Amateur wants to build Blue water multi hull cruiser

[nickvonw]

gday,

so im going to keep what is an incredibly complicated question as easy as possible..

A group of consisting of myself and possibly 2-3 others are considering building a boat..

the purpose of the boat would be blue water cruising, to start the south pacific, z and NZ and then possibly up to indonesia.....

the boat would need to comfortably accommodate 3-4 couple plus a few spar bunks for other friends..

luxury is not a priority but a toilet and a shower is a must as is cold beer.. we are on somewhat of a budget but obviously still want a sound bluewater crusier......so luxury and general fit and finish arent of th highesrt importance..get the boat to float and get us there safely is the general idea

the vessel would be designed to give access to remote surfing, diving and areas and be comfortable at sea foe a at least 10 days at a time, if not longer.. The prime purpose of he boat would be for these activities sailing is not a must but would be a nice bonus...

so i would like to ask all u mutli hull enthusiasts and experts on what u would reccommend to build and how and how much it would cost and how long it would take.....all important questions in the grand scheme of things

these a re a few ideas we have come up with

to build a 50-60 foot cat out of plywood and epoxy (no sure of the specific method yet), with between 2x 40-60hp diesel inboards, 4 double berths and a couple extra bunks in the layout...would it be possible to build it as a sailing crusier (keep fuel consumption nice low) but not fit the rigging, if the cost is too much of an initial outlay.....but then have as on option to retrofit the rig later on....would the hull shape of a sailing cruising cat be seaworthy and comfortable without its rig ( i have heard this doesnt work well with monohulls)...we would build it in a shed somewhere in OZ with atleast 4 fulltime handy blokes working on it, with some experience in general boating and general boating maintenance and carpentry skills....

anyway that si the idea that we have if anyone would like to comment on our ideas any impout would be greatly appreciated

cheers

Nick

[Fanie]

Hi Nick,

Welcome to the forum. Building a boat is always a good idea, but the first step really is to see a lunie doc and have yourself declared as such. Normal people does not succeed, it is a lot of work amongst other things.

I suggest you look for some plans to buy once you have it figgered.

You say you're kind of on a budget... but you talk about a 50 - 60 footer. I think you must define budget first. Those size boats, the ones that actually float calls for a stiff budget.

[gonzo]

Shower and cold beer are luxuries. You will need a generator or run one of the main engines half the time or more. With U$150.000 you may buy the basic materials. Then you will need a huge shed or building for the project. With proffesionals working full time it can be done in eight months.

[bill broome]

learn to like air-cooled red wine.

don't build. buy an old cat an spend some time and money on paint and sails.

this 'plan' is a disaster, with endless chances for falling apart with a half-built boat decaying in a paddock. pool the money, and buy. once on the water, enthusiasm likely to remain. good luck, either way!

[Alan M.]

Sounds like the boat I am building would meet your needs: http://www.hostmybb.com/phpbb/viewto...54&mforum=easy

Cost will be around AU $175k, and 5000 hours. And it certainly could be built faster and cheaper.

Having as many as 4 guys working would speed some jobs up to a huge extent. For instance feeding cables takes ages on your own, would take a few minutes with some help.

[nickvonw]

thanks everyone for the comments,

yeah the challenge of building it from scratch is what appeals to me the most..the unknown of buying an older boat doesnt....and the fact that we want a pretty specific design/layout makes building it ourselves make more sense...

to answe a few questions the budget is prob round 175-200 k AUD...and we want it to be liveable for long periods at sea..

Alan, what is the kit u are using???

cheers nick

[Luckless]

Why can't you use a drop line for chilled beer? Build a special cage for your brew with a temp gauge, and lower over the side till you find water cold enough? Design it like a submersing tow fish.

Hi Nick,
this:

to build a 50-60 foot cat out of plywood and epoxy (no sure of the specific method yet), with between 2x 40-60hp diesel inboards, 4 double berths and a couple extra bunks in the layout...would it be possible to build it as a sailing crusier (keep fuel consumption nice low) but not fit the rigging, if the cost is too much of an initial outlay.....but then have as on option to retrofit the rig later on....would the hull shape of a sailing cruising cat be seaworthy and comfortable without its rig

and that:

Originally Posted by nickvonw

to answe a few questions the budget is prob round 175-200 k AUD...and we want it to be liveable for long periods at sea..
cheers nick

does hardly go together!

Do´nt buy the assumptions of ANYONE who did not finish his boat yet, or who promotes his concept! Neither the time frame given, nor the cost estimations are near the truth! Always you end up quite substantially above these figures.
When you have found a plan or kit that fits your needs, look how many of these boats are sailing and try to contact their builders. If there are no finished boats yet, be sceptic. If you have nothing to get your hands on serious information, look for the next mass product, close to your spec.s. The average price of those boats are about what it will cost you to build it yourself.
That may be a bit disappointing now, but better you´re pis.ed now, than being p..ed after loosing 200k and putting a half finished boat up for sale at 25.000! And that is what you´ll get (if you´re happy).

Good luck though
Richard

[Chris Ostlind]

Richard is good at hosing-down an excited audience, isn't he? ;-)

In spite of that bit of comedy, I completely agree with him on this position.

Get your hands on a solidly built used boat that has a lot of potential to be shuffled a bit for your use. Form a relationship with a grounded designer of this size boat. You can get your Building Jones satisfied AND have a boat that can be on the water in very short order.

This size cat is going for fire sale prices right now, due to the global economy and for the things you outlined, is the absolute best way to go.

[Alan M.]

Originally Posted by nickvonw

thanks everyone for the comments,

yeah the challenge of building it from scratch is what appeals to me the most..the unknown of buying an older boat doesnt....and the fact that we want a pretty specific design/layout makes building it ourselves make more sense...

to answe a few questions the budget is prob round 175-200 k AUD...and we want it to be liveable for long periods at sea..

Alan, what is the kit u are using???

cheers nick

It's an Oram 44C. http://boboramdesign.wordpress.com/44-c/

Mine is going to fall right into your budget area. Bear in mind though, that I didn't have to rent a space to work in, but only bought a poly tunnel shed. (Which I have now sold to another boat builder)

It's amusing to read all these people saying you can't build a boat as cheaply as you can buy one. I know several people who have built them much cheaper, and who have had boats they built valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars above what they cost.

I'm not far from launching one myself.

Originally Posted by Chris Ostlind

Richard is good at hosing-down an excited audience, isn't he? ;-)
In spite of that bit of comedy, .

Comedy hähh? Hosing down ja? You do´nt do it without a dumb dig, no?

Originally Posted by Alan M.

It's an Oram 44C. http://boboramdesign.wordpress.com/44-c/

Mine is going to fall right into your budget area. Bear in mind though, that I didn't have to rent a space to work in, but only bought a poly tunnel shed. (Which I have now sold to another boat builder)

It's amusing to read all these people saying you can't build a boat as cheaply as you can buy one. I know several people who have built them much cheaper, and who have had boats they built valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars above what they cost.

I'm not far from launching one myself.

Well, first let me say your boat is less than half the size the thread opener asked for!
Next let me say that I am very glad to entertain you!

Last I like to add, that there are of course boats built well below a off the shelf boat! Not a single one comes out to the same quality AND the same price!

That is just the experience those of us made, who are in this market for some decades.

It might well be that your experience differs, of course! But your last statement is nothing but a dream, or better, a lie!

Regards
Richard

[Alan M.]

Originally Posted by apex1

But your last statement is nothing but a dream, or better, a lie!

Regards
Richard

So you're saying that this doesn't exist?



That I didn't build it? It isn't in my backyard? It's not nearly ready for launching?

You may be a liar, but don't judge others by your own standards.

Whats your problem Alan?

You did a 200.000$ boat for 200.000$ I assume. And then? Did I contradict? I just doubt that you can sell it for several hundreds of thousands above the price! And no amateur ever was able to do so! That is a dream. As a statement it is a lie.

Regards
Richard

[Alan M.]

I don't like people who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, calling me a liar.