adventure 40

The last time I reported in November, Maxime had decided that after the unexpected death of the primary financial backer he was working with, he was moving on from the Adventure 40 and was setting the project free so that someone else could take over.

Four people came forward with offers to help, including offers of significant financial backing, but none of them were in a position to take Maxime’s place as the driving entrepreneur.

So we still need a motivated person to take over the project and bring it to conclusion.

Status

Here’s where the project is:

• Maxime raised €20,288 on gofundme.
• That helped pay for a preliminary design, (including renderings) that meets, or even exceeds, the original concept.
  • The cockpit design is particularly cool and innovative.
• Maxime found a builder interested and qualified to build the prototype and production boats in France.
• He also supervised significant engineering work on a robust keel design.
• As at the time of writing we have a mailing list of 786 people specifically interested in the boat.
• I have done some work on improving the A40 explanation and specification, but not a lot. I will prioritize that again once we have someone in place to replace Maxime.

Left to Do

These are the remaining tasks to complete:

1. Licence rights to the design from Maxime.
2. Get a final design completed.
   • Both Maxime and I agree that the hull lines need review and probably some improvement—we are both a little worried that she might pound upwind.
   • There are also changes to the interior arrangement we would both like see.
3. Negotiate a final deal with the builder, or select a different yard.
4. Supervise the final engineering.
5. Secure and manage the seed funding.
6. Manage the prototype build and testing.
7. Get the production boats built.

My Role

This is also a good time to clarify my role, particularly for those of you who are new to the project:

1. Guardian of the concept to make as sure as I can, through my writing and participation in discussion, that the boat stays true to mission.
2. Reporter on developments.

That’s it. At age 73, with a nearly full-time job running AAC, I have no interest in running the project.

Also, although Maxime voluntarily offered me a small commission on every boat built in return for my advice on design and marketing, that has lapsed so I now have no financial interest in the Adventure 40.

Never a Better Time

That said, I’m still excited about the project and convinced that there has never been a better time for a smaller, high quality, offshore cruising boat, primarily designed for couples, at a reasonable price.

So if you have the skills and drive to take over the project, the latter more important than the former (can be learned), email us and we will put you in touch with Maxime to figure out the handover.

Comments

Given my role (clarified above), please refrain from long comments telling me all the things I need to do, but rather focus on what you are willing to do to make the Adventure 40 work—think comments that start with “I would like to…” rather than “You should…”.

Also, if you are thinking about a comment telling us all the reasons that the A40 won’t work, think about turning it around into a positive suggestion. As the late Dodge Morgan often said:

Be a yay-sayer, not a nay-sayer.

Maxime took over the Adventure 40 project a bit over four years ago.

Since then he has:

• Selected a naval architect.
• Executed a Gofundme campaign to pay for the preliminary design.
• Supervised the preliminary design process through to completion.
• Come up with many of the innovations in the design, particularly those in the cockpit, which will make the Adventure 40 the best double-handed live-aboard offshore voyaging boat out there.
• Participated in the spirited discussions of each design reveal.
• Managed the engineering of a keel that will be resistant to grounding damage.
• Found a builder interested in both building a prototype and the production boats.
• Secured funding for the prototype.

However, sadly, the person who was funding the prototype recently, and unexpectedly, passed away.

Maxime has overcome many setbacks over the years, but this one caused him to take stock of his personal situation, and he has decided to set the Adventure 40 free so that another entrepreneur can continue the project.

I’m grateful to Maxime for taking the project from an idea detailed in a bunch of articles to a designed boat, and I completely understand his decision to refocus on his family and full time job after years of putting countless unpaid hours into the Adventure 40.

So the question becomes, who is going to pick up the Adventure 40 baton and run it over the finish line?

At the time of writing there are 810 of you who have signed up as interested in buying an Adventure 40.

And a look around at the lack of good offshore boats available, new or secondhand, combined with the advent of remote work and Starlink, confirms that there has never been a better time for the Adventure 40.

The market is there.

So who will:

• Licence rights to the design from Maxime.
• Negotiate a final deal with the builder, or select a different yard.
• Supervise the final design and engineering.
• Secure and manage the seed funding.
• Manage the prototype build and testing.
• Get the production boats built.

Sure, there’s much left to do, but on the other hand, a huge amount has already been done, particularly verifying a market (email list), and designing the boat, so whoever takes over will be way ahead of most entrepreneurs starting a business.

And perhaps best of all, both Maxime and I are happy to advise.

Of course some people will view this situation as a failure, but all that means is that they don’t understand that starting a business is all about overcoming setbacks on the way to success.

Or to put it another way, if starting a business were easy, everyone would be doing it. Are you one of the rare people who has what it takes, a real entrepreneur?

If that’s you, email us and we will put you in touch with Maxime to figure out the handover.

That said, please do not email me to discuss this development or ask questions. I will not engage. As always with the Adventure 40, all discussion happens in the open, so please leave a comment, so everyone can read the answers and participate.

Great news, an experienced boatyard with great technical skills has committed to building the Adventure 40 and is already working with Maxime on planning the next steps, including reviewing the design with a view to both making improvements and optimizing for build efficiency.

The builder agreed to have their identity revealed now, a further indicator of how serious they are. However, Maxime and I have decided that it’s better to wait a month or two so we can share at least the outline of a production plan at the same time—should be before Christmas.

Of course there is no guarantee that something won’t go wrong in the coming months resulting in the builder withdrawing, but Maxime is reasonably confident that won’t happen, particularly since the match between the builder’s business plans and the A40 project is a good one.

It’s been a long voyage, but I think we are finally seeing a clear course to real boats, albeit still on the horizon.

Several members have expressed concern that we have not published anything about the Adventure 40 since April.

But this is a case where no news is not bad news, it’s simply no news.

While it’s true that, for a variety of reasons, all outside Maxime’s control, not a lot has happened over the summer, he is still diligently working to secure a builder, has an interested prospect, and is hoping to have good news in September.