What to build, what to build...

[Pura Vida]

Without going into gory details it looks like I'm going to be bound to the shore, at least until I get a post grad finished. Furthermore I'm going to spend more time than I like at our small farm eighty miles from the coast.

After building a few boats, all under 20 feet I have decided to use my time ashore to build a multihull under 35 feet. The length is due to space limits in my workspace. I will begin reading through some of the more recent build threads in the multihull forum and going over the Wharram and Farrier designs I have collected.

My question to the group is, what designs and designers are popular with builders? Frankly I'm not married to a cat or a tri at this point but I am leaning toward a tri. My boat experience is in ply/epoxy as well as GRP food vessels.

Thanks

pv

[The South African]

Go for a Farrier design - excellent plans, easy to build from

[knottybuoyz]

Schionning Designs -

Harryproa Home Page

Trimaran and Catamaran Designs By Farrier Marine, Inc.

Workshop

[Whimsical]

If you dont need 3 cabins the proa but its leeward hull is 50 feet then next choice the farrier.
Niether had the accomodation I desired so I went with the Schionning.
Great choices Knotty Buoyz.
Mike

[knottybuoyz]

Well except for the Harryproa Mike. Just toooooooo weird! Took me half an hour reading that site to actually figure out what it was I was looking at.

Here's a link to a page of a young fella near here who started a Farrier 41 in core-cell ($$$$) and I don't think he ever finished.

Adam's F-41 Boatbuilding Project

I exchanged e-mails with him a year or so ago to see if I could go see it being built but he just sorta disappeared into cyberspace. Gives you an idea of how these things are built.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

..I'm going to be bound to the shore.. Furthermore I'm going to spend more time than I like at our small farm eighty miles from the coast.

pv

Yo Pura,

Why begin an ordeal? How about considering buying a used (cheap), smallish, handy trailerable monohull so you can continue to sail and enjoy your free time with the company of your choice? Eighty miles is a fine weekend trip, is it not? Possibly boat storage near the water can be arranged? Enjoy.

best, andy

[Tropic Cat]

Building a multi is a monster undertaking. There are a couple of manufacturers out there who specialize in supplying kits. The kits chop about 1000 hours off the build time.

Rick brings up a good point. I wonder how many people begin a boat building project and never complete it? There must be a bunch of 1/2 built boats around which could be bought for a song.

If you could find something that could be finished in 1000-2000 hours or less , it might make sense to buy a 1/2 built boat. I've seen estimates that a build starting from scratch is a 3000 -4000 hour project. The odds of finishing it are long ones as life has a nasty habit of getting in the way.

[northerncat]

build an easy33 or 35, www.easycat.50webs.com theyre quick 2000 hrs or less if competent, cheap mine will be on the water for 65000 and they look nice, plus theres a fiarly good support forum for them
if your into more of a composite then look into bob oram as his boats are faster to build than farriers or schionnings
sean

[Whimsical]

Originally Posted by northerncat

if your into more of a composite then look into bob oram as his boats are faster to build than farriers or schionnings
sean

Yes but there are some obvious reasons for that.

Mike

[Whimsical]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Why begin an ordeal?

Not ordeal, part of the adventure. But then I suppose it depends on ones outlook.
Mike

[Pura Vida]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the ideas and links so far. I've always had a soft spot for the Farrier tris (I love the video of the one passing the open 60). But at this point I'm not leaving anything out. The kits sound like a good idea. As for the why, I'm a shop rat as much as a sailor in fact I sold a practically new Catalina and traded it for an old C&C simply because it had better projects, OK and it was much faster. After building the smaller boats I think I have an idea of what I'm getting into, famous last words right? By the way I'll keep the C&C through the build process and maybe beyond. Sometimes you just have to sail...

Please keep the ideas coming.

pv

[northerncat]

if you can weld ally then another option is the tim mumby 47 cat they can be apparently be put on the water for around 100000 and take just over a year of very full time work, of course this would necessitate a new shed 8-), the other thing i forgot to mention is they get pretty good resale with most fetching between 180000-240000
sean
Yes but there are some obvious reasons for that.
and what would that be whimsical??, or is it just that you wish you had built one instead8-)

[viking69]

have a look at mike wallers designs he has some nice cats in your size range.
Main Menu - Mike Waller Yacht Design Multihull Monohull Sharpies Catamarans Sail Power I am getting ready to start his 9.4 version which is not listed on his site as it is a hand drawn design and not in computer format yet.

[Boracay]

Your choices are limited not so much by space as by time and money.

Your 35' cat might run to 4000+ hours and $100,000+.

On a long term project it is hard to put in more than 20 hours/week so you would be looking at delivery dates 4 years in the future.

4000 hours in a part time construction job (at $25/hr)would return $100,000 plus the $100,000 materials/parts plus interest comes to close to the price of a brand new cat.

It might be more sensible, but not more interesting, to buy an investment property, fix it up and rent it.

[viking69]

4000 hours in a part time construction job (at $25/hr)would return $100,000 plus the $100,000 materials/parts plus interest comes to close to the price of a brand new cat.



minus 40% tax brings you back to $60000. even adding in $100000 for materials(my 9.4 will NOT cost that much) not going to buy much for that in the way of a new cat.