The 'never launch' brigade

[snowleopard]

We've all seen them, working in small boatyards all over the country doing self-builds or restorations. Year after year they toil away and teh end of the project is 'next year' or sometimes 'before the end of this season'.

Some eventually peter out and leave a part-finished boat, covered in green slime, to sit there until the yard finally puts their foot down. Some are refined and polished and their proud owners won't consider launching until they are perfect.

I reckon once a build has gone beyond 5 years it's more likely to be struck by lightning than launched. There are honourable exceptions such as the one that was built next to ours that was finally launched after 25 years.

My question is - how do people keep up the motivation for so long? Do they live on dreams of blue water and 'once I retire' or 'when I can afford to go'. And how do they deal with finally having to accept that it's never going to happen and their part-built dream is worth less than they've shelled out for materials over the years?

 

[bbg]

Perhaps for some people the reward is in the build process, not the sailing.

 

[Sandyman]

Something I have often wondered about.

Was present at the launching of a Ferro-Cement boat in Nazare last year which had taken the owner 36 years to build.
Wondered how he kept motivated.

 

[SLC]

Motivation, fear of failure and the 'told you so' brigade?

 

[Eyore]

We've all seen them, working in small boatyards all over the country doing self-builds or restorations. Year after year they toil away and teh end of the project is 'next year' or sometimes 'before the end of this season'.

Some eventually peter out and leave a part-finished boat, covered in green slime, to sit there until the yard finally puts their foot down. Some are refined and polished and their proud owners won't consider launching until they are perfect.

I reckon once a build has gone beyond 5 years it's more likely to be struck by lightning than launched. There are honourable exceptions such as the one that was built next to ours that was finally launched after 25 years.

My question is - how do people keep up the motivation for so long? Do they live on dreams of blue water and 'once I retire' or 'when I can afford to go'. And how do they deal with finally having to accept that it's never going to happen and their part-built dream is worth less than they've shelled out for materials over the years?

As the manager of a Marina and boatyard myself, and we have quite a few "projects" recently gathered together in our graveyard, I constantly ask myself the same question.
Generally they are dreamers with no real idea of the reality of taking on something that any sane person would walk away from. Money is ultimately the real reason for failure as I have very rarely seen a "project" taken on by anyone with real means. Its a shame really as they will never take advice, and it all seems so inevitable.

 

[Sandyman]

Motivation, fear of failure and the 'told you so' brigade?

Negative nobody's to be avoided at all cost.

 

[Sandy]

Every boatyard should have a chainsaw.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I've been 3 years in my refit.... I manage by having a thoroughly structured approach. I have a complete list of all jobs still to be done (OK, a few get added every now and then), and planning before every visit, what this visit's tasks are.

That, and having a clear idea of why I am doing it.

For me, the end is now in sight... I should, all things being equal, get out on the water in 2015.

 

[SLC]

Negative nobody's to be avoided at all cost.

Including wife, family and friends.

 

[Lucky Duck]

There are honourable exceptions such as the one that was built next to ours that was finally launched after 25 years.

There are a couple that have recently joined the club who's Barbican 33 took some 20 years to be fitted out, and very nice it looks to.

 

[dylanwinter]

I have observed a few over the years.

I think that for lots of retired blokes a boatyard on a sunny afternoon where you can make yourself a cup of tea and potter around is a very agreeable place to be.

There is time to chat. In my yard on the Clyde there is a lovely wooden motoryacht. It was a lovely sunny day and the owner sat on his roof while his mate was at the top of a ladder chattering away to him. Three hours later they had not moved.

goodonem I say

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/sailing-around-britain/vics-boatyard-snaps/

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f337/Vic43/Paynes/DSCF0082.jpg

 

[PhillM]

I can only speak for myself, if I had been unable to sail in the summer, I wouldn't have been happy to continue in the winter.

I had to limit the weather and range at the start and build by year-on-year as I had completed tasks that make Paean more sea worthy.

I ended up liking the winter time onboard nearly as much as the summer - but for different reasons. So, sailing really is a 12 months hobby - its just I do different things in the winter.

 

[Storyline]

Perhaps for some people the reward is in the build process, not the sailing.

+1

Negative nobody's to be avoided at all cost.

+1

There was a sad case in a boatyard where I spent a lot of time working on my boat. There was a home build ferro ketch (big, 50'+). She had been built in North Wales somewhere and the guy who built her ignored the designers plans and added an extra layer of concete which resulted in her floating well down on her lines - I believe there was only a few inches of freeboard. Anyway, another guy bought her, probably very cheap and moved her to our yard. He spent years grinding down inside the hull and refurbishing her. A local naval architect had advised against this course of action but the new owner carried on regardless. Launch day came, after maybe 5+ years work and sadly the architect was proved correct. There was a small increase in freeboard but not very much. Never got to know the owner but apparently he was not (or appeared not to be) overly concerned and sailed off into the distance.

 

[Storyline]

I can only speak for myself, if I had been unable to sail in the summer, I wouldn't have been happy to continue in the winter.

I had to limit the weather and range at the start and build by year-on-year as I had completed tasks that make Paean more sea worthy.

I ended up liking the winter time onboard nearly as much as the summer - but for different reasons. So, sailing really is a 12 months hobby - its just I do different things in the winter.

Also really enjoy tinkering around on Storyline while she is out of the water and having her in Scotland year round and 6 hours drive away is a huge price to pay for the 2 months or so of idyllic sailing we have during the summer. Have spent one winter in Liverpool but the round trip takes a week in total as we no longer enjoy hacking her down in one go and that week is best spent sailing up there. Also it makes more financial sense to have a year round contract in one place.
(Have decided to abandon swmbo for a week or ten days up north in February to do some serious tinkering - will have to wait until the right moment to tell her )

 

[Birdseye]

We've all seen them, working in small boatyards all over the country doing self-builds or restorations. Year after year they toil away and teh end of the project is 'next year' or sometimes 'before the end of this season'.

Some eventually peter out and leave a part-finished boat, covered in green slime, to sit there until the yard finally puts their foot down. Some are refined and polished and their proud owners won't consider launching until they are perfect.

I reckon once a build has gone beyond 5 years it's more likely to be struck by lightning than launched. There are honourable exceptions such as the one that was built next to ours that was finally launched after 25 years.

My question is - how do people keep up the motivation for so long? Do they live on dreams of blue water and 'once I retire' or 'when I can afford to go'. And how do they deal with finally having to accept that it's never going to happen and their part-built dream is worth less than they've shelled out for materials over the years?

Its all a matter of what they enjoy. My first boat was a 3 year old kit built Hunter 26. The guy building it enjoyed doing just that so when he sold it after 3 years it still had sawdust in the toilet bowl, never had water in the tank and had done all of 2 nm under engine. To his berth and back three times.

I had the opposite problem. Whenever I went down to the boat to do a job, I went off sailing instead

 

[Colvic Watson]

I've been 3 years in my refit.... I manage by having a thoroughly structured approach. I have a complete list of all jobs still to be done (OK, a few get added every now and then), and planning before every visit, what this visit's tasks are.

That, and having a clear idea of why I am doing it.

For me, the end is now in sight... I should, all things being equal, get out on the water in 2015.

Yours is a bit different though. You have a drop dead gorgeous boat on the water - every time you visit you must look back as you go to the car and realise why you do it. Those on the hard, at the back of four rows of boats? Didn't Dylan once say something about each row being equivalent to about two years?

 

[Dave-Shafa]

How is that boat getting on -- honestly cant remember name --- what took an age to get a crane and the young lassie with the hair ??

 

[prv]

How is that boat getting on -- honestly cant remember name --- what took an age to get a crane and the young lassie with the hair ??

Well, she made it down to Brighton. I believe the goal was more about being a houseboat than a cruiser so, presumably, mission accomplished :encouragement:

Pete

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Yours is a bit different though. You have a drop dead gorgeous boat on the water - every time you visit you must look back as you go to the car and realise why you do it. Those on the hard, at the back of four rows of boats? Didn't Dylan once say something about each row being equivalent to about two years?

Very true.... it still makes me smile every time I look at her!..... on the counterside there is a gorgeous 25' long keeler on the hard at Shotley... a really really pretty boat, and she's been ashore since we moved there in 2007, seemingly untouched... at least i've never seen anyone near her, weekends or midweek.

 

[Tam Lin]

I didn't know that my boat was going to be a project boat when I bought her! Still, hope to be sailing her next year.