Newby to sailing

[Paul No Boat]

Ok I have fallen in love with sailing after spending 2 weeks on Puget Sound but I know nothing at all. I am pretty mechanically minded tho and want to learn and build a small practical wooden boat. Is there a thread on here where raw beginners can go and ask seemingly dumb questions without making a fool of themselves? I just got the Port/Starboard thing down pat. LOL

[Scott Carter]

Ask all the questions you want in any thread. It would probably help you though to do a search of the forums prior to posting a question which may already be addressed. That'll speed things up for you because you get to read all of the dumb responses to the good questions posted. I also recommend a few books to get you started. Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding (ISBN 0-07-158380-7) is one of my favorites, as is How To Build A Wooden Boat by David C. "Bud" McIntosh (ISBN 0-937822-10-8). Again, there are threads here which cover book opinions. But don't be afraid to post any question. You'll see that there are various forums (design, build, electrical, education, etc.) but there is always overlap.
A great place to get started in boat building (a workshop at a local builder would be best) is kit boats. With CNC cut parts some basic boats can be water ready in a matter of a couple of weekends. Check out Chesapeake Light Craft, or one of the myriad others.
Good luck. Just build the darn thing.

[Paul No Boat]

Thanks Scott. Makes me at least feel welcome. Actually I am a little beyond what I stated and I am constantly reading and researching. Just feel lost among all the terminology.

I will read and search before posting redundant questions and it still amazes me how smart Google is.

By the way, I spent a week in Halifax about ten years ago and was privledged to see the BlueNose II in her cradle in Lunenburg. It was one of the best weeks of my life. among some of the best people.