So you’ve finally decided to invest in a custom boat for your fleet, but you’re not looking for any boat. You want a boat that does something special. Whatever kind of vessel the boat of your dreams looks like, Hike Metal can make it happen! Our custom boat builders have served the United States and Canada for over 50 years. Our boat-building facility is located on Lake Erie and has direct access to the St. Lawrence Seaway, so we’ve seen every kind of boat imaginable. Let our experienced design team make whatever quality boats your heart desires!
What Kind of Boat Do You Want?
Let’s start with a basic question: what will your boat be used for? Custom jet boats will have different specifications from cruise boats, after all. Your boat’s form should fit its function!
Do you want a luxury yacht? A boat designed for deep sea research? Is there a vessel type out there that most shipwrights hesitate to make? Hike Metal makes many high-quality waterfront products, so don’t hesitate to ask us about specifics!
Our crew at Hike Metal has decades of boat design experience. We can make a first-class custom boat, but it helps if you have an idea of what you want it to do!
Your Boat’s Environment
After deciding what kind of boat you want, you should think about what body of water it will be used in. A boat designed to fish in Beaver Lake will be different from an ocean trawler that may need advanced materials.
This is particularly true if your boat will be in icy or deep waters. Red Bull.com has a list of 9 surprising boats that are designed to work in Arctic waters. If you need a boat that can handle the most violent environments, ask Hike Metal for a custom job. Again: form must fit function, and we’ve got plenty of experience!
You might be surprised how much your boat’s hull can impact its performance in a given environment. For example, according to ImprovedSailing.com:
* Round-bottomed hulls do best in rough water but can roll.
* V-shaped hulls are faster but do not handle well in waves and require plenty of power.
*Pontoon hulls are stable but not agile.
If you think the V-shaped hull of a powerboat looks cool, but want to build a different type of boat, another basic hull type may be the superior choice. Let the experts at Hike Metal make your boat look great and sail smoothly! We prioritize client communication to the point where our employees often have our clients’ texting numbers.
Materials
Some types of boats require specialized materials. While many larger boats use steel alloys with rustproof coating, smaller boats can be made of materials such as steel, wood, aluminum, and fiberglass as per CompositesWorld.com. That’s a lot of options, and they are all good for different purposes.
We at Hike Metal prefer aluminum boats for many reasons. The most important of these is rust. Even the best steel will rust. It will rust even more quickly in seawater. Aluminum is also a lighter, more flexible building material than steel. For this reason, our experienced team prefers aluminum, but we will make quality boats to your specifications.
Crew
While Hike Metal does not provide staffing for your boat, we would like to know the approximate crew capacity of the boat you want us to make. We must design things like living spaces, electrical wiring for refrigerators, toilets, and so on. Not all boats will have dive crews, but if yours needs them, we will design around that!
We will design your boat with your crew in mind. If you want a custom luxury cottage living space, browse our gallery to see what we can do! We have a more extensive collection of products than fishing and fire boats.
How Long Will My Boat Take to Make?
After you place your order with us, we will get to work designing your boat. We will stay in contact with you at every step of the design process. Boats can take anywhere from 3 months to 5 years to complete, but we will be with you from the start of the project to construction completion.
You will have input on every aspect of construction and will be notified of any construction issues as soon as they occur. Our team will contact you for approval every step of the way, which could mean a few years! The result will be a beautiful product that nobody else has.
Does Hike Metal Repair Boats?
Suppose the boat you already own has a gash in its hull or needs another type of repair. Or maybe you have a classic boat that needs some touching up. Hike Metal can fix that! Even though we use our boat shop building for making ships, we have the supplies on hand to repair yours.
Contact Us!
Are you ready to make the boat of your dreams a reality? Contact Hike Metal today! We pride ourselves on client communication and will give you plenty of power during the entire project process.
Our many satisfied customers include the Coast Guard and several fire departments. Turn to Hike Metal for your custom boat-building needs!
