New guy question

You cannot build that boat for 150k.

 

And if you could, I wouldn't sail on her. I could build an excellent hull and deck for that, but those aren't the largest share of the cost. Power, interior furnishing, rigging, electronics, steering, amenities, ground tackle are all also serious bites out of your butt.

 

I built my own boat (Sea Sled Madness) because what I wanted wasn't for sale, and originally became a boat builder to build not to have. If it's the same for you, buy the Malabar, build the next one when you really know exactly what you want in a boat.

 

The OP's SOR was not to have a carvel planked boat in the great lakes. It would be a waste of either of those boats for sale to skin them with a glass skin.

 

Didn't you rip your 5/8" strips out of used SPF 2x4's?

 

Basically. I cut out really bad areas, but if butt-joints are scattered using best practise, it become one huge finger-jointed assembly. Serenity has glass inside and out, and no stringers or regular frames, just a ring frame every 4-5', roughly 1.5m. And she is incredibly strong.

 

Carvel construction is a waste of good wood, time, money, and hours of my life I can't get back.

 

he asked a question; that is not a SOR

 

It would be an even greater waste of 10 years (or maybe even more) of the OP's life building a boat, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of $$'s, when he can buy a boat and go sailing (after first sheathing it if he really has his heart set on this) - unless his main aim is the building of the boat, rather than using it.

 

Gerr's book can help you get equivalent scantlings from plank on frame to strip plank with fiberglass laminate. He offers two options: laminate both sides, or thick exterior only laminate. However, 10 years is a reasonable time expectancy for the build if you really stick to it. You will also have to learn about rigging, installing hardware, engine installation, electrical systems, casting a keel, and several others.

 

The OP won’t believe you, but 100% for sure this boat for one man is 7-10 years of work.

 

As it happens right now there is a Malabar IV beeing buildt in the UK by a professional. It's five feet longer to provide crew accommodation and has more ballast and sail, but otherwise not much different then the Malabar 2. It's buildt carvel, but as a "shop boat" it's not worked on full time by the crew. The estimate was 18 months to racing condition (no cabinetry), and it has taken 11 months to get it lofted, framed and half the planking installed. You can watch the build here (playlist):
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbpg0kknDEyV3GDh1A7402rNSwX-99ilZ&si=fJCjiJtFT3JTPZx_

It's hard to count hours on a shop boat, but I estimate a solid 2000 thus far. Working with an optimized for speed strip plank method putting in an average of 20h/week it would take two years for a skilled amateur to get to the same stage on a Malabar 2. That means around 4-5 years to have the boat ready to sail but without a nice cruising interior, just some benches and shelves inside. The nicer you try to work the more time you spend, so it's really important to know what constitutes "good enough" and how to speed things up without endangering safety.
Budget wise there are to many variables involved to be able to compare apples to apples. Can it be done for 150k (btw. the boat that's advertised for this price is engineless), yes it can (at todays prices). Will it have a super nice exotic hardwood interior and teak decks? Most likely no and it will be a painted fir and ply affair, but you never know what deals the amateur finds along the way or how creative he gets in repurposing wood. Where one guy sees just a trashed dresser by the side of the road, the other sees free cuban mahogany drawer fronts.

 

This one is not a new build, but a full restoration currently underway where the original carvel planking is being replaced with strips.
Carvel to strip plank conversion, Island sloop - The WoodenBoat Forum https://forum.woodenboat.com/forum/building-repair/9247498-carvel-to-strip-plank-conversion-island-sloop

 

@Mark Rochacz , we don't mean to rain on your parade. Our hope and intent is to see you succeed, but that starts with realism.

 

This is great advice. I have seen situations like this end in divorce.