The build part 1

[Manie B]

Hi guys. This hopefully will be of interest to my fellow South Africans. Our boat market is saturated with "speed boats" 200 hp outboards and idiot "captains!" - as well as 351cu. V8 American inboards that can tow 10 skis. When i started to ask around about small cabin boats 10/15 hp i was told in a very friendly way to get lost.
We dont really have small yacht builders left - i believe the last was the Holiday 23. The big Cape Etc. yacht builders are building the most beautifull yachts man has laid eyes on, for the export market mostly = rich oil barons! For the rest of us - dream on - or build. I own a small construction business and dont have to build boats to feed my children.
I am doing this for the imense pleasure i derive from it and hopefully make a contribution to small boat builders.

I learned CAD and have access to a 3 axis router 2.4m x 1.2m in Pretoria. I am now starting to build small day boats, row boats and Canoo's. All are marine ply and epoxy. Herewith photos of my first trailer for my first little cabin boat. I have also included photos of the first plywood as it arrived today CNC CUT bloody hell this is cool.

If you need CNC cutting done i can do it for you - costs are reasonably cheap. Hopefully over the next couple of years as oil rockets above 100 dollars - we the people will be on the water with small engines having fun

[tuks]

Looks good manie keep us updated

[BWD]

I know you've started but I might rather have the sides flare out more from the bottom were I you.
The boat is so small I would want it more stable once I tipped it by setting a beer down on one gunwale or the other, by having more of a dory shape. I would do this by reshaping/extending the sides myself. I am pretty sure it would be more "seaworthy" that way.
As the boat appears, having two people standing up in it at once would probably be ...interesting.
As a builder I am sure you could recover the cost of those sheets by using them elsewhere, probably in the same boat.. Or maybe you know best. Sorry if I am rude for butting in, but at this stage you can still make changes of a kind you can't later.

[Wynand N]

and what a neat garage

[Manie B]

Since i started to build my direction ( and sanity! ) has been the topic of many conversations. Friends, family, neighbours and work folks - dont understand .
Herewith a couple of pictures from the internet that explains it all. i hope that the progression from boat 1 to 4 explains it. No1 to 3a/b i can build - no 4 will be two major factors - win the lottery OR win the lottery
By the way if somebody out there that owns a large catamaran and is looking for crew i am available ( will pay all booze food etc) got my day skipper from Ocean Sailing Acadamy ( Chris and Libby Bonnet ) 25 years ago they might remember a party animal I have been sailing my dinghies on Harties for the past 5 years