Should You REALLY Build Your Next Boat?

[scottyt]

i really want a mid 30's cat, i dont make enough to ever think of buying a new one. i cant even afford a 20 plus year old catalac 8. i have flirted with the thought of building one, but that would cost as much as an older beat up cat needing 15 k of work. i also dont like cored hulls be low water line so most home built designs are out the window.

i think someone out there should get 5 people with the cash to all go in on a mold, then each comes does their hull lay up. total cost would be fairly low for each to have a floating hull

edit the thought i have for the cat that would reduce cost would be to design the rigging around a very common boat ( mono hull )that is starting to be scrapped due to age ie say catalina 27 or 30's. that gives masts and booms as well as sails on the market used but in fair shape

[bljones]

Originally Posted by LittleWingCA

I am surprised kit boat building isn't all that strong. The kit plane market seams to be healthy. Why not just buy a FG hull, deck, and liner module and put it together yourself with you doing all the mechanical, woodworking, and plumbing? I believe some early Flickas came that way. Why not now? Is the bulk of the labor just in laying up the glass? If I can buy a all metal plane kit and just spend 500 hours riveting it together, why not take a pre-made hull, deck, and liner module, poured keel, and do the rest? Can't be all that hard to put one together.

One very important reason why boat kits are not as popular as kitplanes- size.
A kitplane can be shipped on pallets, weighs well less than half a ton and can be handled by any freight company. Then, once the new dream is delivered, the builder can build the subassemblies in the average garage , shed or basement workshop, and do final assembly in the driveway. Kitplanes are also relatively short, allowing assembly in a standard height garage.

On the other hand, a 30 ' hull with a 9' beam would have to be shipped by dedicated truck, would likely require permits, and then would require a space with a substantial amount of square footage and high ceilings to finish construction, or the builder is limited to working on fair weather days.

This may explain why small boat building is alive and well, but for every dozen dinghies being finished in garages across the continent, there is one more ad on craigslist for an unfinished 30 ' plywood dream. Ever notice that most of the "free boat" and "cheap boat" ads in the back pages of good old boat and woodenboat magazine include the phrase "lost storage"?

[WanderingStar]

The best reason to build a boat: because you want to.
I've built a few small ones. Launching and sailing my 11' dinghy was one of the best days of my life. Building a flatiron skiff for a friend's birthday was one of the best gifts ever.
Big boats are harder. I've heard it said that if you dream of building a cruising boat, build the dinghy first. Sound advice.