New Member gearing up to build my first sailboat

[Wyo George]

I’ve built seven boat’s of various sizes and types and not once have I saved a single penny over buying used. Some of them cost more than a comparable new vessel, but yet I continue to build because I enjoy the process and it’s cheaper than therapy.

Then again, I live where winters are long, cold and useless so having a hobby is essential for my mental health.


Even at that I doubt I’d spend the substantial time and money commitment to build a cruising sailboat.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Leighpilot

It’s going to cost you more to build a Gunboat than it would to buy one.

No, it didn’t. Not even close.

Multihulls don’t follow your 1,2 points above.

The economics are different.

[Benz]

Didn't read all the posts, but waded pretty far in before skipping to the end to add my minority report.
I built a boat from a bare hull--Cape George 31, and saved hundreds of thousands over buying one new, and couldn't have got one used for less than double what I spent. I built it outside in my yard with no shed, and it took me 3 years and 2 months, while I was working full time (waiter, so evening work). Far from losing my wife (who is, though, exceptional among women for her tolerance), we had three children while I was building it.
It did require a singleness of purpose, a willingness to learn new skills, and a management of expectations as far as fit and finish, but I did splash the boat, moved the family aboard, and lived aboard cruising for longer than it took to build, and the money I saved not paying rent or mortgage while we lived aboard just about made up for the cost of the boat.
I still have the boat, and only regret not knowing what I know now--could have saved myself some false starts, dead ends, and re-dos. But if I could go back I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again, mistakes and all.
It's a lovely thing to build a boat, and I think the OP should go ahead.

[gtpinhei]

I have never built a boat but did consider building an aluminium monohull before.

That said I am now on my second used boat, she is an aluminium Van De Stad design, and costed much cheaper than it would to build one today.

Happens that maintaining a boat also does require time, willingness to learn new skills and wife understanding, especially to manage expectations that cruising is not only sunsets and champagne moments.

I wish you have a good time, enjoy the build and get in the right mindset.

[Buzzman]

I suspect the mast and rig off the Catalin the OP described will not have sufficient strength to be used on a 24' trimaran.
Trimaran 9and indeed catamaran) masts tend to be much thicker and larger profiles than for similar length monos.
The reason for this may not be immediately obvious, but basically monos heel over when hit by a gust, and so spill the wind and reduce the forces on the rigging.
Multihulls don't do this. The rigging absorbs all the forces from the wind gust, and so must be much stronger.
It is primarily this resistance to heeling, and the consequent transfer of energy from the wind, than makes multis faster than same length monos. That and the 'no ballast' issue.
For a 24' trimarana, the mast profile probablyneeds to be from a much larger mono, perhaps a 32' or 34' boat.
Talk to mast suppliers. They will advise the sectional size required (if it's not in the plans you will be using) and look around at boats that also use the same or similar profile, and length.
Multis also tend to have much longer masts for the length of the hull. This is primarily because they are desinged to use blade shaped sails that are not much wider at the base than at the top, and so are trapezoidal rather than triangular.
Anyway, bottom line, possibly the wrong mast for the boat in build.

[Ike]

After all the positive and negative advice given here I thought I might add my 2 cents. If you do decide to do this, and you decide to do it on your own property, make sure it is allowed in your community. Some towns and cities have prohibitions to building boats in your yard (or even in a shed in your yard) along with rules about parking trailers, rv's, etc. You may have to find or rent a place to do this in a commercially zoned area. This is just another reason why BOAT means Bring Out Another Thousand.

And I might add, I have built some dinghies and it was fun and restored a 1972 powerboat. Built a few boats with my Dad many years ago. I enjoy the process and thankfully my wife (55 years and counting) doesn't mind and actually enjoys sanding things smooth. But I also like going sailing. If I wanted a big enough boat to go cruising I'd buy a good used boat.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Bwhiteboomer

Hello Cruisers Forum,

I'm gearing up on research and anything I can attain before I begin to build my first Sailboat. Any advice would be appreciated.



Thanks,

Brad

I built 6 yachts ranging from 36 to 48 ft
It takes about 4000 work hours each.
Unless you have the total funds its a never ending saga.
If you have to go to work you wont have time to build one in a reasonable time.
Good luck

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by TomM

Luckily the internet wasn’t available for Joshua Slocum.

There are always the exception.

My friend who built a 42ft monohull...it's a thing of beauty. To buy an equivalent boat would likely be 4-5 times the cost because everything was finished to the highest degree. He spent years on it.

Problem is the average home built, if it even gets finished, is worse than the bottom of the barrel commercial product.

In Slocum's time, there were failed boat builds but really the pleasure boat market was a tiny fraction of what we have today, so getting comparable stories is much more difficult.

[mqbenedict]

Hi Brad,
I've built and rebuilt several small boats. IMHO, there are good and ill-advised reasons to build one:

Good:
1. You want something unique that you cannot get otherwise. That may be a historical type or just something that suits your fancy.
2. You find joy in the craft of building. It is awfully nice to put one together!
3. You want to know your boat in intimate detail, inside and out. You will!
4. You want control over all of the materials, methods and hardware.

Ill-advised:
1. Saving money. As many on this thread have pointed out, it's not an inexpensive way to get a boat.
2. Saving money.

The last small boat I built was a Chesapeake Light Craft nesting dinghy. I chose it specifically to fit on my foredeck. I chose a kit because I didn't have a well-equipped shop for starting from scratch. Building from a kit for a starter is a good way to discover tools and kit you might need. Comes together fast, is economical and gives you a taste for the process to boot.

Mark B.

[TrentePieds]

Icarus said: "It takes about 4000 work hours each."

IIRC working 3 hours a night Monday to Friday, 10 hours on Saturday and keeping the Sabbath holy, gives you about 700 hours per year.

So if you have to have "ordinary" paid employment, and if you are really good and efficient at some pretty demanding skilled and often exotic manual work you are looking at 6 years of work, work, work with no other life to speak of.

If that's what turns your crank, why not commit to it. But me - I'd rather be sailing :-)!

TrentePieds

[Constellation49]

The desire to build a boat is one of those that can not be resisted.

It begins as a little cloud on a serene horizon.

It ends by covering the whole sky, so that you can think of nothing else.

You must build to regain your freedom.

Arthur Ransome 1923,

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Constellation49

The desire to build a boat is one of those that can not be resisted.



It begins as a little cloud on a serene horizon.



It ends by covering the whole sky, so that you can think of nothing else.



You must build to regain your freedom.



Arthur Ransome 1923,

Nice quote!

[Tupaia]

I think somewhere (Kelsall?) that the hull(s) represenst only 10-12% of the total build



There are some excellent resources available from designers.
https://www.sailingcatamarans.com/
Catamarans - Kelsall Catamarans - Boat Designs
https://www.multihulldesigns.com/

among others.


Whatever you decide, good luck.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

I think somewhere (Kelsall?) that the hull(s) represenst only 10-12% of the total build



There are some excellent resources available from designers.
https://www.sailingcatamarans.com/
Catamarans - Kelsall Catamarans - Boat Designs
https://www.multihulldesigns.com/

among others.


Whatever you decide, good luck.

While this statement is pretty true, I would like to add that building the hulls is the worst part though. Doing some plumbing. Doing some electrical. Making up some cabinets. It’s pleasant work compared to drowning in epoxy for years on end.

[pbmaise]

Chris White wrote in his book that you should be able to build a multihull, sail it a few years, and then resell it for about how much you have into it.

For years I have considered this to be untrue.

However you are correct in your observation that the used boat market has changed. I am thinking you would indeed be able to build a modest multihull especially a Marples and resell with the amount into it.

I highly encourage you to think about the Philippines. You can find lots of cheap labor there to assist and make the build time short. You could even work with established builders like one in Palawan and Bohol. They have small yards and crew with some experience. Some as in must supervise.

In Cebu there is a large warehouse you can rent a space in to do your build cheap and indoors. Just North of Carmen.

Note be especially careful not to buy subpar wood in Philippines