Building cost

[DreadPirateRush]

I know this is a rough question, and I did search for answers in the forum.

My question is, is there a decent rule of thumb for building costs of a wooden boat.

Chesapeake Marine Design lists on their plans that it costs $4-$6 per pound of displacement for a very nice finish.

Using thast rule, a boat with a 5,000 pound displacement will cost 20-30k to build.

5000 pounds of displacement is about average for 22-25 foot outboard.

Now my question is, my grandfather, who passed away when I was very young, has built several downeast style cruisers, commercial fishers, and liveaboards, all in wood, all in his back yard. He strip plankes his hulls and used the cotten rope/tar for sealer and no fiberglass, and his boats have lasted about 40 years.

Now based on what Im seeing in material cost, fiberglass is pretty much half the expense of building a boat.

So my question is actually two-fold.

1. If I want to build a 35 foot liveaboard, is $4-$6 per pound of displacement a fairly acurate (albeit rough) way to estimate?

2. How much harder is it to build a wood boat the old school way, not using fiberglass, and wouldnt it be cheaper?

[Raggi_Thor]

6$ per pound seems fair for (small?) boats built in light plywood, epoxy and glass.
Plain wood is cheaper.
Larger dimensions are cheaper.
Glass (woven or biaxial) and epoxy is more expensive.
Polyester costs maybe 2$ per pound.

1) I would guess 4$ per pound of light boat (not displacement) is a good estimate for material costs. You can multiply with 2 or 0.5 for expensive or cheap materials :-)
2) It's not much harder but it will probably take more time, and errors are not so easy to fix or hide, materials will cost less and be healthier to work with.

Maybe this is a book you should look at?
Buehlers Backyard Boatbuilding,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cus...283155&s=books

[DreadPirateRush]

So your saying then that $4 per pound of boat weight, not displacement, is accurate?

And thanks for the book link!

[Raggi_Thor]

Yes, but hardware can cost as much as you want.
Heavy boats costs less per pound than light ones.
In Norway you can pay less than 1$ per pound for wood (pine or spruce) in large dimensions, 1''x4'' and so on, rated construction qualities with knots, but no voids, while you can pay 10$ per pound for 6mm (1/4 inch) strip planks, bead and cove, straight grained with no knots.

It seems like you pay for selection, seasoning and machining, small sections may cost the same per length as large ones. Raw logs costs 100 to 200$/kbm or 20 cents per pound.

[gonzo]

Are you talking of materials only? A very nice finish on a custom boat has that much in labor.

[Raggi_Thor]

Yes materials only, and the wood seem to be the most economical followd by polyester, if you have a form.
4$ per pound or 10.000$ per ton can only be for material, no outfitting, hardware etc.

Then something like 500 hours per ton of boat in work hours?
As usual more for light boats, less for heavy ones.

So, the work and hardware that you buy will cost many times as much as the material.

[DreadPirateRush]

I dont consider my labor put into the boat as costing money. My labor is free, as I want to do it for several personal and sentimental reasons.

Also, Im not looking for a boat show quality finish. The boat would be used for fishing trips with my father and son, and to just enjoy the James River/Chesapeake Bay areas. Im simply looking for a "clean" looking finish, nothing fancy at all.

SO yes, all Im concerned with, is my materials cost.

[Raggi_Thor]

Then I think some of the traditional methods for wood construction will be your best choice.