Maybe just fyi. This effort is going great. We likely will have a kit designer from NZ coming to participate. Surely you need an excuse to come to Mystic Seaport.
Carl of Wooden Boat Magazine has conntacted us in the past,this time he has sent an invite to attend the next boat show they are having,due to distance and cost,we will not be able to take up Carls kind offer but suggest to any of you in the area to drop in at the show and see all the families having fun building their various designs.
Family BoatBuilding 2010 at the WoodenBoat Show
This year we're going to take a slightly different approach with Family BoatBuilding at the WoodenBoat Show (if you haven't already, please see the website, at www.FamilyBoatBuilding.com). The WoodenBoat Show will be June 25-27, 2010, at Mystic Seaport.
For a variety of reasons, primary being to give our families or groups a number of great boats to choose from, we are asking numerous organizers to produce their own Family BoatBuilding event, within the Motherlode of All Family BoatBuilding events at the WoodenBoat Show 2010. I would LOVE to have 10 or more different organizers, each helping perhaps 5-10 families build the boat you decide to provide.
Ideally, each organizer will have a different boat design/kit.
The overall concept is simple: Provide a kit to the family or group, give them support and education, and help them complete the boat in 2-1/2 days, with a grand launching at noon on Sunday. The goal is to have the hulls primed before launching. (If you think your kit will require an extra day, we can arrange for a Thursday start. Although this may be difficult for some families' schedules.)
We will help you secure the families. The sooner we have enough organizers signed up, the sooner we can promote to enroll families. Our past history indicates this won't be a problem. In addition to our own efforts, we will embark on a nationwide and regional media blitz, in which your organization's name and mission will be prominent. But we can't wait until the last minute. So please let me know sooner rather than later. The absolute last day to commit to participate at the WoodenBoat Show in this fashion is April 15, 2010. (If the dates don't work for you or you'd have to travel too far, maybe we can help you find a northeast agent or friend.) BUT: Please be advised that interest is VERY STRONG right now, and we have a limited amount of space. The sooner you commit to your participation, regardless of the number of families you think you will have, the better we will be able to accommodate you. So just tell me “Yes” and the specs of your boat (not all particulars are necessary at this point – for example, the price. That can wait until April 15. But LOA and type of boat will help.)
We won't charge you for the space at the WoodenBoat Show, and we will give you four (4) free admission passes for the duration. Extra staff and your participating families must pay for their own admission.
So, we promote the different boats and organizations, and the families choose which one they wish to build. They will then contact you directly. You set the price for your kits and you collect the money. You may also secure sponsorship for your portion of the event, and display your sponsor's or sponsors' banners within your area (nothing too loud or commercial, please. I will be checking...).
We will also try to obtain some national sponsorships to help families who can't afford the entire cost. But this business climate is not very conducive at the moment.
I'm very excited by this new approach, and I hope it answers some of your needs as well. It certainly addresses our families' expressed desire.
We need to get more families on the water. We need to help them become boaters for life.
Please review the above and www.FamilyBoatBuilding.com. And call or email me with any questions you may have. We greatly look forward to your participation in this important component of the WoodenBoat Show 2010. Thank you for helping us make a difference to a lot of great people.
My very best wishes to you, Carl
carl@woodenboat.com
tel. 207-359-4651 USA.
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