On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 23:01:58 -0500, rhys wrote:
On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 03:36:35 GMT, (Lee
Huddleston) wrote:
If you own a certain model of vehicle, you notice how many are on the
road. Since I own a Bruce Roberts design, I seem to notice a lot of
them around. In fact, I know of a partially built Mauritius 43 for
sale in Morehead City, North Carolina right now. Might be hard to get
to Europe, though. :-)
It is a tribute of sorts to BR that so many people have bought his
designs. It's also a tribute that they can be finished in a way that
connotes strength and longevity, and yet also sails well and
comfortably.
I don't reject the notion that a home/owner-built yacht cannot in fact
be a great deal *better* than a production boat, or even that the
finest of modern designs are not available to the home-builder (Dudley
Dix and Angelo Lavranos come to mine). What I would argue is that the
skills and determination and yes, the money to properly realize the
architect's intentions with the design do not often meet in the same
boat.
You are quite correct. I good design does not necessarily mean a good
boat. There are a lot of opportunities to turn a silk purse into a
sow's ear. By the same token, I imagine that it is possible for very
good craftsman to make a poor design come out better than one would
expect.
Your own boat might be a case in point...if it was so magnificently
done by another fellow, how did you get the benefit of it? I can guess
that the original builder, who took years to do the job right,
possibly got too old or sick to use the boat, and had to sell it.
That is exactly what happened. The couple that built the boat spent
years working on it and living aboard. By the time they were finished
they were too fragile to do extensive sailing. After I bought the
boat, they moved to Florida and retired to a home there. Subsequently
the wife died. I was very lucky to be able to purchase the boat just
when they decided to sell. In fact, I really was not in the market
for such a boat, but when I saw it and realized what a good deal it
was, I could not resist. I fell in love. Which is why she is called
"Truelove."
I hope the process was enough for that individual. Were I 25, I might
do it myself, but if I ever want to cruise for extended periods, my
compromise will likely be to modify an existing vessel.
R.
Yes, I agree. If you really want to enjoy the process of building a
boat, by all means do so. But, if your goal is to sail to far off
places, buy a used boat and immediately take off or just modify an
existing boat. It takes enought time to just get a good boat in shape
for extensive sailing. Building a boat and then sailing it requires
you to start young enough to complete both goals.
Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove
on the hard at Bock Marine
Beaufort, NC