nice seeing someone else out there around my age with the same aspirations. the 3D models look good. so do the sketches. keep it up dude.

i want to be the guy who has the enthusiasm and love of the sport who really appreciates it but still wants to manage and run it like a real business. im going for Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering. im probably gonna go for a Drafting Diploma right after this year though, have a skill set. Eventually i want to go for Business Mgmt. before i get out on my own. before then im shooting for a firm like MPYD because of their reputation (the fact theyve leaned away from performance isnt quite that appetizing though, but the OL Cat...) or working with Mystic because of the fact they produce such an advanced product.

How much opportunity is their really in these small custom builders? It seems like they probably have designers they are happy with (judging by the product), and it doesn't take too many people on the business end to run a company with so low of production numbers? Therefore, I would think the only real chance at working there is the fiberglass laying and rigging depts, which you probably aren't interested in.

I think if you really want in the industry you have to start with someone like Brunswick who owns large volume companies such as Sea Ray, Baja, etc. Once you've proven your skill there then you could try and move to a custom race builder on the design or business side. I still would picture them as being more of a family run style business though.

What you want to do is extremely easy. Just develop a flux capacitor, hook it up to a delorean, then go bac in time and be born as John Cosker.
www.mysticpowerboats.com

For big racing cats, the skater and MTI owners are jumping ship to mystic.

ARE FOR REAL?

I've got to agree with everything RedDog said. Go tour a plant or two. Formula opens their doors pretty much on request. About two years ago, the Chicago guys set up a tour on a Saturday, and me and the wife ran up there to tag-along. They were great, opened the doors on a Sat. and took us through the entire facility, answered all the questions (to the best of their knowledge of specifics in certain areas), and even handed out swag-bags at the end of the tour (brochures, DVD's, CanCoolies...).
Very cool tour.
If you're dead set on doing this, when you get out of school, get a job with a reputable boat builder - in any capacity. Once you're in the door, learn EVERYTHING, I mean EVERYTHING that goes on. Learn how to do every job function in the building that they will let you learn, and this can go down to "how do I get spilled resin off the floor, and make sure the area is usable to work in quickly and safely".
Having the skills from school in your back pocket, and showing what you can do on occasion, and asking intelligent questions to the right people about your designs will teach you much more than you learned in school.
Good Luck.

RlJ676 is correct: There is not a lot of opportunity in big-cat design. There also isn't much of a market. Sure, you see them out there. Yes, there are people who can afford them. But you see more Bayliners ... and there are plenty of people who can afford them.

Still, someone has to be the next Peter Hledin. Could it be this young man? Perhaps, but he'll be in line behind the likes of John Cosker of Mystic, who has years of experience AND a degree in naval architecture.

Not quite sure about "Skater and MTI owners jumping ship for Mystic," though. That statement seems a bit over the top. Neither Skater or MTI are hurting for business. I imagine that Mystic will make a dent, but at this point that blanket statement is a little premmature.

Yes im for real, you dont just start by building big fast offshore cats. It takes a lot of time. As for the skater/mti owers jumping over, i was referring to Geico and Bud select. Cintron didnt own an Mti or Skater but is getting the next Mystic. Mystic does not make one smaller then class-1, extreme, so the SCL guys arent buying them. Im not sure what the is for.

Very true. The fast boats now are "engineered" to be fast. Computational fluid dynamics for flow; purpose built computer programs for stability at high speeds. Finite element analysis to determine loading and resulting stresses, reducing weight in the layup. Last couple of years this technology has been embraced by some in the industry. Speeds exceeding 200 mph require this information; there need to be as few unknowns as possible.

I’m about a year away from a BS in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at UNO. Class teaches the fundamentals, the theory, the technical engineering skills; but NOTHING compares to hands-on real world experience to put the books in perspective.

fubar260 and offshorecatcrazy, I’m your age too; best advise I can give is to get working in a shop like bouyhunter said. Rigging boats for the past couple of years has been the best experience I’ve had. The mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems need to be set up properly to allow the boat to perform as it was designed to. There is a lot more to it than just bolting on some drives, throwing a couple motors in and connecting throttles and a wheel. A good hull is worthless without this knowledge.

Check out Professional Boatbuilder’s article on Peter Hledin if you haven’t already.
http://www.proboat-digital.com/proboat/20071011/

LostinBoston and fubar260, where are you guys in school?

Brad Holbrook

Lostinboston,

Three teams moving over, and all props to Mystic, does not make a "jumping ship" trend. Skater and MTI are fine and will be fine. Mystic is doing really well, and that's very cool.

I don't know what the "whatever" was for, either.

Go Sox.

3 teams is HUGE when it represents THE 3 teams in the extreme or unlimited classes. Sure CRC and Big thunder ran LOTO, but where were they the rest of the year.

Skater and MTI are fine and will be fine becasue their target market is not the same target marget at Mystic, and they also build a great product, but not the best product. They sell many more pleasure boats then race boats. Mystic sells race boats and performance yachts. I love the Mystic but i cant afford one. I cant afford an mti or skater either. Mystic also does designs for OEM's. See the deep impact thread or some concept threads. They also have a few more cool designs coming out.