Brain Freeze

My head is starting to ache but in a good way -- for the most part.  You know the feeling when you dive into that bowl of ice cream?  And then the brainfreeze wells up and all you can do is press your palm on you forehead and wait for the pain to subside?

I have been having a lot of fun putting together the pieces of my dream I have had for so many years.  But today I have responded to lots of emails with potential suppliers for aluminum and plywood cutting, and stepped up the document outlining the business plan.  For a long while I have known about software like Business Plan Pro and have seen a variety of plan writing services for a lot of $$.  After working with local small business assistance organizations (UMD CED, Northeast Entrepreneur Fund) and talking to lots of people (fun stuff) I have begun to reconsider a packaged product to help me.  The site for Business Plan Pro was easy to find but I was not ready for all of the information and material packed into it and the affiliated sites and so for the last 4 hours it has been a planfest, and that is why my head aches.  But it has been good because I discovered that I seem to be doing everything pretty close to the way experts are coaching the thing.  For example, somewhere a long while back I picked up the concept that a plan was a living thing and the written plan really could only capture an instance.  This has made it tough for me to get "a" document done.  I actually have half a dozen plans based on my product and they are all good - I think.  I just need to pick on and get on with the process.  I snagged the above image from planasyougo.com/category/2-attitude-adjustment/.  Thank you Tim Berry. I will be back for more.

dxf, dwg, pdf, jpg, igs, pdq...

I have been communicating the shapes to be cut for the Overture project to various water jet and plywood cutting providers and so far there have been only a few minor hiccups and the response coming back on the quality of my files has been good and that makes me feel good, since I am treading paths unfamiliar to me.

So, there it is.  One complete boat kit.  Just enlarge these images to full size and cut them out and start building.  Honestly I think I have a hundred hours in these images.  But like the parts of any good composition, it works only when the other parts are there too, making the whole greater than the sum of...

Brief Note

...just to let you know I am still active and to report that the Overture project is at another milepost.  The design is complete and files are being prepared for delivery to cutting shops that might be able to supply the pre-cut parts.

First Snow

We have survived the season's first snowfall here on Duluth's Skyline Parkway.  It reminds me that time is marching along and I feel the urgency to start building a boat.

I attended a presentation at the Minnesota SolidWorks users meeting last week by SW co-founder Jon Hirschtick. He's looking hard at the whole cloud computing thing.

SolidWorks is the design and engineering tool I am using to create my products.  I also have been reviewing Rhino (with Orca) and MiltiSurf/SurfaceWorks for their boat-design-specific features.  All good stuff but also expensive (for getting started).  I really like the structure of Multisurf.

Scary

I can't believe October has gone for the most part.  I made a quick study of the boat at the family cabin before it went into storage for the winter.  Here is my interpretation of the design so far.

19 feet and change, 50hp outboard with tiller steering (forward helm is an option), with varnished interior and painted deck.  Exterior hull is aluminum, if all works out to plan.  No rivets or welds - very top secret as to how I plan to pull that off but it will look beautiful. Seating will be benches port and starboard, one covering the fuel tank, with lots of storage for poles, skis, paddles, a small kicker, PFDs, soda and pizza.

CAD

A fair amount of time has been spent with the CAD (computer-aided design, for those of you who may not know) software working out a 19-20 foot fishing boat.  It is amazing the obstacles one can find when the geometry is not from the world of regular polygons or free-flowing organic shapes.  My whole business model is based on the concept of developable surfaces that the software will flatten so we know precisely what shape to cut.  The only users of this kind of modeling are aviation and shipbuilding with a smattering of sheet metal formers and other isolated  pockets of industries.  Unfortunately the specialized nature of the work makes for software that is expensive for a start-up.

One of the planks in SBC's platform (it's the season) is the concept of what has been called "cottage living" as opposed to luxury condo living.  As the Symphony Boat Company pitch has been presented, the feel of the boat is one of a simple and comfortable lifestyle.  Gone are the expensive fabrics, fancy lighting system and elaborate audio/video system, and creature comforts.  Sailors seem to get this pretty readily because the nature of sailing tends to leave more of that stuff behind.  However, the reality is that if a customer wants all the stuff, it is easily added, but the complexity drives up costs and the failure of some of these systems can be more than annoying.

As product development director, I have purchased a product for SBC's R&D lab called the AirHead waterless "WC" or Loo.  I am in the process of installing it in the house (just an air vent with a small 12 volt computer fan to keep the vapors moving in the right direction - outside).  There is a full guarantee there will never be a clogged waste line because there is no waste line.  No Y-valves, no pumps, no black water holding tank. No vapor permeation issues in a closed up interior during the week while the owner is away.  You can see why I had to try it. I want to know what the downside is like - dealing with the liquid collection tank and occasional compost run.

This fits into the "cottage living" concept.  Can I install a nice Sealand or Vacuflush system?  Sure. They work great but occasionally... well, you know.

http://www.airheadtoilet.com

Presentations

When SBC started getting the word out, a flurry of opportunities arose and now it is tough to determine which first thing is first.  Last week two presentations at UMD in their business school and last night there was a nice presentation by SBC founder Marcel La Fond for the Duluth Superior inventors and Entrepreneurs Club.  A vidiographer from a local TV station was there and now there may be some exposure in the local news,  It would be for a story to be aired in November.

Golden Day on Lake Superior

After lunch I packed up my reading and laptop and headed for Duluth's lakewalk.  I set up camp there for three hours of quality work at a park bench overlooking the rocky shore. Lake Superior was dead calm and it was too warm to work in the sun.  Remarkable for October in Duluth.  I made good progress on a proposal for a 20 ft open boat I have called the Overture.  It will be a prototype of the construction methods I hope to do our 30 to 50 ft boats with.  It will be a little heavy at 20 ft compared to a similar Lund or Princecraft.  However it will be stout enough for up to 115 hp.  The  image here is about 1/4 done.  A couple of lines are visible to define a deck.  Then seats and tanks.  Finally hatches and hardware. LOA 20' (6.1m) with 92" (2.34m) beam, but subject to change.

The elevator pitch:

Symphony Boats is a startup that will build custom boats up to 62 feet utilizing high quality sheet plywood and aluminum in a hybrid composite construction method.  Modern computer-aided design and manufacturing can economically produce precisely cut components.  Modern epoxy, urethane and other adhesives and finishes make assembly of  these components fast and reliable.  Each boat can be custom but the construction is always the same. 

The key focus of a Symphony boat is the use of sustainable or recycled materials, simplified and highly reliable design, efficiently driven, and quiet operation.  I believe the market for larger power craft is a tough one but I also believe in the growth of environmentally friendly cruising that does not rely on a sailing rig and favorable winds.  The boats are built with no molded fiberglass parts so there is no expensive tooling. 

The acquisition and operation costs will be significantly less than a more conventional boat.  Cruising on a Symphony Boat will be more like cottage living and less like luxury condo living, continuing the theme of eco-friendly leisure activities with a fiscally friendly approach.  The designs will encourage shared experiences close to nature rather than impressing friends and neighbors with luxury.

The boats will have solid and good quality finishes (epoxy based paints that are as tough as gelcoats), single engines, side thrusters, and styling that is slightly retro to the days of the Long Island Commuters in New York.  Subdued but with class.  Hulls and decks will be insulated eliminating condensation and bilge water (and associated odors).  The hulls will be narrow and operate most effectively in the displacement speed range burning only a few gallons per hour.