Poop - A - Noodle....New Ideas..What Do ya think!!!

[BCKC]

Hey ya.....

I have been throwing around a few ideas about auto upholstery and marine!!

I have in mind a whole new out look on the two.......but I feel marine has no options like auto. SooOOOoooOOoo I have been thinking about boat interiors to a whole new level.
I understand that Okla. and Florida are to different beast, however the customers are the same to a certain point!!!
To sculpt a Dash in a  Car is one thing but A Boat is another...
I am working on Dashes that any one person can say they have helped to develope and designed there boat interior.
Here in Oklahoma all like toOoo brag about there cost and who did the interior...

So I am thinking that to have them help design and I put out for them what they want may be the key to just getting jiggy with it!!!!

I have the need to be creative but only to what the customers really wants..what do you think all????

I can still create and let customers have say in what they like.....

They all  love to Bragggggggg!!! They just want  to be different and say (((you dont have this....)))) that's were I fit in!!!!

Karen....

.life is short so Have a Beer and just kick back!!!! You all taught me well!!! lol

[Mike]

here they just want something to sit on , and not pay a lot to do it. a lot of folks here west coast of florida come from the mid west ohio Michigan Wisconsin and they are retired and don't want to spend a lot. didn't think it would be that much ?    funny I just bought a used seadoo and order material to do the seat and I get a second pwc seat job today   the dark seat im sure it was his girlfriend complaining that made him spend the money , but ive never seen that attitude of look at my seats lol 

[Darren Henry]

Great concept---but be ware the can of worms you could set loose. You will have to factor in the time you spend  working with these people, the manicure you'll need  when you get the really thick one and break a thumb nail off in their eye, and your drafting table with the forehead marks in it. I don't mean to rain on your parade---you know me better than that---but you have to bring your right side brain into play too. A little knowledge IS a dangerous thing. everytime I hear some one start with " well I say on line how...." I roll my eyes and try to run. I hope most readers have seen the Red Green show. There is a tee-shirt available up here that says "You can't fix stupid---even with duct tape".

MHI; Look at the project with them---send them away---and then bring them back to a short list of what should be done and a few options that they can comprehend.

I got starved out of shoemaking and into this 20 years ago,and we've been members and friends here for 12; and I still can't keep up to you.  :-* The world is not ready for all of your flair in one lump sitting.

[JuneC]

I've created a few dashes and individual dash panels out of necessity.  When a customer wants new or different gauges or a different GPS or whatever, frequently the cutouts on the fiberglass don't match.  So, it's get out the jigsaw and hole saw and cut a new bolt-on panel out of starboard or shiny acrylic.  For our own boat we made a completely new dash out of aluminum - had a fabricator who makes mostly trim-tabs cut and drill it.  No money at the time for fancy graphics so I covered it in brushed-aluminum seating vinyl (Morbern, as I recall).  It looks really nice, finished, but not fancy.  I'd love to do it again with a hydro-dipped pattern and a few coats of clear-coat.  Eventually. 

Anyhoo, Karen, there's a big opportunity as I see it for fancy dashes in boats.  Most are VERY boiler-plate and out in your neck of the woods the performance boats all seem to go for the fancy wraps rather than paint, and I'd bet you could get good money for custom dashes.  It is pretty competitive though.  It's a small enough part that if a guy is willing to wait a few weeks to get it done, it can easily be templated and produced anywhere and mailed to the boat owner for installation.  If you want to really kill 'em, I'd possibly look at super-high-end sports cars and interpret the design and features for boats.  Loads of fancy textures out there in marine vinyls.  They guys who can only airbrush would be breathing your exhaust as you left them behind.  I say go for it!  Sometimes you have to create demand before you can fill it.

June

[BCKC]

Well...I am thinking I am going for it!!

Going to order a chrome plating machine to incorporate some of my ideas and a small film tank........with upholstery and a few tricks of the trade I have learned and or developed I do believe June I can do almost anything  :)
Thank you all for your wisdom and now if I can find my hinny with both hands I just may start earlier than fall in my shop.

My son has a 73 muscle car in the shop with his Caddy and as soon as we get his Caddy going will free up some space for said machines.

Karen