We first posted about the Ninja Spider Trimaran here. The whole concept seemed fresh. And it equally appears to be a wonderful sailboat.
It appears, however, that SMG Multihull, the company that designed and fabricated these “trimarans in a box” won’t be building or offering them for sale anymore.
Early this morning, our friend Stefano Moretti commented on that page that he’d found a YouTube video indicating that the molds for this boat, along with the rights to produce and market it, are now for sale. I then checked YouTube and found the video.
I was rooting for the commercial success of this boat. (To say it’s a tough economy out there, for many product sellers, is an understatement!) Having said that, perhaps someone else will pick up the torch for this one. I am with Stefano on that sentiment. (Thanks for letting us know about this Stefano).
Here is the Ninja trimaran video our friend referred to in his comment:
Update: 04/29/2014 – The developers of the Ninja trimaran are indeed selling all of the rights to this craft. If you’re an entrepreneur who is willing to make a go of the marketing, manufacturing (including fabrication molds) and delivery of this design then contact me and I’ll put you in touch with the right person, who can give you additional details.
If an aspiring buyer does happen to find out about this opportunity here at smalltrimarans … and eventually does buy the rights for this trimaran model because of my referral here, then I’d earn a referral commission from the Ninja developers as a result. As a “thank you” to the new buyer, however, I’d be happy to get on the phone and share my ideas for marketing the Ninja. I’d share everything I could about Internet marketing and publishing in order to help make your venture successful. (Note: I am not sure what ballpark price the Ninja folks are asking, but I think it’s safe to say that if you’re truly a serious player then you’ll either have, or be able to raise, the sufficient amount of capital to make a deal happen. The point is, please don’t inquire unless you’re really serious about pursuing this and are truly able, both from a financial and business-knowledge standpoint, to make such a purchase).
Below are the basic “Ninja details,” along with a few pictures from the current sales brochure. And contact me if you’re seriously interested.
……………
NINJA TRIMARAN PRODUCTION PROJECT FOR SALE – Full Project Includes 2 Ninjas Ready for Demo / Sailing
NINJA – the multifunctional and modern
sports multihull with minimum store space and
maximum sailing fun.
The biggest advantage of the NINJA is that you have
2 different multihulls with different sailing characteristic
in one. You just choose according to your experience and the wind condition which boat to
assemble and to enjoy sailing.
With this unique characteristic the NINJA offers ultimate sailing fun.
• The first option is the NINJA SPIDER trimaran.
It looks a little bit like a small version of the BMW
Oracle trimaran and is designed to be fast and easy
to sail for 1 or 2 people. With the Carbon mast
disassembled in 2 pieces and stored in the main
hull, the space is incredibly little for a multihull.
• The second option is to assemble the NINJA with only 1
outrigger and the PRO set of beams and trampoline. The result
is called NINJA PRO and is a fast tacking proa. She is a bit
trickier in the sail handling than the trimaran. You will need
more sailing experience and more feeling for balance with this
boat, therefore it is the perfect multihull for people who love
challenges. Even on lakes with little wind, this boat will define
sailing fun from a total new perspective.
For sale is the full production set for NINJA trimarans and NINJA tacking proas
inclusive moulds and tools for exact fitting of parts like hulls, beams etc.
All moulds have been taken of from CNC cut models and were made of Vinylester resin
and mould Gelcoat. All important moulds include one laminated product inside to protect
the surface during storage and transport period.
Further included in the package are metal tools for e.g. drop-forging special bent washers
for the beam connections and many more helpful tools for the production.
The package includes:
• A new NINJA SPIDER R (white/orange – see video ”Ninja Spider sailing”)
complete incl. launching trolly – ideal for expos as demo boat etc.
• A used NINJA SPIDER (red with off-white deck – see brochure)
complete incl. trailer and incl. PRO upgrade set – ideal as a demo boat on lakes etc.
(The boat in the video sails the rig from the used demo boat)
• Further included in the package are the moulds for the clever transport box. The idea
to use the box for transport didn’t work out yet as the box became to heavy. It still offers
great storage support and the transport idea can still get developed further as clients are
interested in it!
• Additionally with the package you’ll get extra trampolines and genaker and left overs of
decks hardware. A list is available on request.
• All “Solid Works” drawings of all single parts and items of the boat, the trolley, the box
etc. and all the information how to produce it.
• And (very helpful!) all the experience of the designer Gerhard Schein, which he is happy
to share and make available as fas as possible.
• Marketing clothing designs and logo and goodie designs.
• All rights in connection with design, production and distribution of the product.
• The contact list with potential clients and interested people, which is growing constantly.
(300 contacts)
Material costs to build a NINJA SPIDER were in 2011 apx. ZAR 39.000,-.
Working hours to build the trimiaran was determined with 250 hours (not optimized).
Selling price of a NINJA SPIDER was apx. EUR 10.000,- incl. VAT.
The price for the full NINJA production project is the total of the expenses of the design
development, building of the prototypes, moulds, tools and the 2 NINJAs coming with the
package: Euro 50 000,- netto ex Cape Town.
Transport of the NINJA production project incl. 2 boats, trailer, launching trolley, all moulds
and helpful production tools can be easily organized in a 20ft container.
Reason for the sale of the project is the soon coming retirement of Gerhard Schein.
If you are interested in the NINJA production project
please don’t hesitate to contact us thru Joe at smalltrimarans.com
it’s certainly unfortunate any time that someone’s business plan fails, but in the FRP boat industry that might not have the negative effect on the long term success of the product that one might assume it would…it may actually be a blessing in disguise if the molds get into the hands of people who can run a business that has the stability that appeals to customers who are considering factory service and parts availability, warranties, etc. before laying down serious cash for luxury items.
In the long term, I’d say that if the hull/design is sound and meets a need it will stay in production in some form- maybe with long periods of downtime as people buy the molds and store them while they try to get the business part together, but if there’s a demand it will get built.
It’s interesting that you post this now; I was just reading a history of the Columbia/Islander boats where molds have changed hands multiple times, multiple brands/models were built from the same design, etc. from day one-
http://sailboatdata.com/view_builder.asp?builder_id=22
probably the best example-
“For the COLUMBIA 24, Glass Laminates took the ISLANDER 24 hull (which they built for Joe McGlasson), added four inches to the sheer, and designed a house similar to that on the S&S designed COLUMBIA 29. So, the 24, as well as the COLUMBIA CONTENDER 24, and COLUMBIA CHALLENGER 24, all derive from McGlasson’s wooden CATALINA ISLANDER from which the plug was made. The faux planking, that either remained from the original hull, or created artificially, which became an Islander trademark, was removed for the Columbia line.”
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=2930
It was only when all the molds burned in a fire in 1991 that they stopped building them.
So while it’s no doubt a personal setback for the people who had the dream to build these boats, good designs that perform as advertised and offer good value won’t go away just because of business issues.
FWIW, my concern if someone asked me about the viability of buying the molds with an eye towards marketing the boat would be that the market for that kind of sporty long/skinny tri with minimal accommodations seems fairly saturated already so you are competing for a small number of potential buyers who already have a lot of options available….
If you can significantly outperform those other similar boats in speed or cost or ease of use then you might have a plan; otherwise when they all start to homogenize into a “type”, they all start having similar specs that translate to similar performance, and you will have to offer better pricing or solid factory resources and support to stand out and make a go of it.
any one know of a secondhand tri? (Downsizing from a Tornado cat)
Hi Ian, my feedback to your FWIW comment:
When I designed the NINJA multihull concept my thought was a little trimaran that looks like a Mini Orma, that fits on the roof of a car, that you can assemble without any tools, that can store the mast practical inside the main hull, that you can sail fast and safe, that you can easy transform to a tricky tacking Proa , that you can sit like a king on, that needs the same space in the garage like two bicycles, is already unique enough to stick out of the current products!
That was my reason to design this boat. But I agree 100 % to you , the market doesn’t need a little boat that is already on the water…
What I’ve totally underestimated were the nerves consumed by producing a high quality boat with unqualified labour here in SA.
Gerry Schein
Designer of the NINJA
There are a number of factors that make for a “successfully selling product” apart from actually creating a great product in and of itself – which the Ninja appears to be. The Weta appears to be a commercial success. Ted Warren’s “Little Wing” is a successful venture. The market for small tris is obviously a lot smaller than the market for small traditional boats. As time passes, that may change a bit. Will the coverage of multihulls during the America’s Cup create more interest in multis? A lot of guys in the world of multihulls hope so. And I hope the molds for the NINJA find a good new home.
Hi Gerry,
Firstly my hats off to you for making this machine. They hours spent in design can be seen in the finish simplicity.
Secondly, it is a unique design. Truth be told I have been working on a similar design but only from a conceptual perspective for some time. It’s quite amazing that if though through clearly that ideas from 2 complete separate perspectives can converge to a similar output.
Unfortunately having reviewed many videos of the Ninja I consistently see one draw back with it’s performance. In rougher water the amas appear to drag in the water a lot, a lot of spray and drag is encountered.
While this is a set back to top performance it is only a small issue which can be easily overcome with a different approach to the ama designs along with a completely new design outrigger hulls and foils.
I am currently sourcing parts to make my prototype and would be interested to know the cost of one of your designs that I could modify accordingly?