71 Year-Old Builds 57' Boat

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by James S

Thats excelent...I wish him well.
Lovely looking work on the hull.

I totally agree...Im blown away by the fairness of his hull.

I have a new hero to add to my list James .

Well done man!

Im tempted to send this link to my yard that took dang near as long to do 2 months worth of work..

Hey rebel...I think you know about as much about boats and peoples character as you do chain!..ease up dude!

[IdoraKeeper]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

His first boat is a 57' steel monster? What could possibly go wrong...

Maybe he needs some anchor chain?

[James S]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

I have to say, I am surprised at the cynical nature of some of these responses.
If he never finishes the boat, he will at least have run his dream out.
How many of us can say that honestly.

Agree 100%
I spent at least 2 months every summer from 2004 until this summer doing my refit ...no sailing...just refitting and dreaming of the day I would be out there again.
I loved every minute of it.....its the journey.

[sailingmonica]

The man is 71 and a "farm boy" and he built a 57' boat in TWO years. If he has done that, he WILL learn how to handle his boat, he WILL learn how to navigate and he WILL make it to where he wants to go.

We built our boat in our backyard too, mind you she is 20 feet smaller than his boat and we (one an autobody technician, one an accountant) were 30 years younger than he is. Many loughed, many said it is crazy, many said it can't be right, many were waiting by the launch ramp to see her sink or at least float on her side.

Many said we won't ever leave the dock as we have never sailed before.

All shut up after we returned from a one year sailing trip South, with not even a scratch on the boat and all our limbs intact.

Mr. West, go and live your dream, and only listen to your heart and the weather forecast

[Triton318]

Originally Posted by sailingmonica

Mr. West, go and live your dream, and only listen to your heart and the weather forecast

Hear, hear!

I, too, was a bit surprised at some of the responses.

[bobconnie]

I think Rebel needs an X-LAX- LOL or got up on the wrong side of bed !! never saw him so negative !! Thats a hell of a hull and deck !! well bilt and fair as I seen in a while !!Ive bilt a couple of steel boats myself, as a young man, not at 71, and hes doing a workman like job !! if he get her done he will have a boat lots of us would be proud to own !! or at least a few of us anyway !!Keep it up sir and hope to see ya in the gulf someday !! Bob and Connie

[S/V_Surya]

This is an old thread so I did a little digging to see how he was coming along. 72-Year-Old Poland Man Busy Crafting Ocean Boat At Home On State Road 42 | www.thehoosiertopics.com | Hoosier Topics
So looks like he is getting close to completion.

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by S/V_Surya

This is an old thread so I did a little digging to see how he was coming along. 72-Year-Old Poland Man Busy Crafting Ocean Boat At Home On State Road 42 | www.thehoosiertopics.com | Hoosier Topics
So looks like he is getting close to completion.

That is very impressive progress in a short time. He must not have known how long it takes to build a boat.

As another data point, I have been aboard this guy's labor of love, but it took a little longer: S/V Restless

[bobconnie]

Well I think that answers the question, will he be able to navigate !! anyway LOLCome on Rebel it looks a tad better now huh ?? LOL have one of those energy drinks and look at the pretty boat LOL Just kidding ya rebel Ya gotta like this fellas go get em tho just my 2 cents Bob and Connie

[NDH]

Good luck and I wish him well. I just love these stories of people who get off their backsides to follow a dream.

I'll wager there are plenty on here who would not have the stamina for it.......

[44'cruisingcat]

All the detail stuff takes ages. He'll have to move to make his spring deadline!

Having some hired help will make a big difference though. 2 people can work much more than twice as fast as one, especially pulling cables and hoses through.

Hope he's not tempted to launch before it's finished. Once it's in the water, even easy jobs will be much harder.

Best of luck to him.

[Blue Stocking]

Only God will change that guy's plans.

[captain58sailin]

Yeah, it looks like he is doing a really good job and has thought about some of the finer points, like access to the tanks ect... which many commercial builders overlook. I think he will have a good time sailing about.

[Ozbullwinkle]

All power to this guy what a legend to take on a project like this and finish it in the timeframe that he has.

I'll bet he has achieved so much more in his life than those saying all the negative comments about him.

Apart from building his boat he is a retired electronics engineer from Indiana University with a degree in Astro Physics and a Master’s degree in Physics who used to work at interfacing atomic energy equipment to computers.

So he's probably a qualified rocket scientist as well!

Good on him, what an inspiration.

[SV.Maverick]

Its a great story I just hope he is able to enjoy it in the water in the very near future.