I'm starting to plan my next
boat project: a large
steel yacht in the region of 40 t
displacement. At the moment, I'm thinking that a
Bruce Roberts S58 Spray would be a good fit. Planning is at an early stage so the build is over a year away.
If you have a similar dream,
project in progress, or completed
boat, I'd be grateful if you'd get in touch - I'm keen to compare notes!
In particular, where in the world would you go for high quality
steel hulls for sensible
money? The
Netherlands would seem to be an obvious choice but perhaps the same quality is available elsewhere for less?
Cheers,
Robin
r at floatingabode dot co dot uk
More about the dream/general requirements:
I could buy used but I'm intending to
live aboard for a long time so I want to get it right. Also, I don't want to put my
family and all our worldly possessions in a boat that I can't trust 100%.
It needs to be a strong, safe boat. I weld quite a lot (mainly TIG) and like the strength and resilience of mild steel. I've also used modern
epoxy coatings on the steel of my
current boat and they last forever! It'd take a lot to convince me to choose a different material.
The rig needs to be manageable for 2 people. The accommodation needs to be a comfortable size for a
family of four to
liveaboard permanently (the wheelhouse on the S58 is an attractive bonus).
I spent a lot of time measuring spaces and shaping materials to fit into those spaces on my
current boat so this time I'm hoping to design the whole thing in 3D CAD, allowing stuff to be made remotely with only minor tweaking to get it to fit in.
About me:
33 year old telecommuting product designer/design
engineer with loads of practical skills and a penchant for extreme
DIY.
Living aboard for nearly 10 years. Current boat is a self-fit-out narrow boat (english
canal boat) with hybrid
propulsion, waste heat recovery and
storage (free underfloor heating!), robust
electrical system for cooking/laundry/welding etc. The inland waterways of the UK are crowded and 2 dimensional though and I've always enjoyed sailing. Add to that my partner's desire to travel and my objections to flying and it's clear that it's time to go salty.