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I am part of a company that manufactures canoes for competitive racing. It's been two years and we are doing well enough to live off the business. The most po
by keizo 17y ago
I am part of a company that manufactures canoes for competitive racing. It's been two years and we are doing well enough to live off the business. The most positive aspect is that we have 7 months of backorders. Our biggest problem is trying to expand without funding or loans. Another major hurdle is increasing production without a loss in quality.
- hop 17y agoAre they composite? Do you have only one plug/mold thats causing the bottleneck?
- keizo 17y agoyes. Two molds in production. A third entering soon and we are making more molds. So it's part of the bottleneck, but skilled labor and shop space is also a challenge.
- hop 17y agoMost of the composite shops I know are somewhat to very slow right now. Maybe you could farm it out to someone in your area. Where are you located?
- keizo 17y agoWe are in Hawai'i and I only know of one other real composite shop here. If we were in California or someplace else I could see that being a great option.
- hop 17y agoYeah, you are quite a ways away. Maybe you already do, but using prepreg can make the process a lot faster, much easier layup, and better final quality - but I doubt there is an autoclave that size on the island. You could easily make an unpressurized one though, I made an autoclave for a 15"x8" solar car body I designed in college out of plywood, insulation, and a heater/thermostat.