building and or buying used? I've decided I want a boat and I am more than willing to begin learning how to build one if necessary. I'd like to build a big sail boat - or obtain one in the near future or other such with sleeping quarters below.

any advice?

1/27/2006 5:22:25 PM

I once built a one-man fishing boat, and judging from the large amount of time and work involved, you will be much better off to buy one. It was very satisfying to build the boat, but even a small one is a huge undertaking if it is done properly.

1/27/2006 9:42:23 PM

my in-laws' neighbor builds large boats for a living

BY HIMSELF

by large i mean 30-40 foot

it's fucking hard

1/27/2006 9:59:11 PM

Dude, building a boat will take you years if you want something of quality. Buy one, it will save you time and headaches in the future.

1/27/2006 10:02:33 PM

much like dating a woman, building a boat will take all of your time and money for several years.

also like women, it's a lot less hassle to just go out and buy one.

1/28/2006 1:35:18 PM

Maugan

1/28/2006 1:45:02 PM

coolguy:

If you want to get your hands dirty and get experience upkeeping boats, then I'd suggest buying something thats in average condition and re-finishing it instead of building from the ground up. It litterally takes years of experience to build a decent 30-40 foot sailboat from the ground up. If you aren't familiar with either wood or laminate compositing building techniques, then multiply that time by at least two because you'll build something that either A) Sinks or B) Nearly Sinks.

Also, you have to figure out what design you want to go with since I doubt you're a naval architect. There are many different considerations to concern yourself with other than size and accomodations below.

For instance, where do you want to use this boat? Just guessing from the size you mentioned "Big" has several different meanings. A 25-30' boat will be sufficient to cruise around the Inner NC Waterways and the intracoastal waterways. a 30-40 will be capable of some coastal and limited offshore duty. 40 and above would be capable of crossing oceans, although I wouldn't even consider going over the ocean in anything less than a 50 foot monohull.

Now that you know what length you're looking at, you need to consider the price. If you go the route that I mentioned, you can find a decent, ready-to-sail 35' boat in the $30k to $50k range depending on several things. What to look for when chosing a "project" boat:

Has the boat been holed? Meaning that the outer fiberglass skin has been punctured? This means that the core could have been saturated and is causing hull-wide delamination.

Soft spots - another tell-tale sign that the outer skin is leaking and delamination is occurring.

Keel is relatively free of scratches, dents, or scrapes - if there is a lot of markup on the keel, it means that its hit some rocks or other hard shit in the water and the keel is in danger of falling off the boat. If this happens offshore - more than likely you'll capsize and been plucked from the water by a helicopter while you look at your investment go to the bottom of the ocean.

Mold in the cabin - if there's mold on the cushions or on the bulkheads, it means that the boat has likely seen greenwater come into the cabin, which isn't bad necessarily, but it means that it wasn't properly cleaned.

Seals around all thru-hull fittings - padeyes, rigging attachment points and keel bolts are all properly sealed

Mast - obviously ensure that its not bent and has all the hardware necessary

Sails - these are more than likely going to be the first thing you replace on your boat. Think of sails as an engine on a motor boat. They require just as much maintenance and they eventually just reach that point where its not worth putting more money into them and you just have to junk them and buy a new set.

Again, unless you've built a smaller boat and familiarized yourself with the many different techniques involved, I'd suggest buying a "fixer-upper" and working from there. Another thing you could do is get yourself aboard some delivery voyages that will deliver new boats or recently purchased used boats to their new owners' home waters. I'll be doing this for new boats being made over in eastern europe to be delivered to miami and rhode island. Its a 45' racer/cruiser catamaran called the Sig45. http://www.lebreton-yachts.com . We'll be taking them from Amsterdam to their new owners in North America. Getting yourself onboard delivery voyages will accelerate your learning curve as you'll have to be able to fix things that go wrong with the boats on the water while maintaining a strict schedule.

Some sites that I can recommend for you if you're seriously into sailing/boating:
NCSU Sailing Club: http://www.ncsailing.org
Sailing Anarchy (Think of TWW for Sailors and thats what this is): http://www.sailinganarchy.com
boatdesign.net: http://www.boatdesign.net (this site is maintained and contribuited by profession yacht designers)

Any other questions, feel free to ask me.

1/28/2006 2:08:12 PM

I think, assuming you know how to sail, that you should go rent several boats. Take them out for a weekend, see what size and features you like. The worst thing you could do is buy some boat that you waste your life savings on, then find out that the boom is two inches too low, the layout of the cabin pisses you off, or any number of other small things that can become annoying. Im guessing you really dont know much about them from the generality of your question, best way to learn is to try them out.

1/28/2006 2:55:54 PM

Make sure it floats.






Ba-dum CHING!

1/28/2006 3:19:28 PM

1/28/2006 8:44:14 PM

I believe there is a boatbuilding class offered at NCSU, you could take it to learn a bit and see if it's really what you want to do.

1/29/2006 10:42:57 AM

I agree with Maugan. As the daughter of boat dealer, I can tell you that messing with many of the materials you'll need to painstakingly build a boat is probably not worth your frustrations. I do however, suggest as Maugan did, buying one used and sprucing it up yourself. The new boat market is very high priced, but you can often get a steal taking a boat off of someone's hands. Check the N&O classifieds over internet classifieds, because a lot of older men with boats tend to still post for sale's there over online options. Good luck & smooth sailing!

1/29/2006 8:46:53 PM

There are some good ppl http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=336801

1/29/2006 8:53:19 PM

I think that this is what he's looking for:



but really can only afford:



Which is ok, since thats what most dreams are born out of

1/29/2006 9:46:13 PM

She will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine.

1/29/2006 9:56:12 PM

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/boa/129093942.html

Check out this 24' sailboat for $600.

1/29/2006 10:00:51 PM

Skack:

That looks like a J24 Nope not a J24, which makes it worth even less.


see the transom aint sloped on a J24

and it honestly looks like it should be at the bottom of the ocean

you'll seriously put way more money into that boat than you could ever get for it. Not to mention it doesn't have a trailer, and it looks like the keel is non-existent unless its planted firmly in the mud of that pond or its a centerboard 24 footer.


[Edited on January 29, 2006 at 10:06 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 29, 2006 at 10:09 PM. Reason : .]

1/29/2006 10:06:27 PM

^ Yeah, but it will only cost him <$1000 to find out that he should just wait until he can afford a real boat.

1/29/2006 11:12:20 PM

Redneck Engineering at it's finest!!!!! ahahaha

1/30/2006 12:51:05 PM

I once refinished a boat with my dad, it was really a lot of fun and I learned a lot about boats in the process. I suggest, like someone else did, getting an old boat and refinishing it.

1/30/2006 12:53:54 PM

I suggest finding an experienced boat builder and helping them with a current project - an apprenticeship, if you will.

You can't learn everything by yourself, and from what I've heard it's a good way to learn what needs to be known.

1/30/2006 4:19:32 PM

BD: here are some more "examples":

1/30/2006 8:05:03 PM

they float if constructed properly

1/30/2006 8:17:58 PM

Step 1: Get job making six figures per year, after taxes.

1/30/2006 8:23:25 PM

Quote :

"any advice?"

yeah.

there are only two good days of being a boat owner. the day you buy it and the day you sell it.

1/30/2006 8:26:08 PM

If you honestly want to build a big boat that you can take on the ocean, I would suggest you get a Naval Architecture degree from one of the 14 schools in the country that offer it (half of which are military/maratime academies). Building a boat is tough, but understanding the difference between a power boat and a sail boat is a whole different level. I've been racing sailboats for a dozen years now and still wouldn't have an idea about how to start building something I would consider safe.

1/30/2006 10:27:23 PM