Anybody Cruising In A Homebuilt Boat ?

[TomM]

Hi,

Anybody here cruising in a homebuilt boat?

[atoll]

got tshirt......

[psk125]

We've got a homebuilt boat, but cruising in it would be tight. Ours is like the one on this site:Building a Caspian Sea Kayak
, which has pictures showing how it's done.

[TeddyDiver]

Is there any other way?
Actually so far just boating (with DIY's) but eventually..

[tager]

I built a dinghy once. It was expensive and time consuming. In the end, I could have flipped burgers and bought one on craigslist and the result would have been better in a shorter time. However, I am proud of it, and it was fun. If you have the heart of an artist, the hands of a craftsman, and the mind of an engineer, then go for it. If you lack any of these, just buy a boat that needs fixing, and go that route. It will also be expensive and time consuming, but less so, and you will end up with something probably more sail-able and sale-able.

If you are a realist with no panache, just buy a boat that is used and ready to go.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by tager

. If you have the heart of an artist, the hands of a craftsman, and the mind of an engineer, then go for it. I.

That's about the most eloquently anyone has ever stated this on CF. Any new thread that starts with, "should I build a boat" should get this as an auto reply - LOL

[tager]

Oh, and the pockets of an arab prince.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by tager

Oh, and the pockets of an arab prince.

roflm,think i spat the dummy!

[Vic_222]

I am living on a home built Brent Swain steel 36 and plan to go offshore after I build a new hull and transfer everything over. I believe there were many ferro wood and fibreglass boats built by average people for cruising and living aboard. If you want to build a Cat take a look at the Woods, that would be my choice if I didn't want steel.

Woods Designs Sailing Catamarans

Having spent most of my life in the steel trades it is my first choice and living and cruising on the west coast of Canada I am a little concerned about the Tsunami debri field on its way over from Japan.

Cheers

Vic

[44'cruisingcat]

Well there you go. I don't think I have any of the above mentioned attributes to any great degree, but I'm living and cruising on a boat I built myself, in my own backyard.

I know several other cruisers who have also built their own boats. Mostly catamarans, but also one guy with a mono.

Contrary to what those who have never done it might say, it's actually not especially difficult, or demanding. It IS time consuming though.

The cost? Yes you could possibly, even probably, buy a similar second hand boat cheaper. But it would be a second hand boat. The one you built is brand spanking new. You can't buy a new one cheaper than you can build one.

[boden36]

We built a 36 ft steel yacht and are still sailing it. Best part is you built it, you can fix or modify it.
Regards,
Richard.

[Morganministry]

Welcome to the forum TomM

Scott

[IslandHopper]

In 1985 i built a 38ft Roberts Offshore, steel round bilge. Had her for 6 years and cruised around Aus, PNG, New Cal, Fiji and NZ where i sold her, built her in 26 months.....

Good times......

I should also point out i built her nearly 500km from the coast....

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by tager

I built a dinghy once. It was expensive and time consuming. In the end, I could have flipped burgers and bought one on craigslist and the result would have been better in a shorter time. However, I am proud of it, and it was fun. If you have the heart of an artist, the hands of a craftsman, and the mind of an engineer, then go for it. If you lack any of these, just buy a boat that needs fixing, and go that route. It will also be expensive and time consuming, but less so, and you will end up with something probably more sail-able and sale-able.

If you are a realist with no panache, just buy a boat that is used and ready to go.

Same here. Built one of Chesapeake Light's sailing prams. It was a labor of love and hate. If I had the time and place I might try something bigger, but I'd be under no illusions about saving any money. If you put any value on your time there is just no way to beat buying a used boat instead.

But then sometimes, its all about the journey isn't it.

[kaimusailing]

The least expensive way to get a boat is to acquire an unfinished project or an abandoned boat. The time and money to complete or refurbish is much less than starting from scratch. Production boats are built very efficiently and when new they represent a fair value for all new equipment. It's like buying a new car or buying a used car. A used production boat will need a lot of replacement after 10 to 15 years of service. You'd probably put in about the same as what an unfinished project would need.
Many DIY projects fall by the wayside, but finding one is a matter of chance. My boat was started by the original builder who did a good job and put a ton of man-hours into it. He lost interest and sold it to builder #2 who also did a good job and put a ton of man-hours into it. Unfortunately he died tragically and the project became available. It is hard to sell a pile of boat parts, so the price is much less than the finished boat. It took me a half year of rush-work to put the boat together and launch with interior unfinished and much of the sailing rig still to be installed. Now, 10 years later, I am finally putting the finishing touches on it. I could not work on it when I was working a full time job except to do necessary maintenance. Although I am stuck with the original design and the peculiar modifications of the previous builders, it is a nice big 44' catamaran and the work I do on it can reflect my own preferences. I've lived on 3 boats and you can manage camp style on just about anything while you complete your modifications.