Chtucker wrote:I would say that this is more Travis Brandt and not Jarek from Conrad Yachts.. Travis seems to be using an almost off the shelf plan from Jarek. The "proof of concept" boat is a boat that Jarek/Conrad Yachts designed and I believe Jarek actually built himself a few years ago.
The boat you are referring to was built by a citizen of Vancouver, BC and Jarek assisted in the build. Welding was done solely by the buyer.
Chtucker wrote:Travis seems to want to start another business extolling the "art" of boat building.. when in fact he doesn't seem to have any equipment, space or people to actually build anything. He is asking for $370k on kickstarter. That buys A LOT of tools and materials..
I admit, I've been passionate about building boats for a long time. I see it as an art, and I consider Jarek an artist on many levels. I think that Sean and the guys who weld these boats are artists, and I DO NOT try to be 'normal' in the industry. There are too many flat bottom modified river boats and EVERY Company out there is capable of doing the stuff we are doing. They don't do it because they don't know how, and when I offered it to companies as a consultant they turned me down. So, do it myself. I can't think of anything to do that is more fun than this. The number asked for was sum total for a long business plan that included overhead, marketing, boat shows, and owning and operating demo boats, so probably wasn't enough, but I didn't want to ask for too much.
Chtucker wrote:While the Aerohead was a nice boat, the one I looked at had some issues. Issues in my mind that an experienced builder wouldn't have had.
Not sure what issues you were talking about, or if you remember specifics. I hope that some of the things we learned from Aerohead are benefittting the industry and other boats that I'm involved in.
Chtucker wrote:It is not the design or for that matter the price of the boat that I have issue with (not that I am in the market for such a boat)... It is the weird way of trying to start another business. I don't even think it is "shady" Just a very weird and incomplete effort of starting a boat building business.
Chtucker, I don't know what you do for work, but to me, starting a business the way I got to Xtaero is a path of roadblocks that I was forced by fate to just overlooked. My background in finance and commercial lending probably give me insight into what is legal and my Coast Guard training daily reminds me that ANYTHING is possible.. thus, how to 'start a business with nothing'? I believe this is the ONLY way to start a business. When I started Aerohead, I had a chunk of cash, started building the boat that I wanted to build, then ended up getting an investor, then borrowed more money, and worked through daily setbacks. It was a business plan, and made sense to bankers and investors - and customers. The problem was, our process hadn't been done before and we didn't hit paydirt until it was too late. The last boat was a 30' x 10'6" twin diesel and we welded it in literally days compared to the previous boats. But, some (not all) of the players decided to take matters into their own hands and the rest is not worth talking about. So, with Xtaero, my overhead structure is TINY in comparison. Example, Aerohead had a 10,000sf class A shop in Auburn, WA and Xtaero has a 3,000 class B shop in Tacoma. We also streamlined a handful of processes that reduce labor hours, and in fact, I started Xtaero almost for free, because I posted a free ad online and sold a boat from a piece of paper and a cardboard model that I had laser cut at a craft shop in Seattle. I had a commercial space agreed to and ready to go should such an order materialize, but I didn't waste money on a deposit. I negotiated a handshake hold on two properties and when I had an order, prepaid deposit and rent together on the shop that Sean and John and I agreed would be the best fit. We extended that space 60 days, before moving to our permanent space in Tacoma, but that first first building owner owned a Boston Whaler so he loved the project. He isn't an aluminum guy, but I have his permission to use him as a 'very good reference'. He says I'm organized, methodical and thorough and he would 'absolutely be a great reference for me'. I did invest in the boat design, because after all, that is what the company is all about. Jarek and I communicate frequently about various designs and boat ideas. It's what boat builders do. The design consumed cash, but my website, pictures, etc. I did myself, which I had previously paid many thousands of dollars for. In the end, we have a really great set-up and every day when I wake up and come to the shop I'm grateful for being lucky enough to get to do this. It's pretty cool.
Back in the Kickstarter days three years ago, people who knew me best know where I was sleeping and what I was eating. Clearly, my life is focused on building these boats and everyone standing in the way saying 'no' or 'you can't do that' is just another test of my willpower to not quit. I do appreciate those that follow my progress, and I appreciate your offer to give you a call next photoshoot. I will do that and hopefully you can let people know what you thought of the boat, good or bad.
Travis
