NATE CHURCH BOATS
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Reality Check
nate • April 10, 2022
Spring is here. I've been busy with my other job, and was bemused to realized that in a recent day of exterior cleaning, I earned as much as I did in 3 weeks of replacing a boat deck in January and February.
Such is the nature of seasonal work here on Cape Cod. And while I don't regret the time spent, it'd be foolish not to learn a few lessons along the way.
First, I learned a great deal about working for friends (and friend's wife).
Second, I re-learned what a contractor friend told me a while back: generalists are a dime a dozen. Specialists thrive.
So, while I spend the warm months cleaning houses, I'm refining my wintertime business model to specialize in a niche. I'll share the details here as they solidify.
Here we go. I'm putting away the power washing rig for the season, and I've just cleaned my last gutters for 2023. My job at Outside Cleaners LLC is "going dormant" for the winter, and now I'm turning my attention and energy to an idea I've been stewing on for a couple years, and tinkering with for a couple months. While I'm not ready to announce the details, I can share that it involves modern composites and jobsite equipment. Rather than spending another winter paying a couple bills by working on a "same old / same old" boat project, I'm going to spend much of this winter working on what I think will be a modern, innovative tool which will be useful for many in the trades. If it was available right now, I'd pay very dearly for it! ... but it's not, and so I'm going to put real effort into not only making it for myself, but making it it available to others. I'm going out on a limb here, sort of swinging for the fences. That's a change of pace for me, and perhaps a bit overdue. Wish me luck. When I have progress worth sharing, I'll report it back here.
After a summer largely spent cleaning cedar , I'm back to small boat repair: a new rub rail here, a fiberglass patch there. After last winter's craze of product un-availability, things on the supply side seem to be returning back to earth... at least in terms of inventory. Material prices are still very high. I enjoy helping folks keep their old fiberglass boats in use and out of the landfill. I enjoy seeing a customer get excited about their "new" old boat. I enjoy hearing from them months after our transaction, when they're full of stories from the bay. Will this make me rich? Not monetarily, not at this scale. But these small repair jobs are paying some bills, and they're feeding a growing appetite I have for a new venture: one formed of carbon and plastic. That's all I'll say for now. As ever, if you're in need of small-boat 'glass repairs, give me a shout. -Nate
Here we are, middle of January. Bitter cold temps recently. Patriots lost. Inflation ragin g . Right now, most recreational boaters are thinking about anything but boating. I'm bringing in an older cuddy cabin this week to replace the deck tank. The owner, a local business owner and family man, COULD go take out a loan for an overpriced boat from one of the local boat yard s. Instead, he's putting some money into a hull he owns, which he got for cheap because it wasn't pretty. He's doing this now so that it's ready to go (and paid for!) at the start of the boating season. He planned ahead, looked for a fiberglass shop willing to do what he wants done, and will be on the water for a tiny fraction of the boater next to him at the launch ramp in July. Congrats to him. He's going against the grain (against the tide ). I'm looking forward to this project.
The weather is turning cold. It sleeted a little this morning was a fun, t w. Lawnmowers are put away, and snowblowers are being tested out. Instead of looking out at the water, most people are preferring to look at a fire. We're getting close to the Best Time to Buy a Boat . That is, the time when boating is furthest from peoples' minds. BUT... there are still boats for sale, and with Christmas approaching, some of those sellers are increasingly anxious/desperate to do any kind of deal. Last year, I noticed a 19' Mako on Craigslist in Eastham for $5k in the autumn. Late autumn, it went to $3500. I called the guy and asked some questions. Basically, he was done with it and wanted out. When time passed and I saw it wasn't going anywhere, I went to look at it. It was a fixer-upper but had "good bones," a servicable trailer, and a motor that I was confident I could get going. I waited until right before Christmas to offer the Seller $1k cash. Done. A new fuel tank ($1k), some gellcoat and epoxy paint ($150), various parts and some elbow grease later, I enjoyed a great summer on the boat. Those boats are out there, waiting to be snatched up and enjoyed while leaving Big Money for other dreams. A paid-for boat is a beautiful thing. Want to enjoy boating on Cape Cod without spending an obscene amount of money? Let's talk about how to get you there.
I just heard a radio ad from Nauset Marine in which they basically say new boat orders are backed up more than a year. "Order a new boat now (October 2021) to get it in time for 2023!" When I spoke to Marty by phone at Ship Shops in Yarmouth recently, he said if a new non-stocked Suzuki outboard is ordered now, he has no idea whether it'll be here in time to use next season. Yep, thanks to everything ranging from COVID-19 to free money, everything boating-related is in an ugly bunch. If you can get it now, get it while you can! And of course, it's all driving costs up quicker than their normal pace. So what's a would-be boater to do? How to get out for some fun on the water next season without yacking up a full college tuition and still not having an assurance of a full season in '22? Here's a crazy idea: piece together a project boat. You know, those boats languishing on Craigslist, whereas people are all but pleading for you to take their old boats away. Yes, the trailer needs new hubs and tires. Yes, the hull needs a new deck and gas tank and maybe it's got a carbeurated outboard which needs to be gone through. But it's there, it's affordable, and right now there is time. "But I don't know how to do any of that!" you say. That's OK. I do. So let's talk about what you want, so that you're on the water next season. Contact me here .
NATE CHURCH BOATS