Recently, I got lost down a YouTube rabbit hole learning about spaghetti, shells, slicers, and cool down times. But you’d be wrong to assume this had anything to do with cooking in the kitchen.
On the contrary, these terms are taken from the futuristic world of 3D printing where you can engineer your own drawer organizers or children’s toys right at home, and then print them seemingly out of nothing into three-dimensional existence.
Now combine this thrilling, albeit geeky skill (I mean, can you run a CAD program?) with a love for boating and you might find yourself suddenly in business printing scale model replicas of pontoons. At least, that’s how things happened for brothers Matt and Brian Carman.
A Serendipitous Gift
Both were engineers living in South Carolina and working in the marine industry. When Matt got a 3D printer one year for Christmas, he naturally started making his daughter Evelyn toys like flexi dragons, which are incredibly popular in the 3D printing world.
“Evelyn loved what I made so much that I started printing toys for her friends, and then for her cousin, Brian’s daughter Katherine. Brian thought it was so cool he bought a 3D printer too,” Matt said.
Now both brothers were 3D printing toys and random home décor items until their friends encouraged them to start selling their stuff. Beginning at craft fairs, together the brothers made sports memorabilia and wine bottle holders and became a general 3D printing shop that took custom orders.
Beginning A Business
Since they worked as engineers at Bentley, their friend Damon Marcott asked if they could print a few pontoon boats for Bentley’s upcoming dealer meeting.
“We said sure,” Matt explained. “But we didn’t think anything would come from it. We thought they’d just hand them out or use the boats as a centerpiece and that would be the end of it.”
But the response from the dealers was overwhelmingly positive. They loved the miniature pontoons and instantly saw how useful they could be to help customers envision what their orders would look like. One dealer said, “Man, these things are cool! I could sell one of these with every boat order.”
Matt and his brother quickly responded with, “Well, we have a 3D business, so we can print you a scale-model replica with custom details.”
The Carman brothers invented something that pontoon dealers couldn’t get anywhere else, and have since signed deals to make the custom minis for both Bentley and Northstar Pontoons.
Printing From Home
Matt and Brian both run this family-owned company right from their homes, though Brian has since moved to Ohio and set up shop in his garage. Matt operates from the finished attic in his South Carolina home, and loves the flexibility of setting his own hours.
“I love that I have time to do whatever I need to do,” Matt said. “If my daughter has an event at school, I’m available to go. But the downside is that since my work is at home, I seem to always be working.”
Between them, they own nearly 20 Bambu Lab 3D printers. “It started out as a side hobby and daddy-daughter date in one,” Matt said. But now both Katherine and Evelyn love to help package up the orders and get them ready to ship.
Expanding The Business
And they hope the business just keeps growing.
“We would love to work with more manufacturers and dealers,” Matt said.
They are working to reach out to other pontoon manufacturers to offer more options, and they hope more manufacturers and dealers will contact them.
The 10-inch miniature boats are custom 3D printed to look exactly like the original boats they’re modeled after, complete with facsimile logos and floor plans. These 1:25 scale-model replicas make the perfect keepsake and allow boaters to cherish the boating experience even when they’re not on the water. Not only do the boats actually float (if you wanted to take some fun side-by-side pictures), but they are ideal for display in showrooms, offices, or homes.
Custom orders take about two weeks, and pre-built orders are shipped within 24 hours. The 3D Pontoons website also offers t-shirts and tree ornaments.
