James Hleba wrote:
Looks great so far! Why do you think it is people build less boats these days? Over abundance of good used grp hulls? Less skilled craftsmen? Less money flowing to us little people to dream up expensive hobbies?
I wrote in a book, many years ago, that there are only really four reasons to build a boat: you desperately want to; you live somewhere where boats are almost non-existent; you want something completely different from what's on offer; or you are so poor you can only just scrape together the money for the most basic boat. That last reason for building no longer exists. For less than $5000, you can probably find something about the 20ft mark that, with a bit of work, will let you go at least coastal sailing. Most of us who build boats are not skilled craftsmen. Boating is NOT an expensive hobby, unless you choose a large, complicated craft and keep it in a marina.
I would love to build a boat one day, but first I rather cruise. I purchased plans for a tri, but life prevented the project. Maybe one day... The people who I got the current vessel from where not sailors, had a large power yacht they chartered, spent a load of money changing things (some of which I now have to change back...) and at the end of it, wanted to just get out of the monthly slip fees, and the maintenance obligations. I couldn't afford half the materials just for the hull for what I got the outfitted boat for. Just needs junkrig :)
Much better to go cruising first. You might well find that your ideas have altered quite a bit after you've sailed a few thousand miles. Realistically, I'm hoping to have my boat in the water for about NZ$50,000 - that's about US$36,000. A lot more than I sold Fantail for, and that doesn't include the cost of the shed or tools. Financially it probably doesn't make sense, but I will end up with a boat that suits me perfectly and will need no real maintenance for many years, so therefore will be very cheap to run.
Around here anyways, most of the boat folks are at least twice our age and are hardly in boat building shape. I still have not met any sailors with more than a dinghy under 30, and live aboards of our age group are non-existent it seems.
If there were more crazy 2o somethings with the dream of going to sea, I think we would see a lot more interesting creations being produced. Why is it young folks (my age group) aren't called to the sea? I have been building models of tall ships and making friends with retired naval officers since I was a toddler. Only reason I have not been aboard longer is it took 5 years to convince my mate we could afford it.
Who knows?
There are a few young liveaboards around, but young people have grown up in a different world, where what I would have thought a luxury is now the norm. I remember my first calculator: it was an incredibly generous Christmas present from my mum and dad. There was one television set in the house, one transistor radio that could be listened to outside, or my brother and I could borrow occasionally, to listen to in our bedroom. Now there is so much to spend your money on that it's much harder to save. And having been brought up in a large, warm, airy house with room for all this stuff, a small boat seems much more cramped and uncomfortable.. But if you live on your boat, it's an awful lot cheaper than living ashore! And you can take it all over the world, still pretty inexpensively if you are prepared to work at it. But there are more fees and costs than when I first started voyaging.
I honestly think having a modest yacht is probably about the same cost as being into video games by the time everything is all said and done over 5 years. I guess folks are happy enough with their bits and pixels opposed to actual experience these days.
The thing I love most about JRA is the imagination that runs wild through here! The boat is coming along nicely, and at a good clip considering you are the work force!
It's nice to know you're following my progress, and even nicer that you think I'm making good progress!