Boat Building in Annapolis

[RW Sailor]

Hello everyone,
I'm not sure if I'm in the right (sub)forum here, but:
I am looking into builidng my new cruising boat in Annapolis and was wondering if there is any suggestions out there where to start best?
And by where I don't mean the part of the hull but the actual spot in Annapolis, is there boatyards or parking lots or farmers who rent their land for this kind of purpose around?
Would be very grateful for any kind of advice!
Thank you in advance!
Manuel

[djmarchand]

Manuel:

I presume you will do the building yourself. So what do you need in terms of boatyard equipment. Do you need cranes to turn your hull over? Can you build it upright and ship it to a boatyard using a hydraulic truck?

If you can do the later you can build almost anywhere. There is a small yard in Deale, MD where I see a bit of this kind of work going on. Annapolis will be more expensive, but Bert Jabins is the largest one in the area for that kind of work. Or you can rent a bit of land anywhere a hydraulic truck can get in. I would look closer to home for that sort of thing.

David

[RW Sailor]

Well the only thing I really need is electricity, besides that.... a crane might come in handy at some point, but in theory electrics only and on a budget as small as possible would be nice...
Thanks for the advice already!

[Teknav]

Hiya Sailor! A few things that you should consider: 1) How easy will it be to get insurance coverage on your self-built boat, and 2) You'd better have a slew of Marine Architects to use as consultants while building your boat.

In the small airplane industry, some High School Aviation programs under the supervision of an FAA licensed instructor, can build an airplane kit then have it tested and airworthiness certified. Usually the would be owner would buy the un-assembled plane from Cessna/Piper, then the students assemble it at their HS thus saving the owner a good chunk of money; in the meantime, the students learn aircraft assembly techniques.

Maybe you should go that route. Find a school that has the resources to undertake your project, while you supply the "parts" needed. Building a seaworthy boat requires a lot of engineering know-how and deep pockets. Good luck!

Mauritz

[RW Sailor]

The route sounds tempting, but the thing about building my own boat would be that I actually know where everything is and how everything works - you would literally know your boat inside out and if there is any issue with it you could figure it out easily.
I know there are a few extra challenges attached to that, but I would be willing to take those.
Plus: Working on a ship I may not have marine designers, but friends who are Deckhands, boat builders, engineers, carpenters and who are all happy to help (if beer provided).
But thanks a lot for the suggestions, it is definitely something to keep in my mind!

[nimblemotors]

how big? transporting it to the water can be a very big expense.

[RW Sailor]

Transport to the water was exactly one of my worries, that's why I would ideally like to build on a shipyard (hoping it is not insanely expensive)
The size of the boat will be in the 50 ft. Area, so not exactly small any more...

[Celestialsailor]

Do you mind if I ask why you want to build your own boat?

[westsailwill]

Cool plan. Dreams are what life is all about. Annapolis is generally pretty damn expensive. There are no yards in Annapolis where you would be able to do this. Post an add in the local Craigslist and see what response you get. You never know until you try.

[RW Sailor]

WHY I want to build my own boat...
Well, I always had the idea of doing it some time, and I did build a small outrigger sailboat before, but this is mostly because I have a very special idea of the layout and the entire boat.
And in the end I want a boat that is just exactly what I pictured - and that I know inside out.
Plus is it not exactly easy to get the right boat (I know there is loads of boats out there) But just as one example, I want to design it in a way that makes a hull without throughhulls possible, since they are always a worry somewhere in the back of my head, means no marine head, but rather composting toilet (also lets you get rid of the smell). Electric engine instead of a diesel (no cooling water required and not so noisy/dirty). Therefore a deck layout with enough space for big solar panels.
That is just one example, if people are curious I am happy to explain the whole idea and the why and plans in a longer reply!
Thanks for all the replies already though!

[estarzinger]

Try cypress marine on cypress creek, off the Magothy river.

It's a little one man yard. If you got his (Allen's) curiosity he would be delighted to help.

We put the interior and systems in Hawk there.

[nimblemotors]

Sure, would like to hear the details of your plans.

If you've read through all the build logs and experiences of people building big boats, it is very sobering. 3 years is really fast, 5-10 seems more common, and infinity is probably most common, i.e. never finished.

This leads me to a boat build co-op plan.
Get others to join in, we all build 3 or 4
identical boats using molds, which are too expensive for one-offs.
I'm going with a 38ft cat, solar/hybrid powered.
Going to start a thread on it soon.

Originally Posted by RW Sailor

WHY I want to build my own boat...
Well, I always had the idea of doing it some time, and I did build a small outrigger sailboat before, but this is mostly because I have a very special idea of the layout and the entire boat.
And in the end I want a boat that is just exactly what I pictured - and that I know inside out.
Plus is it not exactly easy to get the right boat (I know there is loads of boats out there) But just as one example, I want to design it in a way that makes a hull without throughhulls possible, since they are always a worry somewhere in the back of my head, means no marine head, but rather composting toilet (also lets you get rid of the smell). Electric engine instead of a diesel (no cooling water required and not so noisy/dirty). Therefore a deck layout with enough space for big solar panels.
That is just one example, if people are curious I am happy to explain the whole idea and the why and plans in a longer reply!
Thanks for all the replies already though!

[RW Sailor]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

Try cypress marine on cypress creek, off the Magothy river.

It's a little one man yard. If you got his (Allen's) curiosity he would be delighted to help.

We put the interior and systems in Hawk there.

I wasn't aware that Hawk is in that area! The Samoa 47 is actually one of the designs I looked into!
Thank you for the tip with the nice boatyard, I will stop by there as soon as I am back in the country!

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by RW Sailor

WHY I want to build my own boat...
Well, I always had the idea of doing it some time, and I did build a small outrigger sailboat before, but this is mostly because I have a very special idea of the layout and the entire boat.
And in the end I want a boat that is just exactly what I pictured - and that I know inside out.
Plus is it not exactly easy to get the right boat (I know there is loads of boats out there) But just as one example, I want to design it in a way that makes a hull without throughhulls possible, since they are always a worry somewhere in the back of my head, means no marine head, but rather composting toilet (also lets you get rid of the smell). Electric engine instead of a diesel (no cooling water required and not so noisy/dirty). Therefore a deck layout with enough space for big solar panels.
That is just one example, if people are curious I am happy to explain the whole idea and the why and plans in a longer reply!
Thanks for all the replies already though!

nimblemotors made a good point which is why I asked earlier your motivation to build a boat yourself. If you do a search through the forum on building, you will see more than a few have wanted to try this avenue. Most of them have disappeared. I have built 2 boats from steel and 1 f/g that I chainsawed the interior out and re-did that had no rigging or hardware whatsoever.
I can tell you, no mater what your skill set, it is doubtful you will end up with the boat you have pictured. I'm not trying to dissuade you, I'm just trying to give you a real world picture. I would say that 80% of these projects started never get completed by the originator. You mentioned a 50ft. size. That hull, deck and cabin will probably take 5-7 years to complete in California where you can work almost all year round. Likely you will only be able to work in your area April to November. If you do the math, you'll see how long it really might be. Aside from time, then you have the money. Most people will agree that it is a much better investment buying a used f/g boat that needs help and going from there. The catch 22 is that if you decide the venture is not for you half way through the project, there is no way anyone will want to pick up where you left off. Most people have to walk away. The other problem I have seen is that if you rent a spot on a farm or in a yard and the owner decides he doesn't want to see the rusty upside-down whale on his property anymore...what are you options then?
The yard where I did my last two boat...one of the steels and the f/g restore, was a guy who had been in the yard a total of 7+ years. By the time it came to the interior he was burned out. Although he had done an excellent job building the hull and sand blasted thoroughly, the interior ended up as painted ply from a local lumberyard. That's when it looked like a home built. He launched it without any rigging, mast or hardware and no mast for $60K, bought a semi-truck and went back to work to save for a retirement. Also when he and I launched our projects, the yard lost their lease and the land was sold...so we were very lucky to get out. After those experiences, I decided only to buy something that was in the water.
I know all this sounds depressing but I just want you to know what you might be looking at.

[RW Sailor]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Sure, would like to hear the details of your plans.

If you've read through all the build logs and experiences of people building big boats, it is very sobering. 3 years is really fast, 5-10 seems more common, and infinity is probably most common, i.e. never finished.

This leads me to a boat build co-op plan.
Get others to join in, we all build 3 or 4
identical boats using molds, which are too expensive for one-offs.
I'm going with a 38ft cat, solar/hybrid powered.
Going to start a thread on it soon.

I like the sound of the concept - solar powered (hopefully still with sails) sounds great, just don't like the movement of the Cat all that much...

So my idea is to build a platform for enthusiasts, divers, biologists etc., meaning, I want to get a boat together as environmental friendly as possible (and I know there is lots of arguing about that - just presenting an idea here)
Meaning:
- solar power
- electric engine (yes, a generator as safety backup)
- composting toilet (also no thruhulls) plus it doesn't smell
- use as many second hand bits and pieces as I can get hold of (in good quality, not crap quality)
- keep and eye on the producers of electronics (ideally Furuno, they seem to be the only navigation harware producer that doesn't outfit missiles and other war machinery)
- get a dive compressor on board to show people (up to 6 guests was the plan) what's going on under water and be able to present it right (screen in the saloon)
- get microscope and binoculars, plancton net and some more basic scientific gear on board and tell people about connections under water, how things interact and how the plastic bag they throw into the water can screw up the entire system. That's the basic idea in a nutshell.

The background is, I am marine biologist and diving instructor (and sailor) so it's something I want to do: Raising awareness for our oceans and as cruisers and sailors everybody here should agree that things are not exactly going as they should.
In the past 5 years I have been sailing on a big sailing ship for an environmental organization and have seen overfishing, shark finning, garbage floats in the middle of the ocean and many other devestating things on the water and under water and I truly believe if some of us took out guests and showed them "the beauty and the beast" of the water, how amazing and stunning it can be and how bad it can get if we keep doing what we are doing - it could make a huge difference on the long run.

Now my problem is I'm not exactly rich, working for NGO pays in friends and skilled friends all over the planet, but not in all too much cash, that is why I was planning on doing lots myself and having friends help me with welding and outfitting.

I am also grateful for other suggestions or a combined - several boat building - effort.
Thanks for all the advice that came in already and I'm hoping for much more to come :-)