You would have to do more than just change the hull #'s it need s to be a different name alltogether. You are asking to degrade the value of your franchise because of poor rigging, gauges and other shoddy work after the boat leaves the factory.

sell Superboat's as a complete boat rigged to your standards and Brand-X as a completely different boat for the "do it your-selfers" Not that some won't be done well, but every one has different standards of perfect rigging. Also are you prepared to answer the questions for people riggging their own boats? Will the general public surfing Boat trader know it wasn't rigged by you if it has the same name on it? or investigate? Or if they see one at the marina and the fit and finish is poor would they know that isn't your standard?? Would they do enough investigation to know the difference or would they just make a mental note to pass on Superboats becasue of what they have seen?


I hear enought complaints about builders fit and finish and I would guess most have some kind of QC. now get 50 different people over 10 years rigging Superboats and what do you have???

A few years ago I was thinking about Rigging a California Built 26' Cat From Scratch.The Owner of the Company at first was Skeptical because He did not want his name on a Hill-Billy Rigged Piece.I offered a Few names in the Business for references and after some calls, He Agreed to sell me a bare Hull with an Interior .

Rob

I agree.

Another option would be to sell the boat as "home made" with no hull number and let the owner deal with motor vehicles and register it as such. This is something that I don't think we will consider, but I thought I'd throw it in the ring. This is something that would really need to be looked at on a case by case basis, especially with the race boats. Guys need pet projects. Mowing the lawn gets old. I know. I'm in this business because I love it.

John

Sounds like a great idea. I've been keeping my eye open for an older cig or magnum that I would strip down and re-rig, but this could be a tempting idea though.

As far as dealing with poor rig jobs..I don't know that that would be a major problem. Guys are out there (re)rigging older boats by themselves as we speak. Besides, I would imagine that the hull (kit), even though blank, wouldn't be cheap, nor would the items needed to finish the boat. This would probably keep most backyard mechanics from attempting.

What about the boats that are for sale now that the previous owner(s) did some less than desirable modifications or re-rigging?

Plus, I don't think anyone who rigged their own boat would cover that up. I know I wouldn't. (in my best little kid voice) "look, look, look! I did this all by myself! I gotta show you how I set up the whatever and thingamabob! i saved $8,000,000, finished it 1 day and made it better than anything else on the water! Aren't you jealous?"

I think it sounds like a great idea. More builders should do it.

-Brian

I recall reading something in the Pantera section on OSO about a few Panteras that were not rigged at the factory. The rigging quality was not up to factory standards. I thought I read that some of these boats ended up back at the factory to be re-rigged to Pantera standards.

If "kits" were to made available I think they shoud be under a different name. With some brands it is already confusing enough to determine the history of a boat. An example of this is Velocity/ Thoroughbred / Regal. Which boats were made by Steve Stepp and which were not? Was the quality the same?

Dave M.

I think it would work as long as it is produced under a different name. One of the main problems with our sport is that a lot of people want to join... but PRICES have sky rocketed out of hand.

I think there are 3 main issues that HAVE to be addressed for it to work correctly...1)Quality must be good (solid hull)
2) Market it correctly 3)Fair price

It can work..if we have car kits then why not boat kits.

I know Phantom will sell a boat as a bare hull, or with seats, or any thing else you want him to leave off.

John, congrats on your win on Point Pleasant, you make a great boat. I think many people look for older boats to restore, which means to unrig, and then rerig. You can save them a step. It won't be for everyone but it will open a new market for you.

You can also sell parts, like the wire harness. That's something I wouldn't want to have to make on my own.

An idea if you do this-

Pre-install critical alignment items such as L-angle mounts and transom cutout- Per customer specs- (and after final payment!).

Items such as gauge cutouts could be handled with throwaway ( injection molded) drill templates. Some thinking on these lines would help ensure customer satisfaction with the finished product.

You could also supply a different deck from the standard models, if brand differentation is a concern.

I think its a great idea! And bulldog just beat me to the punch on the ideas!

I would have the concerns listed above about quality and safety.
I think if you were to do it, Bulldog has the right idea,
Change the Deck or make it visibly different then a factory finished boat. I would even go with a different name would protect the quality "Superboat" name.
Skater I think is a different deal altogether, I would think the un-rigged skaters are being professionally finished by race teams and riggers.
What does your insurance company say? It may be a mute point if they have a say in it.