Saturday, Sep. 06, 2008
Bullfrog Boats yacht tenders offer sturdy alternative to inflatable rafts
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closeThis week: Bullfrog Boats LLC
What it makes: Yacht tenders, small gasoline-powered crafts mostly used by yachters to motor around a waterway, keeping their bigger vessel anchored.
Bullfrog Boats makes six yacht-tender models, ranging from 10 feet to 21 feet long. The company offers a sturdier alternative to the inflatable raft that many boaters typically use.
"Everything about them (Bullfrog Boats) is good and strong," Henderson said. "You could take an ice pick to our boats and it wouldn't hurt them."
Volume: Since owner Craig Henderson started the business 10 years ago, Bullfrog Boats has sold nearly 400 boats, or about 40 boats per year. The most basic 10-foot model sells for $9,000, while the 21-foot yacht tender with all the add-on and special features costs $40,000.
Recent business news: Henderson is revamping a car he helped design after graduating from Western Washington University's Vehicle Research Institute 22 years ago. He plans to drive the Avion down the West Coast in mid-October, and will enter the car in the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE competition, which comes with a $10 million prize for the cleanest, production-ready vehicle that gets more than 100 mpg.
Marketplace: Henderson sells most of his boats to individuals or vendors in Oregon and Washington and British Columbia, but his reach extends as far as California and Mexico, with a small number of his clients on the East Coast.
Production process: Production varies slightly for each model, but the basics are the same.
First the aluminum pieces, such as the bottom and sides of the boat, are laser-cut by a Bellingham shop and welded together by another local company. The plastic pieces are created using rotation molding - a dry powder is injected into an aluminum mold and heated so the plastic melts and adheres to the insides of the mold, creating a hollow chamber. Henderson assembles the aluminum and plastic pieces in his workshop.
After the pieces are bolted together and the railings and other features are put on, Henderson drills about 10 holes in the boat's plastic sides and injects hardening foam into the hollow space to give the boat more buoyancy and harden the plastic. Last, vinyl seats, a steering console and the motor are added.
Workforce: From one to six workers, depending on the season. From January to June, Henderson says he averages about three employees, but going into the fall, he is down to just himself.
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