Spare parts for things nobody makes any more
Send me the broken piece and it gets redrawn and printed in a material that suits where it has to sit.
The problem
A canopy knob, a hatch lid, a sheave from a furler. The part is worth nothing, but nobody makes it any more, and the rest of the kit is fine. The choice becomes replacing the lot or lashing it up with cable ties.
The fix
I need the broken pieces, a photograph with a rule beside them, and to know where the part sits. Material follows the location: ASA where sun and salt finish everything else, TPU where something has to flex, PETG-CF where it has to stay stiff. The part is oriented so the load runs in the plane of the layers, since a printed part holds roughly half as much across them as along them.
The first part goes out as a trial fit. If it is wrong, the drawing changes and the next one prints. That costs nothing but time, and it is the whole difference from moulded plastic, where a change means a new tool. Two things I will not do: copy anyone's logo or brand, and make parts for equipment that has to be type-approved or is safety-critical — lifesaving gear, navigation lights, steering and fuel systems. The part fits a model. It is not the manufacturer's part.
More ideas
A hook guard that actually stays on
A soft TPU clip that snaps over treble hooks and jigs so they stop catching nets, clothing and fingers.
A rod holder that fits your rail
A parametric holder printed for the exact tube diameter your boat has — not a standard no boat actually follows.
Gear tags for nets and pots that last
Name, phone number and registration embossed into the tag itself — not written in marker that vanishes in three weeks.