Newbie Boat Builder

[CarlF]

As you're getting the sense, many are concerned about your plan to build a boat from scratch. That's because we all know someone (and in some cases many) who have abandoned half finished boats.

Instead, your skills and character seem perfect to restore an old wooden boat. You can find wonderful old boats in "not bad shape" for almost nothing (actually sometimes nothing if you can convince the owner you will take good care of her). Fixing one up will test all of your skills and you will end up with something far more beautiful and seaworthy and remarkable than your plans. Look at the back of Wooden Boat magazine to get an idea of what is available. Then visit some boatyards.

Carl

[Ike]

SOrry about my "Listen to your mother" comment. I didn't listen to mine much either, but I should have. Anyway look at Bone Yard Boats Bone Yard Boatsâ„¢ - Saving Old Boats Since 1996 Some of these are give aways, most are minimal cost and all are fixer uppers. Beats starting from scratch.

Here's another http://www.woodenboatrescue.org/

[Cadence]

I guess I'm back. I counldn't agree more, with Carl, that you would be much farther ahead rebuilding. However, not a wood boat. Wood is quaint but maintenance never gives you a rest, not that any boat does, but wood is as bad as it gets.

Find a fiberglass hull. In todays economy they are a dime a dozen.

[Cadence]

Ike,

Thanks for the links, I think. It's sad to see the old wooden boats going down the tubes. I was looking for some I grew up on.

[Ike]

I just spent ten days in Port Townsend, Washington, which is kind of the mecca of boat building on the west coast. I spent quite a few days haunting the boat yards and marinas. It is tragic the number of boats sitting on the hard and just going to hell. There are a lot for sale at really ridiculously low prices (an 1889 Herreshoff 76 foot sailboat for $27,000?) and just a whole lot for sale. Many have notices posted on them saying the boat has been abandoned by the owner and the yard is going to sell it for whatever they can get. And there are even more sitting in the water, obviously neglected, with for sale signs on them. So if you can't find a boat at a bargain price, you just aren't looking. By the way, I am talking wood, fiberglass, and metal. I even saw one ferrocement (yuk). So you pays your money and you takes your choice. All these boats need work. It'll certainly keep you busy.

[dirk6001]

Hi Boracay,
I am planning on purchasing the plans for the van de Stadt Sea Mini 21, and would like to know your experiences with building this boat. It will be my first project, so all advice is welcome. Also, which version did you build, the round bilge epoxy or multi chime, and what are the advantages of each.
thanks for your help,
Dirk

or the

Originally Posted by Boracay

Some time ago I built a Van De Stadt Sea Mini 21. Totally basic finish, minimal fitout. Porta poti, metho stove.

I sailed that boat up and down the coast from Wewak for short distances, and to the nearby offshore islands with my then wife for a year or so. I was young, it was great.

It took me close to a year of consistent effort to build it. Estimating 500+ hours. Scaling up your Vagabond 26 would come in at the top end of the designers estimates (at 800 hours). A first class finish and fitout could easily treble that.

I would suggest doing your homework on costs very carefully. While the basic materials may look reasonable new parts from your friendly chandlers are really going to add up.

To give you a comparison the (roughly) equivalent Van de Stadt design to your Vagabond 26 is the Dolphin 26. I found the Van de Stadt Sea Mini design to be complete to the point of not requiring any enquiry or thought on my part. The parts list was so thorough that I was able to order everything needed for delivery from Australia to New Guinea.

This looks to be a really nice boat for gunk holing and limited coastal cruising for weekend and holidays with your wife, not to mention being a rewarding project. Together with a suitable trailer it would be able to access many cruising grounds.

Others may have better insight than me as to it's suitability for a trip to Brazil. I would hesitate to contemplate that voyage in the steel Roberts Offshore 44 that I am currently fitting out.

[bobconnie]

GET TO WORK !! your doing what I did at your age,And it was a Great Idea that was a lot more then I bargined for LOL but you know I finished just like you will cus your heads in the right place !! the only thing I would say is your going to small ! for what you want to do look around a little bit thinking maybe 32 ft or a little bigger ! may take a little longer but the finished product will much better suited for your needs !! Theres some really good designers out there !! in many styles and Matierals I started at 42 ft in steel !! much easier for me then wood LOL Bob and Connie.

[kaimusailing]

Ahoy Joseph,
There is a time lapse video of a Wharra Tiki 26 catamaran being built in 180 days. Your design might be done as quickly.
I've gone along with several bargain boat buyers into the local boatyards and there are many projects just waiting for a skilled carpenter to redo the interior, which is probably the biggest part of the boatbuilding job.
Is there any way you can get feedback from anyone who has built your design? Read some Webb Chiles to get a feel for that kind of adventure. I am in agreement that the build is very rewarding and I know of a couple of boatbuilders who said the build was what they really got enjoyment, not so much the sailing.
Good luck in your project and I'm sure everyone here would like to hear about the progress and maybe even offer advice.

[belgiancruiser]

Originally Posted by Boracay

Some time ago I built a Van De Stadt Sea Mini 21. Totally basic finish, minimal fitout. Porta poti, metho stove.

I sailed that boat up and down the coast from Wewak for short distances, and to the nearby offshore islands with my then wife for a year or so. I was young, it was great.

It took me close to a year of consistent effort to build it. Estimating 500+ hours. Scaling up your Vagabond 26 would come in at the top end of the designers estimates (at 800 hours). A first class finish and fitout could easily treble that.

I would suggest doing your homework on costs very carefully. While the basic materials may look reasonable new parts from your friendly chandlers are really going to add up.

To give you a comparison the (roughly) equivalent Van de Stadt design to your Vagabond 26 is the Dolphin 26. I found the Van de Stadt Sea Mini design to be complete to the point of not requiring any enquiry or thought on my part. The parts list was so thorough that I was able to order everything needed for delivery from Australia to New Guinea.

This looks to be a really nice boat for gunk holing and limited coastal cruising for weekend and holidays with your wife, not to mention being a rewarding project. Together with a suitable trailer it would be able to access many cruising grounds.

Others may have better insight than me as to it's suitability for a trip to Brazil. I would hesitate to contemplate that voyage in the steel Roberts Offshore 44 that I am currently fitting out.

Dear sir,

I'm from Belgium(Europe) and sailing in the Netherlands on rental sailboats.
Since some time I'm doing my own boatstudies looking for my 'dreamboat' trailersailer to build from plans (scratchbuiild). On my search on the internet I encounterd de dutch boatdesigner Van de Stadt (close to my country) and fell In love with one of the types namely the Sea Mini 21. I bought the studyplans and have tried to communicate with the designer Van de Stadt but with little result. Then I have searched for movies and information of builders or owners of the Sea Mini 21... yet no result. Then I found this post. Maybe you can give me some information of the Sea Mini. How does she sails? How whas your building experience? Didi you get enough help from the designer? Because of this reluctant posture of Van de Stadt I'm thinking of dropping this boat type and go for an other designer and type (Dudley Dix and his Cape Henry 21).
What are youre experiences?

Kind regards,
Yoeri Van Langenhove

[Boracay]

belgiancruiser

I built the 6.5m Van De Stadt some thirty years ago and sold it when I left New Guinea.

From memory it was very straightforward to build. The plans were clear and easy to follow. The boat sailed really well and gave many weeks of pleasure.

From memory it weighed 1000Kg. The Dudley Dix you are looking at weighs close to 1500Kg so it would be a very heavy boat. I would not be surprised to find it to be difficult to tow and launch.

I'm in the Philippines at the moment so I'm surrounded by bancas, as the local trimarans are called.

For a while there I looked like being in a position to build another boat so I evaluated the Scarab 22 trimaran. It would be considerably easier to tow than the ZeeMin or the Cape Henry at 540Kg for the plywood version. The foam version would be nicer but there seem to be a few blogs of those who have started but not finished so there may be quite a few hours in them. I took rather more than 500 hours to build the ZeeMin but I seem to recall a figure of 1500 hours for the Scarab which would be in line with my expectations for a plywood build. Foam could be double that or more.

I have seen a folding tri in a marina with one ama folded and it seemed to be a practical arrangement though this would need to be checked with the designer.

[belgiancruiser]

Originally Posted by Boracay

belgiancruiser

I built the 6.5m Van De Stadt some thirty years ago and sold it when I left New Guinea.

From memory it was very straightforward to build. The plans were clear and easy to follow. The boat sailed really well and gave many weeks of pleasure.

From memory it weighed 1000Kg. The Dudley Dix you are looking at weighs close to 1500Kg so it would be a very heavy boat. I would not be surprised to find it to be difficult to tow and launch.

I'm in the Philippines at the moment so I'm surrounded by bancas, as the local trimarans are called.

For a while there I looked like being in a position to build another boat so I evaluated the Scarab 22 trimaran. It would be considerably easier to tow than the ZeeMin or the Cape Henry at 540Kg for the plywood version. The foam version would be nicer but there seem to be a few blogs of those who have started but not finished so there may be quite a few hours in them. I took rather more than 500 hours to build the ZeeMin but I seem to recall a figure of 1500 hours for the Scarab which would be in line with my expectations for a plywood build. Foam could be double that or more.

I have seen a folding tri in a marina with one ama folded and it seemed to be a practical arrangement though this would need to be checked with the designer.

Hi Boracay,
I'm amazed of the age that you mentioned!!!
Maybe thats why there not so eager to give information.
Anyhow, I think I will go for one of the two 'Capes' (cape cutter 19 of cape henry 21).
You are right about the thing of the towing weight for the cape henry 21... this would be tricky I think. Last season I saw one of those folding trimarans in Zeeland (Netherlands).
But I'm not a trimaran guy I guess haha. Thanks for you're information about the SeaMini 21. Greetings Yoeri

[JPA Cate]

Jazzthing:

Please accept this in a FWIW frame of mind. I think the design is for a trailer sailer, with it's drop keel. I do not think that design will serve you well on a long ocean voyage. There are othere "pocket cruisers" with different scantlings that might serve you far better.

People have circumnavigated in Vertues. 24 ft. and you could still built it and it be safe in the ocean.

Maybe you would benefit from looking at just exactly what it is that you want to get out of this exercise. It's fun to build a timber boat, I'm told, and a joy to sail it to another nation. But, the question really is what is this all about for you? And that's one only one you can answer.

To your Mum, I'd say, no, it's not suicide, but maybe hubris, because you're looking at this as if it were a lark, and IMO the vessel's not a good choice for the planned voyage.

Ann

[pistarckle]

The Bahamas or Hispaniola sounds like a better destination . You did not say whether you were a billionaire or not ! As to a diesel you might consider a small motor directly shafted to the prop . No transmixer , lots cheaper by maybe half . Reverse will not do much anyway .
I would suggest that you plan your trip with a calender instead of a chart . Plan a six month trip and stop and have FUN . That is what you are looking for , why move if its fun where you are at . A calender causes most boating accidents among cruisersv .

[OutOfControl]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Jazzthing:

Please accept this in a FWIW frame of mind. I think the design is for a trailer sailer, with it's drop keel. I do not think that design will serve you well on a long ocean voyage. There are othere "pocket cruisers" with different scantlings that might serve you far better.

Ann

The Bahamas or Hispaniola sounds like a better destination . You did not say whether you were a billionaire or not ! As to a diesel you might consider a small motor directly shafted to the prop . No transmixer , lots cheaper by maybe half . Reverse will not do much anyway .
I would suggest that you plan your trip with a calender instead of a chart . Plan a six month trip and stop and have FUN . That is what you are looking for , why move if its fun where you are at . A calender causes most boating accidents among cruisersv .

pistarkle

All,
This thread is almost 5 years old and Jazzthing has not posted on this thread or board since late April, 2009.
Just another dreamer.