14 yo wants to fund sailboat purchase. Ideas, please?

[swimmermom3]

Sailor Dude (formerly Swimmer Dude) believes he is in dire need of a boat, a Laser to be exact. However, since he is only 14, the traditional jobs for teens are not yet open to him. He needs some ideas for generating the funds necessary to finance his purchase. We estimate he will require at least $3,000 for a used Laser with Radial rig and dolly. Club fees will continue to be covered by us and we would probably cover moorage and maintenance and repairs, but we would like him to have complete ownership of the boat. That way it is his asset to do with as he sees fit and I imagine it will receive excellent care.

 

The first part of his financing campaign is to contact the owner of the local Laser supplier and offer to work for store credit as he would probably purchase the boat from them anyway. They are an awesome company and have done this with other youth sailors. He needs ideas for what to do beyond that.

 

Swimmer Dude knows this project will take time. He has a longer range employment plan. Last summer, he volunteered as a coach in training and worked three hours each morning with younger sailors and new youth sailors. The club also had him help out in the office so he got to see some of what it takes to run the club. He will do that for this summer as well, but when he turns 16, he will be able to take the US Sailing Level 1 Instructor course and work as a coach that summer. He will have to take CPR/Lifesaving class which he will do in conjunction with a Lifeguarding course. That will enable him to work during the school year as well.

 

We would love to hear your ideas and some of your kids' own experiences.

[Jane in NC]

Can he promote himself as a helper/jack of all trades at the club? If other families know that he is saving money for his own sailboat, would they be more likely to hire him as a babysitter or leaf raker? Does your club have boats that people outfit for longer sales? Could he assist with carrying crates of food and beverage from cars to galleys? My son was hired by a family member to help with getting a boat back into the water at the start of the season.

 

Promoting himself around the club may also lead to some good crew opportunities are larger boats.

 

Nan in Mass needs to see this thread!

[Candid]

I don't know what things are like where you are, but cutting grass can be a lucrative job. Around here mostly adults do it, and they get paid well (but they do more than the kid with a lawnmower, they edge the yard each week and use a leaf blower to clear away any leaves and clippings, so he'd need more stuff). This could be offered to those who know him and might be willing to help. He'd want to price himself carefully so he can be somewhat lower so he can get the job, and maybe get some folks who wouldn't ordinarily hire a service.

[swimmermom3]

Can he promote himself as a helper/jack of all trades at the club? If other families know that he is saving money for his own sailboat, would they be more likely to hire him as a babysitter or leaf raker? Does your club have boats that people outfit for longer sales? Could he assist with carrying crates of food and beverage from cars to galleys? My son was hired by a family member to help with getting a boat back into the water at the start of the season. Promoting himself around the club may also lead to some good crew opportunities are larger boats. Nan in Mass needs to see this thread!

 

Jane, this is a bit along the lines we have been considering. However, even after two years, dh and I know next to nothing about sailing, at least in comparison to what we know about swimming. :tongue_smilie: If Sailor Dude works for the sailboat store and learns about maintenance and repair, that should make him more handy, right? Maybe someone will need help with their boat. I don't know how much work it takes to put a dinghy back in the water.

 

He crewed for a couple of the adult members on Thistles last summer and was asked if he wanted a permanent position, but I think he likes rotating around. The Youth Fleet also has to put in volunteer hours on club maintenance so he has helped with retaining walls and planted flowers. We have heard only good reports on his performance, so maybe you are right in that members could be willing to hire him if they knew he was saving for a boat. The club is incredible in encouraging the young sailors.

 

I don't know what things are like where you are, but cutting grass can be a lucrative job. Around here mostly adults do it, and they get paid well (but they do more than the kid with a lawnmower, they edge the yard each week and use a leaf blower to clear away any leaves and clippings, so he'd need more stuff). This could be offered to those who know him and might be willing to help. He'd want to price himself carefully so he can be somewhat lower so he can get the job, and maybe get some folks who wouldn't ordinarily hire a service.

 

So many people here have landscaping services and trust me, we live in a modest neighborhood. However, I do know of a lawn mowing job that Sailor Dude's older brother let slide a bit. I think with some proactive salesmanship, ds could probably pick that up. My older kids thought working in stores was better than yard work or house cleaning. Sailor Dude and I have talked about the fact that he could probably make more money being his own boss as long as he is reliable and does a good job. Dh will have to help him with some of his landscaping skills.

 

Thank you for the ideas.

[Barbara H]

I've seen homeschoolers make the most of their daytime availability to build really good petcare and dog walking businesses. It can be pretty well paid for the hours they need to put into.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I don't know if this helps or not but I almost bought a used Laser this past summer. It is an older model but the seller was asking less than $3000 for it. Would you like me to see if it is still available?

 

Edited: They sold it already. It was a bargain, less than $2000. I hope your DS can find one he can afford. Please post his progress for us so we can enjoy the process. Living vicariously through others - my life story.

[Gwen in VA]

If there are skills your ds wants to acquire in order to earn extra money but he doesn't have those skills, volunteering can be a GREAT way to pick up the skills. Some skills are enough in demand that taking the time to learn the "how-to's" would be well worth it. I would imagine being a boat handyman would fall in that category!

 

Summary -- in a funny way, volunteering now may help him earn more money later on than if he jumps right into a paid gig that he doesn't much like.

[Nan in Mass]

What sort of skills does he have? Can he use tools? Helping him to aquire basic tool skills is the first thing I would do. We've had great luck getting our college kids work over Christmas vacation by putting the word out at church that they are available for odd jobs. My other two bits of advice would be to hang around boat yards and to make sure that he (and you) tell everybody and their brother that he is trying to save up money to buy himself a laser. People like to help enterprising kids who have a plan, especially one that involves doing something. My son made his boat money helping an uncle who was remodeling kitchens and building decks. Another uncle hired him to do some painting, too. He'll probably have the best luck within a community that knows him, like a church or his club. I'm not sure where you live and what your local boatyards are like. I seem to remember some of the southern ones being pretty sterile places, unlike the ones where I live (by southern, I mean south of Boston lol). Here, boatyards usually have some people in them who are rebuilding old wooden boats, sometimes a shed or two where somebody is building one new, lots of people who do their own work, and a few people who pay the yard to do the work. Not much happens in winter except for boat building. In the spring, there are a lot of people who are painting their bottoms, waxing their hulls, varnishing, and other things that don't take much knowledge to do. A kid who showed up and offered to help would probably learn fairly quickly how to be helpful and then he could start asking for paying jobs. If mine were wanting to earn money at the boat yard, I would tell them to wander around volunteering to help, and tell them to explain what they are trying to do later, while they are making conversation, and ask everybody for ideas for finding jobs. I would hope a polite, helpful, willing teen with a plan is pretty attractive. I'd tell them to work for cheap so they would get work rather than spend their time waiting for a higher paying job. I'm not sure how much work is involved with maintaining dingheys. Is there any brightwork? Here, if he wandered around the richer boatyards and docks with a can of varnish and a paintbrush offering to touch up people's brightwork, I bet he'd find a few takers. We've heard of kids who made money running their outboards out to visiting boats selling donuts and newspapers weekend mornings and offering to take away people's trash. We've heard of ones who ran around in a dinghey with an ice chest selling icecream bars. If he learned to letter well, he could offer to paint names on people's sterns. We've bought bread, fresh vegetables, and pies or other baked goods from people who showed up in dingheys in the harbour at the end of the day. We've had people show up and offer to do some shopping for us and deliver it later in the day. (I'd be cautious about this one, though. Too easy to buy the groceries and get stuck with them.) People might be willing to pay him to do their laundry. All this (except the laundry) assumes that he has access to a harbour that has cruisers in it. Although somebody might be willing to pay him to do their laundry at home, too lol. Something else to think about is services he can offer to other kids. My youngest has built things for people, models and the like.

 

Best of luck!

Nan

[swimmermom3]

What sort of skills does he have? Can he use tools? Helping him to aquire basic tool skills is the first thing I would do. We've had great luck getting our college kids work over Christmas vacation by putting the word out at church that they are available for odd jobs. My other two bits of advice would be to hang around boat yards and to make sure that he (and you) tell everybody and their brother that he is trying to save up money to buy himself a laser. People like to help enterprising kids who have a plan, especially one that involves doing something. My son made his boat money helping an uncle who was remodeling kitchens and building decks. Another uncle hired him to do some painting, too. He'll probably have the best luck within a community that knows him, like a church or his club. I'm not sure where you live and what your local boatyards are like. I seem to remember some of the southern ones being pretty sterile places, unlike the ones where I live (by southern, I mean south of Boston lol). Here, boatyards usually have some people in them who are rebuilding old wooden boats, sometimes a shed or two where somebody is building one new, lots of people who do their own work, and a few people who pay the yard to do the work. Not much happens in winter except for boat building. In the spring, there are a lot of people who are painting their bottoms, waxing their hulls, varnishing, and other things that don't take much knowledge to do. A kid who showed up and offered to help would probably learn fairly quickly how to be helpful and then he could start asking for paying jobs. If mine were wanting to earn money at the boat yard, I would tell them to wander around volunteering to help, and tell them to explain what they are trying to do later, while they are making conversation, and ask everybody for ideas for finding jobs. I would hope a polite, helpful, willing teen with a plan is pretty attractive. I'd tell them to work for cheap so they would get work rather than spend their time waiting for a higher paying job. I'm not sure how much work is involved with maintaining dingheys. Is there any brightwork? Here, if he wandered around the richer boatyards and docks with a can of varnish and a paintbrush offering to touch up people's brightwork, I bet he'd find a few takers. We've heard of kids who made money running their outboards out to visiting boats selling donuts and newspapers weekend mornings and offering to take away people's trash. We've heard of ones who ran around in a dinghey with an ice chest selling icecream bars. If he learned to letter well, he could offer to paint names on people's sterns. We've bought bread, fresh vegetables, and pies or other baked goods from people who showed up in dingheys in the harbour at the end of the day. We've had people show up and offer to do some shopping for us and deliver it later in the day. (I'd be cautious about this one, though. Too easy to buy the groceries and get stuck with them.) People might be willing to pay him to do their laundry. All this (except the laundry) assumes that he has access to a harbour that has cruisers in it. Although somebody might be willing to pay him to do their laundry at home, too lol. Something else to think about is services he can offer to other kids. My youngest has built things for people, models and the like.

 

Best of luck!

Nan

 

Nan, :001_wub:

 

Thank you for taking the time to share so many great ideas.

 

I am going to share your post and see what my son thinks. I think there are a few ideas he can run with and that appeal to his entrepreneurial soul.I have been pleasantly surprised at the way things seem to flow for him down at the club. It is not a huge place, nor a fancy place, but it is definitely a good place for young people. The adult members are very encouraging, not coddling - I don't think sailors coddle anything except a cold one after a race. I suspect that if ds works hard and does a good job, work opportunities will come his way like crewing opportunities.

 

You did not warn me that sailing could become an obsession. It is hard to believe that in a few months, he will start his third year of sailing. It all still seems very new.

 

Except for the smell of his boots. Nothing should smell that bad.

[Nan in Mass]

 

 

Nan, :001_wub:

 

Thank you for taking the time to share so many great ideas.

 

I am going to share your post and see what my son thinks. I think there are a few ideas he can run with and that appeal to his entrepreneurial soul.I have been pleasantly surprised at the way things seem to flow for him down at the club. It is not a huge place, nor a fancy place, but it is definitely a good place for young people. The adult members are very encouraging, not coddling - I don't think sailors coddle anything except a cold one after a race. I suspect that if ds works hard and does a good job, work opportunities will come his way like crewing opportunities.

 

You did not warn me that sailing could become an obsession. It is hard to believe that in a few months, he will start his third year of sailing. It all still seems very new.

 

Except for the smell of his boots. Nothing should smell that bad.

 

 

LOL - I think that is true about the coddling. Sailing is uncomfortable, at times, very uncomfortable, and you have to get yourself out of any trouble for the most part. Most sailors I know have been sailing since they were kids and assume that sailing kids are competent. And obsessed lol.

 

Nan