[flyingfrizzle]

Even a new boat with a paten can be copied if you change 15% of the design then you can call it your own. Is that ethical? Maybe not. In the boating industry the formula 233 has been copied 100s of times and lots of boats came from modified 233 hulls. The earlier contender, whitewater, bluewater, ect, ect, came from a simple splash and change of the 233. The seacraft hulls have been copied may times over the years so has many other boats. A lot of the boats still built today arrived from some kind of copy from another hull. I think it depends on how you go about doing it that makes the difference. If you copy a hull to mass produce a boat for sure dollar it is not too ethical even if you make it your own and change a lot of design. To save a hull design that is about gone from age and to give it a second chance to stay in existence is a different story. Done from love or done for profit, makes a difference.

Example: locally near me a guy splashed a mold from a 17' boston whaler. He changed a little over 15% and even used their decal design just changing their name to his own. (he use his last name) It was a obvious copy and he advertised it for sale for reproduction to make profit off their design and got sued by them. He went to court and there was nothing Whaler could do. He changed enough to make it his own so it is still being produced today.

Is that moral? You decide,

Doing this to keep a great boat from going into extinction is different story. At least it is to me. especially when you get a blessing from those who created it.