Ok serious question for once

[BarryH]

Say I came upon a set of moulds for a boat. Also could get hold of a large amount of glass fibre and gallons of resin. Then in my lunchtime slung it all in the mixer and by knocking off time I had the hull and superstructure of a 26 foot sports cruiser.
Once said boat was complete whats the situation with the RCD Euro bods. Also the Vat situation. Obviously I wouldn't have reciepts for everything as some things would be secondhand etc etc. Then what happens when time comes to sell. Its not RCD plated so going by what I've read it can't be sold.
Anyone clarify a few points for me?

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[BrendanS]

Self build or for sale?


Answers will be very different

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[kingfisher]

Owner built boats are excempt from the RCD, as long as the vessel is not sold within 5 years of construction.

<hr width=100% size=1>Group of people on the pontoon: skipper is the one with the toolbox.
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[BarryH]

Self build. Sat down and worked a few sums. I could get the moulds, on hire, and glass for less than 2K. I've already got one lump and could buold another. That would bring the costs upto 2K. Then of course theres all the other bits, So I set a budget of 15k. Which, when you think about it, is not a whole load of money for a bespoke boat!

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[BrendanS]

As Kingfisher says, rcd exempt as long as you hang onto the boat for at least 5 years

If you can do all that yourself, then you could have a tidy boat for not a lot of money.The big killer is selling it on, as self build boats rarely meet others standards, no matter how nice you think it is

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[BarryH]

Its just an idea I'm looking at at the moment. Basically its an abandanded project! Never even got as far as spraying the release agent in the mould!
I would be wiling to take the chance on the reasale. Space is the hardest thing to find.

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[BrendanS]

If you are really serious, I've got an abandoned double garage at far end of garden that does nothing. Could get finished product out through stud farm at back who store machinery there

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[BarryH]

Thats some garage if it can take a 26x9'6" boat!! For it to be viable its got to be near home. I keep the boat on a farm 2 mins from the house. Theres enough room to do it in the barn if my boat wasn't there!

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[BrendanS]

Haven't measured it, but put there by prev owner who did classic car maintenance/restoration. Would prob take boat that size, but no good to you for convenience

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[Ships_Cat]

You may know all this already, in which case sorry for boring you (but among other things I project manage the design and construction of big power boats). It is at a tangent to your question but initiated by Brendan's valuable comment :=).

The big saving is in your own labour if you don't put a price on it eg by building the boat when you could be working instead, but as Brendan says the killer is the resale value of a non professionally built boat. A poor resale value may not be of monetary concern if never to be sold, but poor resale value does mean that you are spending your time boating in a boat that most do not think much of.

Even though a lot of the manual work in a boat, especially the hull, does not require a great deal of skill, where amateur builders fall down is in the lack of experience as to how to get the whole boat come together into a cohesive looking quality finished product. By that I mean that the systems are co-ordinated and expertly installed, no strange corners that one couldn't work out how best to finish them, the interior design flows through the boat, and most importantly NO EXPERIMENTS which seem great ideas to an amateur builder but to everyone else look silly. Stay with the tried and true.

To come out with a good boat at the end, and assuming your skills are good, I would suggest sitting down for a very, very long time and planning the fitout of the boat. What is going to go into it, how it is going to be fitted, what all the finishes are going to be and how every corner, locker insides, etc is going to be detailed and finished and whether for each thing you have the knowledge or experience to do it yourself or not (for example the electrical). Where all the services are going to be routed, where the tanks, batteries, pumps, instruments, etc, etc are all going to go and the fairing and finishing scheme for the hull.

Browse through lots of magazine and book photos and pick out the interior finishes and themes you like. In the theme I include the layout of instruments, etc which are purely of functional purpose but because they are there become part of the interior design eg you should not end up with the GPS looking as if it is an afterthought, maybe choose a VHF whose colour matches best the interior (can often get black or white eg Icom). Make sure you don't end up with a boat for which the interior is not coordinated. Make sure everything inside and out is in scale with the boat ie nothing that looks out of place size wise.

I know it is only a little boat but it makes no difference, spend alot of time thinking it through and filling notebooks up with sketches and words on how all the bits and pieces are going to fit together and on how you are going to do all the finishes and fitout. If you have the manual skills you will then likely end up with a boat as if out of one the best yards.

Again, sorry if you know all that, but in any event good luck, many get as much or more enjoyment out of building a boat than using them. However, it is a lot of work to do it properly.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.

 

[tr7v8]

Barry, for 15K you could have mine! Or a TAD less subject to negotiation.
No smelly resin or any other hard graft. I'm begining to face reality thats it got to go as a move inland means its probably not viable to keep it aside from other factors.
Get in touch if interested...



<hr width=100% size=1>Jim

Draco 2500

 

[DepSol]

I would also look into how other boats are built the products used and the system used to build them as this is very important.

A double garage at the end of the garden is not that suitable as climate control is quite important especially when moulding is concerned. Also strenghteners and how they are applied to avoid hard spots in the gel coat is very important and I also stress the use of bolts rather than rivets.

Be prepared to buy plenty of sealant (dont skimp on this product as it is one of the most important ones). Sanding discs compounds polishing equipment grinding equipment all have to be of a reasonable standard to get a clean smooth finish. Use the best quality flash grinding discs as this is imperitive to good joining and clean lines. Also expensive diamond tip jigsaw blades for cutting out the ou drive hole and any other holes but then again these aint cheap either.

Big project and yes you ill save money but also may have trouble moving it on as it is a one off unknown make.

If you go ahead I wish you luck and would love to see the posts nad pics on here as the build came along. I reckon you could get a nice boat for your money tho.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>
MMS - Discount Chandlery

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

Agree with all that having built a one-off steel boat.

There is another reason for building your own boat which is that absolutely nothing beats the feeling of doing a passage in a boat you have built yourself and that's something that money can't buy.

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[BarryH]

Whoa there people. Its just an idea at the mo. Good advise tho none the less.
Bit of background. Through talking to one of my customers I found out that this particular chap is to be made redundant, not very pleasant just before chrimbo. Anyhow we got round to talking boats as its a shared interest. He being redundant just before xmas needs to off load all the bits and pieces he's got done so far.
This project was a joint venture between him and another person. The other person has lost intrest and also wants out. A bleesing in disguise really!

Most of the brain work has been done. Theres plans for the interior layout etc. including plans for interior joinery. Don't know where these came from, but they've been done by a pro by the looks. Akso theres a "schedule of works". Again don't know where this came from. All looks as if the planning has been done IF I want the layout thats been designed.

Its a two cabin boat, albeit the second is a crawl in mid berth for two very familiar people, with a heads conpartment and small galley unit. Open cockpit job with a planing hull. Not too dissimilar to a Sunfury.

Enough room to fit 2 engines or more than enough to fit a huge diesel. Seeing as I've already built a twincam ford donk I've onlt to find one engine and drive.
The only other thing thats needed is time! Something I haven't got a lot of going spare.
I would probably change the layout slightly. Designers always seem to cram too much into these size boats. Thats if I decide to take it on. The only other obsticle is the wife!!! and the fact that I'm not allowed to sell our boat until this one is finished. There is the crux of the matter. Most of our free time is spent on in or around the boat. So wheres the build time come from?
I'm gonna do a bit of reading up on grp moulding. Haven't done any for a good few years and the last time it was only a kyak!

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[Ships_Cat]

Just trying to bulldoze you into it /forums/images/icons/smile.gif.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

Most people I have come across who have done this sort of project successfully have taken about three years of evenings and weekends plus every other spare moment. The size of the boat doesn't seem to make much difference to the time it takes. People who take longer than this seem to get bogged down and never finish it. You do need to keep the momentum going so it's a big commitment.



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[BarryH]

Thats whats in the back of my mind. Its the time more than anything. Theres a boat in a front garden on the A31 in Ropley hants. Its been there for the last 10 years or so. Nice fin keeled 30 odd ft cruiser. Came passed it a week ago.Its now got a For Sale sign on it. I don't want to get into that situation.

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[studgies]

We have thought about doing similar but a bit too chicken!! We even thought about buying a Aqua star that had sunk and needed a total internal, electrical and mechanical refit (hull already repaired and engines rebuilt but not re fitted). IT is still up for sale but for what it is I think they are asking too much so will keep my eye on it and maybe make a silly offer in the depth of winter.

DO you think I would be totaly off my head to even think about it?? I think it is the only way we can afford to trade up at the moment and we do have a good mechanical back ground and a friendly boat building mate!

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[Nauti Fox]

I was in a group where we built our own aeroplane.We had a fairly strict timetable and treated it more like work in our spare time.It was hard but we got there while other more informal groups did'nt and ended up loosing a couple of seasons flying and falling out with each other.

<hr width=100% size=1>No dear,the water goes in the other one.

 

[Nick_H]

In my view you would only ever consider building your own boat for the love of doing it, or for the pleasure of cruising round in something you had made. There is no way it would compete financially or practically with a second hand mass production US built 26' cruiser when you put any value on your own time, unless you were planning to spend that time working on a Kibbutz.

<hr width=100% size=1>He who dies with the most toys, wins