Creating a model boat plan to sell

Hi

I've got an idea to create a R/C model boat plan of my own design, and then sell copies of it. My plan would be of a simple design that even beginners would be able to build. I've never created my own plan before, let alone try to sell copies. I have built several boats from other people's design.

I don't run any kind of business related to modelling, thereby I don't have any platform of my own to host, market and sell model boat plans. Neither do I have any digital technical drawing tools to create a plan to industry standard. I'm imagining that I would draw up the design, decide on the measurements, etc. using pencil, and then send it off to some business that can refine the plans with their technology, and print it. And then I arrange with the same business or another one, for them to host it in their plan service, and when a copy is sold, the proceeds are divided between the host and myself (the designer) along agreed percentage lines.

Can anybody advice me on how to go about designing and selling model boat plans please? By the way, I don't mean to go big. It would be a garden shed enterprise. Thank you.

I would suggest that for anyone to consider purchasing a plan to your design, they would need to see some images of the completed model on water. I scratch build model boats using my own plans and in reality you get so far with the design and then commence the build with the remainder of the design evolving as the build continues. Also as you would be competing against the likes of Sarik Hobbies, your design would I think need to be something unique which is not already covered by the proven designs in the Sarik range,

You would have to pay for the design to be developed into a working plan and the cost would be likely to wipe out any profit you might make assuming that people would want to buy it in the first place. You don't say what the subject is.

Whilst not wanting to curb your enthusiasm, I rather thiink your suggestion is a non starter as you have described. it. There is very little money to be made from model boat plans even with proven, tested designs.

Colin

While a plan might look feasible on paper there is no doubt in my mind that you would have to build the model to A) prove the competed model actually works as expected with the suggested power train etc. and B) Discover any building difficulties that you may have overlooked on paper that may only come to light when you actually try to put the parts together.

If you don't build the model then the resultant plan can only be classified as 'Unproven'

Edited By Richard Simpson on 17/09/2023 23:39:33

For the fame and glory, design the plan, build the boat from it, take pictures on the water and then submit it as a magazine free plan.

As Colin says, you are unlikely to either make money or sell many, unfortunately.

I have often thought that l should have offered plans for some of my odd/30’s boats as they are unusual, but I would have had to make the boat first, spend ages trying to get it to work properly, then draw a plan of the finished boat and then make another following the plan precisely to make sure a build from plan works ok...what a faff!

Ashley

Hi Haydn,

I'm in agreement with all the comments so far, being brutal you need to practice the whole process from deciding on which type of boat, produce a drawing you can build from, build it taking photos at each stage, finish it to a good standard, sail it take more pictures, write the article text, and a description of each photo and see how long that process takes If you then submit it to our editor she may put it in the magazine as a free plan ? The standard fee for a Design & build article is £250 as one off payment as they are free with the magazine .......... So If your keen to work for £1.00 per hour crack on

Good luck with what ever you decide , review the SARIK range of plans to see if you can find any gaps, It's more of an old archive of design's you can purchase and hasn't been added too since 2016 when it was bought from Mytime Media by Traplet who went broke then SARIK.

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 18/09/2023 10:30:20

Thank you everyone who's sent in comments to my query about designing model boat plans. If comments require brutal honesty, then bring them on. I want to hear the plain truth, and this is what I've got. So, yes, thank you for that.

The type of boat I have in mind, and which I will definitely build, is an airboat. I didn't think that there would be much money to be made out of designing model boat plans, and the fewer the plans, the less returns. As I'm only talking about one plan, I did suspect that any profits, if any at all, would be pittance. My motivation to build, however, would comes out of a labour of love because building model boats is one of my chief hobbies. Designing and building will be on a trial and error as per suggested in the comments, and involve adapting the plan after some of the building. And yes, I agree with all the requirement to write text and photograph every stage if planning to publish. As I'm doing it for myself, I don't care how little per hour a one off payment from someone would translate to if they took up my plan. Thank you Ray for explaining how MB magazine work with a contributor who submits a plan. I wonder how Sarik works with someone who offers them a plan? If Sarik accepts it, do they give a one off payment or do they pay a percentage each time a copy is sold? An alternative way to sell is of course through ebay. But I would only sell there if my plan was to the same high standard as expected by MB and Sarik. If the costs to bring a plan up to standard are too high, then I will forget about it. But more importantly, I will still have designed my own airboat, and hopefully go on to design other models too.

Airboats have been quite popular subjects over the years and there are already a lot of designs out there and magazine articles too. There was one published in August so I doubt if the magazine will want to run another one very soon.

If you love building model boats then whay not just build one for your own satisfaction without all the complications of trying to sell the design to someone. They all look pretty similar although some are more successful than others.

As Ray says, Sarik no longer buy plans from Model Boats magazine, just selling those they already have.

Colin

Haydn,

I see from looking at your posts that you were quite active on the forum around 10 years ago. Did any of those projects get completed?

Colin

Hi Colin

You're right, I was quite active about 10 years ago (for a short time) before family responsibilities took over. Now I'm in a position to engage more in hobbies than I've done for years.

I started a project in 2013 of a model yacht called Goblin in a free plan in MB by Glynn Guest, and it's this you probably saw on this website. There's a photo, if I recall, of the not completed model tested in my bath and other photos of it. After a hiatus of 10 years, I took up the project again this year and finished it in the summer. I renamed the model from Goblin to Ty'n Llyn, in tribute to my late mother's home. The meaning of the Welsh name Ty'n Llyn is house in the lake, which I thought is appropriate for a boat. I wrote about it to MB magazine and the editor kindly asked me if I would write an article about it. So, the article appeared in the August 2023 issue.

During the covid lockdown I built a native American canoe, also hailing from a plan by Glynn Guest in MB. Lots of people pondside have liked this intriguing design, the sight of two model guys paddling.

My next plan is an airboat, and, looking further into the future, building a sister yacht to Ty'n Llyn.