Visit this gallery and view the types of DIY kits and down load forms and documentation for specifying your design requirements. This gallery also includes order forms, sales agreements, hire forms and a couple of example DIY kits.
DIY Build Kit - Flat pack
This type of kit caters for the person who just wants to have the base boat delivered in a cut flat pack form, pretty well ready to weld. The RHS and SHS ie 25 x 38 x 2mm, members will not be cut into their lengths, as the risk of losing bits in transport is increased.
The parts for this kit are already cut and held in place by tabs left in the sheet. Each part has it’s corresponding drawing number written on, lines and information important to creating the correct part shape.
The cost of this type of kit covers 1 x set of construction drawings and 1 x Australian Build Plate. The construction drawings will cover the stability data, all assembly and identification of cut components. The construction drawings will also include measurements, part locations, bending/folding profiles, drawing locations and a full welding schedule.
Refer to each boats promotion pack in the “Design Gallery” for the DIY Build Kit (Flat pack) price, as it will vary between boats. The price of this kit is worked out by DBA and we are more than happy to answer any pricing query, just contact us, as we are ready to help.
DBA offers free advice on the DIY kits and are happy to help you, if you are not sure about something within the kit. The price of the kit does not cover site visits, but the cost of site visits will be dealt with on a case by case bases.
Please refer to the Construction Drawings page, if you would like to view an example of the Construction Drawings.
Buy a Custom Manufactured Boat
All boats designed by Designer Boats Australia are available as a finished, connect up to the trailer and drive away package or at a stage that suits you. The beauty about buying a boat this way is that you get to customize the boat for your needs, within reason, i.e. not changing the base boat design parameters.
What happens is you choose the boat closest to your requirements from the “design Gallery” and we will then sit down with you and customise the boat to your requirements. Some of the things you will have the flexibility to change are: handrails, targa bars, rod holders, live bait tanks, burley boxes, seat boxes, storage, anchor wells, above deck kill tanks, dive racks, folding seats, etc.
We are flexible and doing it this way, allows you to choose your finishes, paint colour, trailer make and engine.
Theoretically you should be able to pick up a fully engineered, proven quality custom boat for about the same money, or if not a little cheaper than the mass production boats on offer in yards.
If you would like a manufactured boat choose your boat from the “Design Gallery”, contact us or BtB Marine and we will provide you with a quote with in a couple of days.
The Do It Yourself Concept
Designer Boats Australia is a design facility that is very keen to see people out there building quality boats that will give them pride and years of service and enjoyment.
The DIY concept is where a person can buy a fully engineered design of a boat, with many simple assemble tricks, construction information, and stability data and get the cut pieces that go together well and be fun to build. All boats have been fully developed, checked and cutting files produced for water/laser cutters. DBA supplies all information to help you make the right choice in boat and be able to build it correctly.
DBA designed all boats up to March 2007 in accordance with the USL shipping code and Australian standards. DBA pre-empted changes being brought about by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and adopted Lloyds Register rules and scantling calculation software. Therefore any DIY boat is capable of being classed by Lloyds and anyone building a DIY boat is encouraged to contact Lloyds and use their professional services for quality control.
DBA do not cover manufacturing warranties and it is the responsibility of the person building the boat, to ensure it is built and welded correctly. We encourage DIY builders to bring a professional qualified welder to check and correct welding at a couple of stages and suggest that if you are not confident in welding the boat up, then tack weld it together and use a qualified welder to weld the boat in accordance with the welding schedule.
Some people will use the DIY concept as a means of getting a customized boat cheaper or just building a boat for the enjoyment. If the DIY concept is well planned and done carefully, the person building the boat can make significant savings and build a brand new boat up 40% cheaper than the same boat in a dealer’s yard. I myself build my own boats, hang on to them for two or three years, sell them and get enough return, to go and build another brand new boat.
All DIY boat kits are supplied with a serial number and a corresponding Australian Build Plate. DBA is always interested getting the kits as close to perfect as possible and welcome feedback and suggestions.
If you are interested in purchasing a DIY kit, either down load the promotional packs, found in the Design Gallery or contact us and I will send you enough information, that you can investigate the benefits of flat packs or the pricing of materials, cutting and consumables.
Remember at the end of the day, I want to see you in a boat that I designed; you built and are proud of your achievement
Sales Agreement
If you would like to purchase a DIY Build Kit for a boat.
Please down load the “Sales Agreement”, (above),read through it and then fill in all the spaces and sign the bottom.
Fax or post it to us with the full payment and we will process your order promptly, as you are probably itching to get started.
Specification Form
This form is to be used to specify the type of boat you would like designed or find within a kit.
This form will make you ask questions to yourself, about the type of boat you want, how you intend to fit it out and use it. It may even bring to your attention aspects of the boat you might have forgotten or overlooked.
The questions it asks you are not hard and there is no right or wrong answer, the form is only as a guide to help you find the right boat for your purpose.
I encourage all people looking for boats to fill in the form, as you are not wasting my time or your own by submitting it to us and it can be very useful when comparing boats.
If you are just making an inquiry, please feel free to fill in the form and write “Inquiry Only” or “Quote Only” somewhere on the top of the form, this way you are not obligated and we can use it to search for the closest boat that meets your needs.
Once you have filled in the form, just fax or e-mail it to me for a prompt reply.
Fax number (02) 44438470
Fuel Tank Cover Repairs For Predator Boats
Rod and Araon at Predator Boats where building really good quality boats, however the fuel tank covers could have been done in a different way.
The way the boys built the covers can cause the fuel tank cover to leak and the end up with the whole tank bay full of water.
I have had a couple of people contact me recently with the problem and one persons leak had been there a long time, the tank was completely covered in water, the fuel sender had rusted out, stopped working and water was leaking into the fuel.
If not checked you could end up having to replace the fuel tank, so if you suspect any problems, please do some checks straight away and refer to the attached repair scheme.
This problem will be occuring on boats going back a long time and some of the boats I designed for them. With my designs, I didnt go into defining a lot of detail on the fuel tank covers as the boys where very experienced and let them do what they do best. I thought and they described a way,which I was happy with, however we must have had our wires crossed and it was done differently on investigation.
Please feel free to down load the repair scheme check your boat. Click Here for the Repair Scheme