First of all, thank you all. Wow! I will be posting to this group again;
hopefully with information for others from what I will be learning. I have
a lot to think about. By the way, I mentioned that my wife was not sold on
this idea; however, for Christmas she bought me a wood model sailboat kit.
I went a little "overboard" on the $2 kit with a photo journal of the
building and finishing process. Now in response to those involved in this
thread:

Tailgunner: I like the Dory idea too since I live in the town where one of
the designs were invented. I will be emailing you.

Chris: Thanks for the links. I have bookmarked the Intro to Wooden
Boatbuilding. I found that link to old boats before. Regarding your second
post ... I just don't think I will find an abandoned broken boat laying
around on the beach BUT...I'll keep my eyes peeled, stranger things have
happened.

Lew: I just can't slap down the money to buy a whole boat now. Even first
jobs are hard to come by in the tech industry these days and a 2nd job would
mean even less time with the kids. And I would rather not charge one
either. I am thinking that by building it, I get the joy of building as
part of the hobby. Plus I will be buying the boat a piece at a time and I
could even stop and restart as finances permit.

Curtis: I know you agree with Lew; however, your idea/potential offer is a
great in-between comprimise (buy/rent vs build vs barter). I will
definetely be emailing you. This could give me some experience before the
real building project is lauched.

Brian W: I agree.

Habbi: Clark Crafts looks to have a wide selection plus I can price compare
boat plan costs. Thanks.

Brian D.: I am seriously considering the Caravelle boat. Thanks for this
link.

Eric: I will check the rest of the Chesapeake Light Craft site. The pram
you mentioned does not look like it will hold 2 adults and two kids.

Donald: The shellboats.com site looks like it is catering to people like
me. I will continue to investigate there as well. Thanks.

William R Watt: I know I need to fix the budget. My wife is a very
pragmatic women and this is what she wants to see (after I repair a few
things around the house). I found the jonesboats.com site although I did
not take a good look at that Dobbler 16 until you posted. Also, looks like
you sell boat designs according to your website. I hope to see replies from
you again in my future posts here.

Andrew Butchart: I agree with you. I know that I will most likely be
taking me and my two kids on the boat often (as I alluded to in my first
post, "The best-laid plans o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley." -Robert Burns)
I can relate to your website. I know that I will need a few sailing
lessons. In terms of the sailing environment, I will probably stick to the
nearby harbor rather than sailing the high seas until I feel (and am deemed
by some authority) that I am a competent sailor. By the way, I am seriously
considering the Summer Breeze as well.

--Jim B.

Lew and others nailed it: If you want to sail, _buy_ a boat. If you want
a vocation building something, _build_ a boat.

Hang out with boat people, hit all the harbors within an hour's drive.
Deals on "TLC boats" start at less than $500 for 25' glass (running
motor is extra), useable sail gear, no obnoxious smells etc below. Take
somebody who works on boats to evaluate stuff. Bare bones, figure to
spend another $2-300 to keep the CG and your SO happy. Think marine flea
market next spring for the missing details. Forget woodies (eg folk
boats) until you know a more about the "self vs. boat vs. time vs.
family" thing.

Sail tape can make most sails work for quite a while. You can scull or
row a boat that size, so maybe skip the motor depending on your
requirements and _immediate_ plans. If you gotta have power, a 2hp
outboard with long shaft should do it. Trailer boats come _slightly_
higher with trailers. Fix the trailer first. A TLC boat will give you
plenty of boat building experience with a real chance you'll actually
get to go boating.

Plan the family thing so they all love it. Play dirty - let your SO pick
the color you paint the boat, and use any similar sleazy tactics you can
think of. Don't go out with family on less than a perfect day: go short
and go quiet and come back a little early. Skip the "authentic" stuff,
and just make sure the coleman cooler has ice for lunch and snacks, and
that you get back without scaring anybody. Freshen up your skills - take
a free CG Auxilliary sailing course, and hitch a ride on some beer can
races. If you can arrange it, keep the boat in the water during the
season. Innumerable embarrassments occur at launching ramps that take
years to live down. If you're on a mooring and the harbor provides taxi
service, use it. Less chance to screw up. First impression count. Take
no chances, stack the deck, make sure they have fun.

Then trade up next year when you know what matters to you. g

Rufus

Woo-hoo, the advice just keeps getting better.

Sneakier, but better

Brian W

On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 00:24:47 GMT, Rufus
wrote:

Lew and others nailed it: If you want to sail, _buy_ a boat. If you want
a vocation building something, _build_ a boat.

Hang out with boat people, hit all the harbors within an hour's drive.
Deals on "TLC boats" start at less than $500 for 25' glass (running
motor is extra), useable sail gear, no obnoxious smells etc below. Take
somebody who works on boats to evaluate stuff. Bare bones, figure to
spend another $2-300 to keep the CG and your SO happy. Think marine flea
market next spring for the missing details. Forget woodies (eg folk
boats) until you know a more about the "self vs. boat vs. time vs.
family" thing.

Sail tape can make most sails work for quite a while. You can scull or
row a boat that size, so maybe skip the motor depending on your
requirements and _immediate_ plans. If you gotta have power, a 2hp
outboard with long shaft should do it. Trailer boats come _slightly_
higher with trailers. Fix the trailer first. A TLC boat will give you
plenty of boat building experience with a real chance you'll actually
get to go boating.

Plan the family thing so they all love it. Play dirty - let your SO pick
the color you paint the boat, and use any similar sleazy tactics you can
think of. Don't go out with family on less than a perfect day: go short
and go quiet and come back a little early. Skip the "authentic" stuff,
and just make sure the coleman cooler has ice for lunch and snacks, and
that you get back without scaring anybody. Freshen up your skills - take
a free CG Auxilliary sailing course, and hitch a ride on some beer can
races. If you can arrange it, keep the boat in the water during the
season. Innumerable embarrassments occur at launching ramps that take
years to live down. If you're on a mooring and the harbor provides taxi
service, use it. Less chance to screw up. First impression count. Take
no chances, stack the deck, make sure they have fun.

Then trade up next year when you know what matters to you. g

Rufus

Deals on "TLC boats" start at less than $500 for 25' glass (running

.. If you gotta have power, a 2hp
outboard with long shaft should do it.

if a person is going to put a 2 hp outboard on a 25 ft fibreglass boat I'd
also suggest a good anchor with a long rope and chain. in any kind of
wind, waves, current, or some combination, the motor won't do much. better
to throw out the anchor and wait. I had a 3 hp outboard on a 21 ft
mahogony strip sailboat (very light boat for its size) and it wasn't worth
spit unless the wind and water were quiet. a paddle won't do much. maybe a
pair of oars. a small motor is okay when you run out of wind but not if
you're trying to motor into or out of a dock or mooring in other
conditions. I used to sail in and out among the moored boats in all
conditions except no wind. Only used the motor when the wind died. ehen
the motor is used the centreboard has to be halfway down, if there is a
centreboard, for directional stability.

--
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Yup, that's the call.

Take the CG sailing course, find out about life vests and anchors and
radios and man overboard and fog horns... all that good stuff. Get
enough good motor (one that costs enough to maybe run when you need it)
to get you back in. I've moved a Westsail32 with a 2-1/2hp outboard on
the side-tied dingy. Moved kinda slow, but it got there no problem.
Treat the boat and the water with a lot respect and take it slow and
responsibly. Take a low key buddy who sails regularly along the first
few times. Stuff like that.

But you don't need $20k into it to do it right.

Rufus


William R. Watt wrote:

Deals on "TLC boats" start at less than $500 for 25' glass (running


.. If you gotta have power, a 2hp
outboard with long shaft should do it.


if a person is going to put a 2 hp outboard on a 25 ft fibreglass boat I'd
also suggest a good anchor with a long rope and chain. in any kind of
wind, waves, current, or some combination, the motor won't do much. better
to throw out the anchor and wait. I had a 3 hp outboard on a 21 ft
mahogony strip sailboat (very light boat for its size) and it wasn't worth
spit unless the wind and water were quiet. a paddle won't do much. maybe a
pair of oars. a small motor is okay when you run out of wind but not if
you're trying to motor into or out of a dock or mooring in other
conditions. I used to sail in and out among the moored boats in all
conditions except no wind. Only used the motor when the wind died. ehen
the motor is used the centreboard has to be halfway down, if there is a
centreboard, for directional stability.

--
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homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
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"Jim B." ) writes:
... I just don't think I will find an abandoned broken boat laying
around on the beach BUT...I'll keep my eyes peeled, stranger things have
happened.

maybe after a storm?

William R Watt: .... Also, looks like
you sell boat designs according to your website.

nope. for what its worth everything on my website is absolutley free.

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