From Hobby to Boat Building

After moving from city life to the coastal town of Portarlington with his partner, Robert Gruis found himself with a new shed and an interest in finding a new hobby.

Following a rough ride in his personal boat, Robert started thinking about building a better boat himself. Just a week later, he had purchased a couple of welders and half a dozen sheets of aluminium.

With no pre-cut kits, Robert hand-cut his first boat, making stencils and jigs along the way. After testing the boat, he decided to put it up for sale. It sold the very next day, with two more orders coming in from people who had missed out.

What started as a hobby quickly became more of an addiction.

With limited design experience and the time involved in hand-cutting each boat, Robert knew he needed a simpler process. Having followed CNC Marine on social media for some time, he got in touch with the team and ordered his first couple of boats.

Robert says working with CNC Marine has been a game changer, particularly how easily the boats come together and the level of detail provided in the drawings.

Robert is now underway with his next 4810BA kit, continuing to build on his experience and work towards his goal of turning boat building into a full-time business within the next five years.