Balloch Dodgers

[Nick]

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After a steep learning curve Catherine and I have decided we are now in a position to offer to make dodgers. She's a great wee seamstress and the sewing machine is running like a well-oiled sewing machine.

You can see the new venture at http://www.ballochdodgers.co.uk. The site is hurriedly put together and some terms and conditions and similar b//s is still to be added, but it is all functional and can take PayPal/credit card payments.

Main selling points are, there is a wide range of colours, top quality acrylic and you known where we live. The only downside is at the moment we are only offering stick-on letters, though we hope to progress to offering sew-on letters at some point in the future. The stick-on letters are first class though - Fairwinds' new (non-standard) dodgers look great.

What we need now are some guinea pigs who will be thoroughly delighted and send us glowing testimonials and pretty pics of their new dodgers installed on their boats. With that in mind we are offering a coupon worth 25% off and free shipping, valid until the end of August.

The coupon is bluemoment01

Prices with the coupon are likely to run in the region of £100 - £110 per pair including (free) delivery, although this will vary slightly with the length.

[DaveS]

Now if you had been going last year I would have taken you up on that. This year's new dodgers are by Owen: I can't remember what they cost because I had sail and cover repairs done at the same time.

[mm5aho]

Looks good.
It might be only me, but I have this aversion from buying from websites that don't identify themselves well enough. I look for a name of a person, and an address ad phone number - some way to be in contact.
These are often detail left off as seemingly unnecessary (and the whole transaction can of course be done without them), but somehow they give a sense of some security that the advertiser is genuine.
Now we all know that this one is genuine, but if my feeling is common to others, then others not of this parish might feel similarly and you could miss good enquiries.

I suggest also adding these facts on an earlier page that after selecting the cloth colour...

Material weight (I bought some really cheap ones on eBay, and they were so light as to not withstand the wind let alone a wave)
Eyelet system and material: If made with steel, (sometimes nickel or zinc electroplated - still no good) then these corrode, rust away and stain the cloth. you have said Brass (on a later page) they're good. Stainless also good, but harder to not get a split in the stretched steel when sealing the two bits together.
Stitching and thread composition: Double or single line of stitching? Overlocked or seamed? Seam sewn? Polyester thread? Weight of thread? Reinforced edges?
Clarity of pricing: Price is for a set of two? or each side? (you later say its per pair, but not so clear on early page, and an assumption that its per each might lead a reader away?
Also clarify the lettering pricing..."The lettering we offer is white or black stick-on vinyl in an appropriate size for your boat name, priced at £1.20 per letter (twice, once for each side) and applied by ourselves". I'm still not 100% clear. Is (say) "Fairwinds" £21.60 for lettering, or £10.80?

Hope all that critical review is useful.




These are things that can differentiate the product, and describe the quality.

[wully]

Good luck with the new venture!

I'd take you up on the offer but there is a hold on any boatie bling until I decide if I'm going to 'invest' in a slightly bigger boat.

After just spending a heap of time and money getting his one up to standard...

[Booby Trapper]

Any chance of progressing to Sprayhoods?

[ash]

Any chance of progressing to Sprayhoods?

Fairwinds might be first in the Q, and could be a test bed.

If you want to progress to something less adventurous than a sprayhood, then I could be interested in a cover which hangs off the hatch and covers the wash boards or the space where the wash boards would be if on board and it's raining.

Anyway, best of luck with the new business.

Ash

[Nick]

Looks good.
It might be only me, but I have this aversion from buying from websites that don't identify themselves well enough. I look for a name of a person, and an address ad phone number - some way to be in contact.
These are often detail left off as seemingly unnecessary (and the whole transaction can of course be done without them), but somehow they give a sense of some security that the advertiser is genuine.
Now we all know that this one is genuine, but if my feeling is common to others, then others not of this parish might feel similarly and you could miss good enquiries.

I suggest also adding these facts on an earlier page that after selecting the cloth colour...

Material weight (I bought some really cheap ones on eBay, and they were so light as to not withstand the wind let alone a wave)
Eyelet system and material: If made with steel, (sometimes nickel or zinc electroplated - still no good) then these corrode, rust away and stain the cloth. you have said Brass (on a later page) they're good. Stainless also good, but harder to not get a split in the stretched steel when sealing the two bits together.
Stitching and thread composition: Double or single line of stitching? Overlocked or seamed? Seam sewn? Polyester thread? Weight of thread? Reinforced edges?
Clarity of pricing: Price is for a set of two? or each side? (you later say its per pair, but not so clear on early page, and an assumption that its per each might lead a reader away?
Also clarify the lettering pricing..."The lettering we offer is white or black stick-on vinyl in an appropriate size for your boat name, priced at £1.20 per letter (twice, once for each side) and applied by ourselves". I'm still not 100% clear. Is (say) "Fairwinds" £21.60 for lettering, or £10.80?

Hope all that critical review is useful.




These are things that can differentiate the product, and describe the quality.

OK, I think I have addressed most of those issues - there is now a page on 'materials' and the costs are more closely outlined at the top of the Shop page. Tel. no. and email address now at the foot of every page.

[Nick]

Any chance of progressing to Sprayhoods?

That is the plan - but Fairwinds first . . .

[Nick]

If you want to progress to something less adventurous than a sprayhood, then I could be interested in a cover which hangs off the hatch and covers the wash boards or the space where the wash boards would be if on board and it's raining.

Ash

Hmmm . . . how were you thinking of locating it? Press-studs are a faff, maybe with with a 'mini-washboard' say 2" deep at the bottom to locate it, and another mini-washboard at the top?

How to attach material to wood though . . . could be a product??

[Nick]

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Meanwhile, would anyone like a set of dodgers?

[Telo]

Best wishes with the venture!

Funnily enough, the dodger issue is something that I've been thinking about since we acquired Telo. Telo does not have dodgers and, down in Port Solent, earlier in the year, I was struck by the number of boats without them.

I'd made mental note about getting dodgers fitted, but have found that Telo is actually quite a "dry" boat compared to Shard. Must be something about the hull design, but even coming up against pretty stiff northerlies on the passage to Scotland we never really got drenched with stuff, either from the bow or over the side.

For me, the ideal dodgers are predictive, so, that if you're about to do something really stupid, as one does do from time to time, the name on the dodgers changes to something memorable like "Claymore" or "Marisca".

Between Catherine's sewing skills and your IT prowess this could be a killer product! Go for it!

[Nick]

Best wishes with the venture!

Funnily enough, the dodger issue is something that I've been thinking about since we acquired Telo. Telo does not have dodgers and, down in Port Solent, earlier in the year, I was struck by the number of boats without them.

I'd made mental note about getting dodgers fitted, but have found that Telo is actually quite a "dry" boat compared to Shard. Must be something about the hull design, but even coming up against pretty stiff northerlies on the passage to Scotland we never really got drenched with stuff, either from the bow or over the side.

For me, the ideal dodgers are predictive, so, that if you're about to do something really stupid, as one does do from time to time, the name on the dodgers changes to something memorable like "Claymore" or "Marisca".

Between Catherine's sewing skills and your IT prowess this could be a killer product! Go for it!

Hmmm . . .smart dodgers . . . electronics and seawater is always a challenge.

Telo is a nice short name . . . with the introductory BM offer your dodgers would probably come in under £100 for the pair.

[mm5aho]

I want some, but need to do a measurement first, and only next opportunity to measure will be 20th August. So sorry not a quick sale!

[Nick]

I want some, but need to do a measurement first, and only next opportunity to measure will be 20th August. So sorry not a quick sale!

Not a problem. The voucher code bluemoment01 for BM users is valid to the end of August.

[Mavanier]

I can attest that Fairwinds' new dodgers are the dog's danglies.
I would be after a pair myself (dodgers, not dogs bits) but they would need to triangular. Best wait until I actually have a pushpit.