Building boats from Hourston Glascraft molds
- Thread starter Boatboy96
- Start date
As an impartial observer who would like to see your business suceed, optics are important.
Your posts, while likely unintential in their messaging, send a message that your company may be undercapitalized.
For example
Need some confirmed buyers before our boat show boat is built!
It sounds like your business needs cash,
Question
If someone orders a boat, will their boat be the Boat Show Display Boat ?
They are exactly the same as when it was being made by Hourston, the well known 17 model used for rentals at Granville island, used by fishing lodges etc. the only slight change on the windshield is the angle of the slope on the side portions.
This sounds great, but most folks will want to see a finished boat.
Once again it sounds like the project may be cash strapped.
The build quality will match the same west-bay has always been known for in their million dollar yachts.
How will anyone know that until they can see and touch a new boat.
West-Bay quality is well known, one of my pals owns one. However, this isn't a multi million dollar West Bay build , it is a 17 foot outboard powered boat.
Question
Is West-Bay financially backing this project, are they a subcontracter?, and/or are the new boats being built by West Bay staff in their yard?
The same craftsmanship that went into producing the newer Granville island ferries also from west-bay. Likely surpassing the original Hourston quality.
This again could be called puffery and how do Granville Island ferries prove the quality of a boat we have never seen in its' newest form.
We all know how difficult it is to get a new product to market, and we wish you well.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
Worst case: Beware the ponzi scheme.
Good and fair questions, Bill. Years ago in my boat racing days, there was one boat builder that was a few boats behind, with deposits already given for them. However, the capital from new orders was used to pay for the previous orders.
Can you scratch together the funds for at least one?
I also hope you succeed. Would any lodges be interested?
noluck
Well-Known Member
sounds like mr Bitz
kingblazer84
Crew Member
I agree best to build a boat first and show off your capabilities before asking/begging for deposits. That's a lot of cashola for a 17' but I guess thats what stuff costs nowadays I wish you luck, im sure you will definitely find some guys with deep pockets that want a "BRAND NEW" hourston 17' hull.
Last edited:
kaelc
Crew Member
Someone, not me, who knows what they are doing could do up a great webpage, complete with images and even video. This is terrible but took a few seconds to prompt. If you take a real hourston photo or two someone could create a great video. Only people with the link can see this, and I can take it down as soon as you would like but thought it was fun.
ab1752
Crew Member
This. This offering doesn't include any ip, wont be funded out of capital markets, and will follow the same strategy hourston did for years, outside of the rental fleet.
I agree having a demo boat is key to drive follow on sales. But like a semi custom home, its field of dreams all day long.
Eden Island
Well-Known Member
There's lots of guys who want a solid 17' boat for day-fishing, but I think not so many have a $70K budget for it.
Of the Hourston models, I think the 20, 23 and 26 all might have stronger new boat markets - even though there's lots of solid competition in the Pacific NW. By the time I finished professionally rebuilding and repowering my 23, we'd spent 2/3 of the then new price, but I'd have a hard time coming up with the $250K that boat might cost today!
ab1752
Crew Member
Build the demo boat, tie it to the docks in Secret cove for the first weekend and Lund the second and I think youd have business.
Tons of people with cabins up and down the inside who don't want to manage a larger boat. Plus, price out a 15' whaler with a 60: https://mpboatcentre.com/new-boats-...boston-whaler-15-mtk-6696f1d2d108f1a296002032 $75k on sale. I would take the locally built rig all day long but Im currently pouring a dump truck load of cash on a 20 year Hourston IR so clearly im biased haha.
Tons of people with cabins up and down the inside who don't want to manage a larger boat. Plus, price out a 15' whaler with a 60: https://mpboatcentre.com/new-boats-...boston-whaler-15-mtk-6696f1d2d108f1a296002032 $75k on sale. I would take the locally built rig all day long but Im currently pouring a dump truck load of cash on a 20 year Hourston IR so clearly im biased haha.
seachicken
Well-Known Member
Guys I'm cheap, I'll fix, repair, rebuild whatever to save money but really if I was in the market for a boat that size (already owned that one actually) I would seriously consider it. Properly taken care of with coosa construction this boat could be passed on my son and his children. Yes I could learn and repair an old Hourston to similar condition way cheaper but I don't have the time. I could pay for floor, stringers and transom replacement, would be some time and maybe (?) close to half the price of the new hull. Everything used is a question mark of hull condition. If I was in the market for a purchase like this I would love to buy a bare hull and rig it myself hopefully cheaper. I'd ask for all the cleats and hardware in bags, no holes drilled anywhere including in the dash. Blank canvas. I don't think these prices are far off. Good luck with the venture.
seachicken
Well-Known Member
Yes I see what people pay for boats just for going to decourcy Island. Turn key, new, low maintenance. They don't blink at repower with new.
InterMechanico
Well-Known Member
JohnS
Active Member
You'd take a 17' boat for 70k over Stizzlas 18.5', with 40 hours on it, fully loaded, for 60? Weird to me.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
That is a one off, though. Not many secondhand boats that are like new for sale right now.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
70k is the new 35k look at gold it’s 4k an ounce not 2k an ounce like it was for years
kaelc
Crew Member
I'd say AI hallucination, but if she wants to ride sideways, I'll let her.
kaelc
Crew Member
With the elimination of the Luxury tax, me thinks it's time to concentrate on building bigger boats. The number of people who can afford a 250k to 25M boat keeps growing. We do need 70k and cheaper boats I'm just not sure the lower mainland is where to build them. The demand for big boats for the rich according to AI
Here are the most recent projections for new millionaires and billionaires in the next ten years in Canada, the USA, and globally:
Global:
- Over 5 million new millionaires are expected worldwide by 2029, taking the total well above 52 million USD millionaires (as of 2024).finance.yahoo
- Some sources forecast as many as 80 million global millionaires by 2025, and a potential increase of nearly 40% in millionaires by 2026 compared to 2022.
- The number of billionaires globally is around 2,891 (2024) and is rising steadily, with wealth transfer trends suggesting a possible acceleration.finance.yahoo
- At the current pace, at least five trillionaires could exist a decade from now (by 2035).oxfam
- Canada added about 117,000 new millionaires last year (a 5.4% increase). The total is now roughly 2.1 million USD millionaires.finance.yahoo
- Growth rates suggest hundreds of thousands of new Canadian millionaires could be added over the next decade if the pace continues.
- The number of Canadian billionaires is now 76 (2025), up from 67 the previous year. Billionaire growth in Canada is slower than in the USA or China.forbes
- The U.S. mints over 1,000 new millionaires daily. In 2024 alone, 379,000 Americans gained millionaire status. Growth trends show about 1.5% annual increase.rethinking65+1
- The current number of millionaires in the U.S. is about 23.8 million (2025). If growth continues, there could be well over 25-30 million U.S. millionaires by 2035.
- The U.S. also sees influx of wealthy migrants, with 7,500 new millionaire migrants projected in 2025 alone.realtor
- Billionaire count in the U.S. continues to rise and is currently the highest of any country.
| Region | Millionaires Now | New Millionaires in 10 Years (Est.) | Billionaires Now | Est. Billionaires in 10 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | ~2.1 million | Hundreds of thousands+ | 76 | 80–90+ |
| USA | ~23.8 million | 2–7 million+ | Highest globally | Continues to rise |
| World | ~52–58 million | 5–30 million+ (by 2035) | 2,769–2,891 | 3,500–5,000+ (plus 5 trillionaires) |
These numbers are forecasts based on current trends and may change due to economic, policy, or technological shifts. The coming decade is also expected to see massive wealth transfer from the “boomer” generation globally, further boosting new millionaire and billionaire figures.forbes+3
- https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/global-wealth-continues-grow-heres-100031906.html
- https://www.oxfam.ca/news/billionai...ing-in-poverty-has-barely-changed-since-1990/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/sylvanlebrun/2025/04/01/the-countries-with-the-most-billionaires-2025/
- https://rethinking65.com/the-number-of-everyday-millionaires-is-soaring/
- https://www.wealthprofessional.ca/n...-but-wealth-management-has-a-challenge/389338
- https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/millionaires-record-migration-us-2025-report/
- https://sportfishingbc.com/threads/...ton-glascraft-molds.99192/page-3#post-1257245
- https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-countries-gaining-and-losing-millionaires-in-2025/
- https://www.millionairemigrant.com/how-many-millionaires-world/
- https://ceawealth.com/2024/09/17/th...thy-are-booming-heres-how-many-are-in-canada/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/russel...-40-more-millionaires-by-2026--credit-suisse/
- https://betterdwelling.com/canadas-inflow-of-millionaires-falls-70-no-longer-in-the-safe-8/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/business-27786338
- https://thesuperprime.com/research/...-moving-to-inside-millionaire-migration-2025/
- https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publicati...on-patrimoine-familial-canada-mises-jour-2025
- https://www.statista.com/chart/30671/number-of-millionaires-and-share-of-the-population/
- https://www.henleyglobal.com/newsroom/press-releases/henley-private-wealth-migration-report-2025
- https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/millionaires-by-country
- https://www.henleyglobal.com/public...h-flight-millionaires-relocate-record-numbers
- https://www.visualcapitalist.com/countries-with-the-most-millionaires-in-2025/
- https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealthmanagement/insights/global-wealth-report.html
Hard to pay 60K for Stizzla boat when you know what he paid for it.
Plus you may never get the Stizzla curse off it! LOL
Similar threads
