How crowdfunding a new design works
It takes a village...
A new boat design takes a lot of work on our ends and commitments from people to fund that work. The challenge in this business is paying the bills while a whole bunch of “unbillable” time is going into a design project which amounts to weeks of continuous work to arrive at a new design and kit for a small boat to months of continues work for a large boat. Crowdfunding helps alleviate the cash flow strain and prevents the issue of one person bearing the burden of the cost for a new design or kit. The project gets scheduled into my calendar and I think the product is better, too, because several people are involved and often have good ideas. All the boats on the Drawing Board are eligible for crowdfunding and some may also have been funding so best to check in with me by email. If you want to fund, you can use the Paypal link below or even better, send a check as it saves us on the Paypal fee!
The “reward program” works as follows:
$250 level: This is the cost for the set of plans printed in 11x17's ready to use for building from scratch or kit.
$500 level: Plans as above + name recognition on website and a 11x17 presentation drawing (framable).
$750 level: Previous level plus 5% discount on the total kit price.
$1,000 level: Previous level, plus 10% discounted pricing on plywood kits and 10% on hardware, epoxy, etc.
You may send a personal check for the funding amount and save us on the PayPal fee!
Design projects that were crowdfunded…
Deer Isle Koster: thank you Dan in Durango, Alec in Vermont, James in LA, and Bill in MI!
The Calendar Islands Yawl hull #1 built in Minnesota by Jim Levang and the original design work inspired by Christophe Matson.
Caravelle Skiff: thank you Niko in NYC and thank you Ian in Alaska.
The Calendar Islands 18 with major help from Jeff Macdonald and David Cockey and a crew of early believers: Brian Guzas, Hank Ellis, Dave Casavant, Ben Bullerwell, and Frank Kielsziski.
FAQ
What do you get out of the deal?
A say into the boats design
Discounts on the kits at $750 and up
Recognition on website
A warm fuzzy feeling having been involved in the creation of something special
How do I contribute?
You can pay by personal check (best) or Paypal link above.
What is the timeline?
With enough of a "crowd" or one/two larger sponsors, I can turnaround the design project in 2-3 months once we begin.