A boat in that size range is small enough where I think your son is right.
As boats get larger and more complex, and if you ignore the value of TIME,
then you can begin to save significant dollars. Consider any seaworthy 22'
to 28' offshore power boat for example. Offshore power-anything starts at
around $40k without motors, and goes up from there. Your 16' boat may or
may not be cheaper if you do it yourself, but a lot of that answer depends
on what you compare to. If you do an A-class job on it and buy all new
equipment and motor(s), then compare to a brand new equivalently outfitted
boat that is built in a competitive fashion, then you might be break-even or
even come up slightly short. If you compare to a superior construction
method, like comparing your wood boat to an all-weather well-built aluminum
boat, then you'll save lots of money. But that's not a fair comparison. In
a like manner, it's not fair to drive down the road and spot a late '60s
worn out runabout with rotten transom for $500 (including the trailer and
leaky ol' Johnson) and go away thinking that building your own is way too
expensive. Your homebuilt boat will be brand new, while the other one is
NOT. And many (some might say most) commercial boats are going to be built
to standards lower than yours and won't have the longevity that your
carefully built boat will have. And how do you place value on having the
boat outfitted exactly as you'd have it rather than forcing you (the square
peg) into a commercially built boat's configuration (the round hole)?

Brian D



wrote in message
ups.com...
I have become interested in building a power boat, specifically, the
Glen-L Wee Hunk Pacific Dory (16') as a general purpose run around the
bay, up the river boat. My son thinks I can buy a boat for less than I
can build. My general estimates are as follows:

Motor (new) $4000
Other $1000
Trailer $1200

Total for building: $6200

He believes I can buy a used similar boat for less and he may be right.
Any perspective on this?