I have a small boat building business in Annapolis. We are currently finishing hull # 3. BANDY BOATS have been mostly designed around speed and performance with economy being a big benefit. Fishing boats, all have been single powered and all have been built using racing sailboat technology. The first one was balsa cored, the other two have been cored with core cell foam. The last one has a carbon laminant and is super fast. We went 66.7 mph on GPS on Saturday, first time out. She is 27 feet long, has a single Yamaha F350 and weighs 3500 pounds full. Better than 4 miles per gallon at 30 knots. She has phenomenal range and can cruise over 50 mph. She is also trailer-able and designed to be fished both inshore and offshore.
I believe that necessity is the mother of invention. I believe that people still want to go boating even though gas will be four dollars a gallon soon. I hope to sell boats even in a bad market. Light weight, high performance boats. Modern boats, getting better even with the gas cost, through the roof.
I own a 53 foot custom sportfish and some years ago (97) , I was interested in having someone make me a small one. I went to Manteo, Wanchese, Manns Harbor, Hatteras, Harkers Island and the Morehead area. Everything out there was going to weigh between 6 and 8 thousand pounds. That seemed way to heavy to me ( no pun intended). I wanted my boat to be 3000-3500 pounds. So, after already having an intense interest in Carolina boats, I chose several attributes from several custom boats I've either fished from or run with over the years and made my own list. I especially like designing my own running bottoms. To me, the success of a boat design lays heavy in the " ride," department.
Several of my friends in the boat building business weren't using your product until fairly recently. Most didn't even know it existed. I've always liked talking to others in my field. There are some real neat people in the custom boat builder communities. When I am welcomed into another boatshed by a builder who shares his knowledge with me, I try to return the favor and think of something that I've done that could help benefit his cause. I enjoy learning and finding new ways and new products. I've been in many boatsheds. Its always been easy for me to speak favorably about your epoxy and your company. There are so many benefits to your stuff.
So, I was really trying to load something that would maybe help me out from a marketing stand point and most importantly give you guys the thank you that you deserve. I'm sure you all work hard. It truly shows. Thank you, and thank you for helping me get this stuff up on your board. I truly appreciate the visibility.
