need advice

[donniemoe]

Im in college for carpendry and was wondering witch would be a better choice rebiulding a old boat or building one from scratch?

i think rebiulding would be easyer but, I like the idea of makeing my oun ship. I have never done a project like this and would like some comments form others.

[PAR]

It's by far and away cheaper to build new then to rebuild or restore. Fixing up an old bath tub, requires countless ours of stripping things, parts and finishes, none of which is "building" anything. Refinishing is twice as difficult as putting new finish on new material. Rebuilding an electrical system requires you understand what the old system did, then bring that one up to snuff. Ditto on plumbing systems, rigging, propulsion, tankage and a host of other things necessary in re-doing a boat. Building new, doesn't involve any of the disassembly, coatings removal or trying to figure out what was done, how it was done or why things were done the way they were.

I recently built a 28' power cruiser and also restored a 25' power cruiser, both hardtops, similarly powered of similar displacement. The new boat was more complicated and had more systems to deal with. The 25' restoration was took two years to complete, the new bigger and more complicated boat was done in a single year and cost half as much.

[DGreenwood]

PAR
I have to agree with you...but not in every case. In the case of plank on frame sail boats there are a few mitigating factors that make the difference.

The ballast keel: at around $2.00/lb these days it can add up pretty quick. A 40 ft boat could easily have 10k in the keel.
The lofting time: It would not be unusual for two guys to be on their knees for weeks lofting a midsize cruising boat. If the restoration has retained its' shape then you are a lot of hours ahead, even if you reframe and replank. Plus if done right you have an existing mold to build on so that mold building time is eliminated.

Design fee: don't have to pay that.

Hardware and other fittings: Often there is rig and fitting parts that help reduce costs...often not worth much but still when you get involved with custom design stuff it is a big deal.

I have seen it pay to restore rather than build...but certainly not in every case, rather in a few cases.

I have done refits that beat out a new build.

[donniemoe]

thanks for the advice,
Im looking to start small so I dont think that electrical or plumbing will come in to play. Also are there any laws or regulations I need to know about.

[wdnboatbuilder]

I don't know how close you are to Eastport or Calais but there you can find a world of info. or just listen to PAR.

[PAR]

The USCG has a "Home Built" section that can offer up some useful information. Most boats, even small ones will begin to have electric issues creep into the mix after about 10 years of service. Corrosion at the connections is one of the usual suspects, chafe and over load being runners up. I've seen mud dabbers build nests in bilge pump outlet lines so tight that the pump couldn't push water past them. So, both electric and plumbing can be issues, though small boat systems are reasonably basic enough to quickly understand and repair.

Bruce is quite correct, in your neck of the woods, there should be many skilled craftsmen and projects available. Some of the world's finest marine carpenters, skippers, designers, builders and leaders are in Maine.