking for drawn in the computer and just have not had time to
build that particular model to date. This is something that is not possible to do
in a class setting. There will in these cases be a design fee but these will be
kept to a minimum as full plans and building manuals will not need to be
developed as we will construct the boat together.
Taking a
look at the courses being offered here in Canada, which are often offered in
conjunction with US firms, in US dollars and with a slightly higher tuition
rate than the same course in the US. As I write this with the current exchange
rate tuition is $850 US which is $1102 CAD. In addition to which they charge
$200 US for shipping which equals $259 CAD. for a total of $ 1361 CAD. , there
is also a charge of $450 US for a helper which equals $584 CAD. if you bring a
helper the total comes to $1945 CAD. In
addition to this these courses require you to supply some of your own tools,
some tools you will need to finish and care your boat in the future so you will
need to buy these, others for many will be a onetime purchase such as the forty
clamps recommended. These prices are in addition to the cost of the kit which
in the case of the US providers is in US dollars, ours are in Canadian dollars
resulting in further savings for you. If you are wondering the taxation will be
the same as the courses are taking place in Canada.
The big
question is then naturally course cost, a one on one course will be offered at
$1,000 CAD and a course with a helper at $1400 CAD. These prices coupled with
our much lower shipping costs (normally less than $100 CAD) coupled with the
costing of our kits in Canadian dollars gives you the opportunity to build a
boat at less cost and with more flexibility in timing than you can get with our
competitors.
Should you
know what you would like to build, and when, send us an e-mail and we can
discuss the specifics of setting up a course for you. Not sure which boat you
wish to build contact us and we can discuss the possibilities.
For our US
friends as mentioned on the web site we are just a few minutes down the river from
the Sarnia/Port Huron border crossing and about the same distance up river from
the Sombra/Marine City ferry crossing. As this is written based on the exchange
rate today tuition is just $772 US with one builder and $1080 with a helper.
