Thirty seven years building a yacht

This boat has been foe sale for more than a year with no takers even at its currently lowly price. While it is a testament to the builder's dedication it is probably out of kilter with current expectations.
 
Tranona said:
This boat has been foe sale for more than a year with no takers even at its currently lowly price. While it is a testament to the builder's dedication it is probably out of kilter with current expectations.
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Undoubtedly,I posted it as the plans looked a bit like the plansfortheEventide my father never built! I made the forehatch in college but not having a boatI gave it to a mate bodging up an old gaffer whilst at college …..student loans went along way!
 
DownWest said:
There are Builders and Sailers, some times they coincide..
My first little sailing pram took just over a week. Huge fun. My fifth, an Oughtred faering, about 7 months, inc. the sails and trailer. My current Micro cruiser a 'bit longer', but a hobby. Lots gets in the light..
Rolling out next week.
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I’ve heard the same said about gardens, allotments, even smallholdings.
Thems that like to build
And thems that like to plant.

Yin and Yang sailors and boatbuilders?😄
 
Local friend built this Sharpie 600 | Björn Thomasson Design
Crap plans, so I had to help quite a bit, along with making all the metalwork. About a bit over a year. His second big build, along with a little lug rigged pram for his G/son and a really pretty kyack for his daughter.
But, he is long retired and I still do 'stuff' for clients..
 
As Tranona says, buyers for such craft are pretty rare... Said friend, above, sold his first build, a15ft gaffer open boat (Wisstocks) after 2 yrs of advertising. Very happy owner up by Brittany.
 
Built a Woodenboat "Nutshell" design, the 9' 6" version in 23/24. Desperate to get it in the water, did so by September last year. It went in a further two or three times in the month afterwards, and has sat in my shed all this year, never getting near the water. Still, she looks very pretty.
 
Not quite as long, tho old dad did take 9 yrs to build his SCOD, but without a yard plate could we sell when he died... nope... Gave it away for a few hundred quid and it was immaculate with no cracks, totally sound and a bone dry interior, smelled nice too....
 
Some people adhere to a false economy......thinking building (or even just repairing) yourself is cheaper.....it often isn’t....especially if your time is included. But men need a hobby....so why not ?
 
Bouba said:
Some people adhere to a false economy......thinking building (or even just repairing) yourself is cheaper.....it often isn’t....especially if your time is included. But men need a hobby....so why not ?
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Indeed,buildings boat must give great satisfaction and something solid for the time past where for many their past is measured in hours looking at digital screens
 
I know someone who has 2 uncompleted classic builds. They were started about 35 years ago. A Robert Clarke yawl, 41ft, and a double ender, possibly an Albert Strange, it’s been a long time since I saw either. They need good homes, but as is so often the case with such things, they’re worth much less than the wood they are constructed in. And not much more if he poured money in (that he doesn’t have) to finish them.
 
40 years ago I with the help of a few friends dug an old 28ft Saunders launch out of the mud of Benfleet creek where she had been laying derelict for a similar length of time. She dates back to the dawn of motor boating around 1905.
Beautiful boat built using Saunders consuta sewn plywood system.
Having dug her out & salvaged her she sat around for ten years while i set my boatbuilding business up.
It was a case of money & no time or no time & no money! So she sat at the back of the workshop while paying jobs came & went & other projects got in the way. Often i sat & looked at her worn grey weathered hull & thought "how on earth am i going to do this?" Plus we went sailing.
We moved house, built a large extension, family, life gets in the way of projects.
I retired following my parents passing away.
Sometime over the years the launch got her hull rebuilt. Now im at the stage of the interesting bit getting to fitting her out putting the frames & engine beds back in, bulkheads, deck etc.
She is very lightly built, in fact aircraft construction & the quality i have to work to is a real challenge.
A man has got to have something to keep him occupied & keep the brain working!
I am concious that its taken too long & eaten far too much money but hell she is finally getting there!
 
Keith 66 said:
40 years ago I with the help of a few friends dug an old 28ft Saunders launch out of the mud of Benfleet creek where she had been laying derelict for a similar length of time. She dates back to the dawn of motor boating around 1905.
Beautiful boat built using Saunders consuta sewn plywood system.
Having dug her out & salvaged her she sat around for ten years while i set my boatbuilding business up.
It was a case of money & no time or no time & no money! So she sat at the back of the workshop while paying jobs came & went & other projects got in the way. Often i sat & looked at her worn grey weathered hull & thought "how on earth am i going to do this?" Plus we went sailing.
We moved house, built a large extension, family, life gets in the way of projects.
I retired following my parents passing away.
Sometime over the years the launch got her hull rebuilt. Now im at the stage of the interesting bit getting to fitting her out putting the frames & engine beds back in, bulkheads, deck etc.
She is very lightly built, in fact aircraft construction & the quality i have to work to is a real challenge.
A man has got to have something to keep him occupied & keep the brain working!
I am concious that its taken too long & eaten far too much money but hell she is finally getting there!
Click to expand...

I (we?) need photos!
 
I am reminded of my father's efforts back in the 50s. He always built the prototypes, to be better able to detail the plans for the home builder clients. (Tho a lot were yard built)
Think the Spitfire 20ft cruiser racer was built in about three weeks? As was a folding 16ft cat with a big aft rake to the mast. Only one of those. Then there was another one off in the 50s. A foiling tri with a wingsail. Slightly ahead of the game then, but 'slightly' interesting to sail.. When up on the foils, tended to nose over, sudden stop, climb back on and try again. Some mods were tried and made it slightly more stable. Far cry from now.
 
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