is this a good price to build this boat?

Having built some boats in the last few years as well as observed a couple one man shops build several, I have to wonder how the 60 hour number was arrived at. It is just not realistic for a small shop. The only way these guys can justify building wood boats is to value their time at far less than the $100/hr that a larger shop charges. Not all time that should be charged is cutting, gluing and painting.

Just try to find a builder to build a boat for what might be thought a reasonable price. It is very difficult and most give up after not finding anyone. I'm sure it is different in other parts of the world where labor is a relatively lesser part of the overall expense.

 

You'd build it for the satisfaction, not at all to be underestimated, of creating something using your own hands. It looks like a nice little boat too. This is how these wood boat plans make sense. To buy the finished article built by another, does not.

 

I come up with 60 hours from having estimated jobs through decades of boatbuilding and repair. It is a simple shape with no difficult trim or fancy finish. A painted boat like the photo shows does not require the time as one with a lot of varnished parts.

 

It doesn't make sense to pay someone that much to build the boat, but it also wouldn't make sense to charge less to build it.

Hence very few simple small boats of this type being built by professionals.

 

Example ! They are building and selling finished 16ft. grand banks dories for $4000 to $4500 here in Atlantic Canada. Compared to the boat in question the planked dory requires possibly 50% more man hours. The ply. paneled hull in question is a very simple hull to construct and lends itself to the stitch and glue fool proof system. Read up on this and build the boat yourself for 1/3 the cash layout.

 

do they have their products online? id like to see them.

also thanks for all the reply's everyone.

 

I can't imagine why anyone would want one, frankly. (Grand Banks Dory)

 

Coming: China cheap http://www.aquaparx.eu/boten/alu-300.html

 

Mr. Efficiency, I assume that was a tongue in cheek comment Why would anyone not want one ??? Rows like a canoe, Sails like a schooner, As blue water a boat as you can get, Holds the record as the first smallest solo Trans Atlantic Vessel, From which more fish has been caught and brought home than any one boat afloat, Tupperware stackable,Whose mono hull form has been sailed around the world,(Badger) Literally the "Transformer" of boats from a mono hull into a catamaran (Wharram) and again sailed around the world, Possibly the only boat that can attain hull speed under Oar, Sail or Engine, At home in rough fresh water as well as in salt,(River running craft) -- "Running out of accolades of which i'm sure fellow forum members can add a few.

P.S. And not because she belongs to me but surely a thing of beauty Oh and what else would you expect from the design boards of Newfoundlander's on the Grand Banks

 

Thechillprince, Check out Kijiji Halifax there is always a few new builds in wood for sale by a couple of professional part time builders available or the "Dory Shop" in Lunenburg. Mine is a fiberglass copy of the Shelburne Dory of which i think there are bare hulls still available. If interested e mail me direct and i will forward the contact person. --

 

For that price you get a good-quality 20-24ft traditional boat like gozzo or similar in Croatia, Montenegro or Malta, just to name few countries I know.
Like the ones you can see in this site: http://drvenebarke.blogspot.it/2009/11/drvena-brodogradnja-bokovac-bar.html



I realize that it is really comparing apples and oranges (the wages in the USA are not the same as in these other countries), but I just wanted to point out the evident disparity in the quality (and, yes, beauty too) of build for the same money in different countries.

 

Beautiful craft. Takes me back to my youth when hundreds if not thousands of such shaped pre outboard vessels making use of the old make & break in board engines were used in the "in shore" fishery. We called them "motor boats" verses oar or sail powered boats.

 

When I was a kid, there were tens of these beautiful boats crossing the bay each hour, back where I lived. The sound of their slow diesels (like po-po-po-po-po-po... ), mixed with seagulls screaming far in the distance, was my allarm clock in the morning.
Nice times indeed.

 

Ok thats about all I can take, I'm packing up and going back to the land of my youth

 

I think I might enjoy building one for you at that price... I've worked for a lot less doing things that I didn't enjoy. As previously said, how much it should cost will be directly dependent on how perfect a finish you want on it. Cutting it out and assembling the peices and parts is not terribly difficult or time consuming. Where you take it from there is what will drive the costs up or keep them down.