Bruce Roberts Spray Building Costs

winfarthing

winfarthing

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I'm in the very early stages of considering building my own BR Spray. I find the Bruce Roberts website to be a nightmare and very cluttered with little of what I really want to know initially. It appears that it takes $99 to get info although then you probably get loads. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has actually built one themselves and off course, at this stage I'd really like to know how much it all cost from kit to finish. I can't even find out who in the UK supplies the pre-cut kit if you go down that route, which seems pretty sensible to me. Thanks in advance for any help or even alternative options.
 
I spent many years considering this and still have a load of study plans somewhere but never did.
Biggest problem you are up against is how good a welder you are and combined with this having the facilities to lift and cut big lumps of steel plate.
There are loads of Bruce Roberts out there with really distorted plates and the seams finished off with car body filler!
On the other hand there are some really good ones.
It is interesting to note how a proper small ship yard works with steel.Recently I came across the one in Brentford just off the Thames which renovates barges.
It has a framework of steel i girders surrounding the work area allowing steel sheets to be lifted moved and placed in postion.
I did see a well made Thomas E Colvin Pinky but having said this the builder was a ex shipyard worker.
If you are serious Colvins Book "Steel Boatbuilding-from plans to launching" is well worth a read and full of useful ideas about contruction and fitting out.
 
winfarthing said:
I'm in the very early stages of considering building my own BR Spray. I find the Bruce Roberts website to be a nightmare and very cluttered with little of what I really want to know initially. It appears that it takes $99 to get info although then you probably get loads. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has actually built one themselves and off course, at this stage I'd really like to know how much it all cost from kit to finish. I can't even find out who in the UK supplies the pre-cut kit if you go down that route, which seems pretty sensible to me. Thanks in advance for any help or even alternative options.
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Buy one it will be much much cheaper & you can then sail the nxt 15 yrs rather than building one
 
Just to give you an idea, a Wylo 35 hull and deck is £60k and sailaway £120k, complete boat at bargain Southampton show price of £180k (instead of normal £210k) - all +VAT. Very similar hull size, although not quite so wide and flush deck/raised coachroof. Estimated completion time using pre-prepared kit is 1300 hours from hull/deck. Would expect laser cut steelwork to be about £30k, assuming digitised drawings are available.

Complete DIY from scratch probably around 3000 hours and £80-100K materials.

Perhaps explains why so few are built these days! - never mind the bureaucracy and the space required to do it properly.
 
When I was planning mine, there were two companies offering pre-cut kits, one in Holland and one at Aberystwyth. The former was too expensive for my budget and the latter showed no interest even though I'd driven four hours to a pre-arranged meeting with them.
I opted for GRP, bought a 28' bare hull, and spent two years of 3-day weekends fitting out as a gaff cutter for a total cost of £35k. That was 14 years ago.
PM me if you'd like more information.
View attachment 34025
 
Have a look round for an abandoned project and do it from there, thats what I did.

My boat was designed in the late 1970's and passed through several owners until picked it up. Even then it took me 4 years to launch with 2 full time employees.

If you have little engineering knowledge get some one who has to assess the build quality of any one's you are interested in. I was OK as a charted mech and elec engineer I did that myself but it is very important as there is a lot of badly welded steel boats out there.

As to what mine cost I don't wish to know but I went all to quality fittings with a lot of custom designed and built stainless fittings so cost depends on what and the quality of fitting out.
 
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Thanks for interesting replies and pictures so far. To expand and address some points made I am an ex marine engineer an marine surveyor so no problems with skills and knowledge I believe.
The company at Aberystwyth were known to me at one time and I found them erratic and difficult to deal with so I'm not really surprised by the comment above.
I've always fancied steel, it was always pretty reliable when I sailed in ships made of it! I could also consider a GRP hull to fit out but I'd like to explore steel first.
If a part completed one was available I'd be interested. I looked at a few of these for potential purchasers when I was surveying but off course, now I want one they're like rocking horse manure.
Thanks again for help.
 
winfarthing said:
I'm in the very early stages of considering building my own BR Spray. I find the Bruce Roberts website to be a nightmare and very cluttered with little of what I really want to know initially. It appears that it takes $99 to get info although then you probably get loads. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has actually built one themselves and off course, at this stage I'd really like to know how much it all cost from kit to finish. I can't even find out who in the UK supplies the pre-cut kit if you go down that route, which seems pretty sensible to me. Thanks in advance for any help or even alternative options.
Click to expand...

We have a Spray 38 which we bought last August, we are the second owners, the previous owner having had it professionally built. I'd imagine the cost depends entirely on what specification your building it to. I have all the invoices for the build, the hull alone cost almost £30k. The interior fit out, rigging, engine, generator etc. etc. totals up to an eye watering amount.
 
winfarthing said:
Thanks for interesting replies and pictures so far. To expand and address some points made I am an ex marine engineer an marine surveyor so no problems with skills and knowledge I believe.
The company at Aberystwyth were known to me at one time and I found them erratic and difficult to deal with so I'm not really surprised by the comment above.
I've always fancied steel, it was always pretty reliable when I sailed in ships made of it! I could also consider a GRP hull to fit out but I'd like to explore steel first.
If a part completed one was available I'd be interested. I looked at a few of these for potential purchasers when I was surveying but off course, now I want one they're like rocking horse manure.
Thanks again for help.
Click to expand...

Just noticed you're in the Menai Strait, by coincidence so are we. You're welcome to come and have a look around if you wish.
 
Fools build boats for wise men to sail.

Took these two ten years to build a Roberts 43. http://www.thebigsailboatproject.com/

Really good documentation of the build process.

They were both fairly experienced welders and steel workers. [ Both were girls ! ]

So if you get enjoyment out of building things fine build a boat and enjoy !

If you want to build a boat so you can go sailing stuff the build and just buy one ready to go even if it is old.

There is a 43 footer out here in Grenada you can have for about £6 to 7 k It has issues but Trinidad is a short sail away and the Yard is used to steel. The beauty of fixing a steel boat is the repairs are as strong as the original.
 
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