Bare hull vendors...

Discussion in 'Boatbuilding' started by Mike Inman, Nov 12, 2018.

  1. Mike Inman
    Joined: Oct 2018
    Posts: 55
    Likes: 6, Points: 8
    Location: Jacksonville, Florida

    Mike Inman Junior Member

    I see this nugget: "Building the hulls or bare shell is actually relatively inexpensive, the major cost comes later when fitting out." sprinkled liberally around repositories of boat building wisdom, and here it is coupled with some rather daunting (and, I fear, realistic) estimated total build cost graphs and figures: Costs and time to Build a Farrier Multihull http://www.f-boat.com/pages/costsandtimes.html

    O.K. wise guys, if the hull is such an inexpensive piece of the puzzle, and yet remains the most daunting component from my home-building perspective, is there anybody out there selling new, good quality "bare shell" F-32AX hulls for people who are willing, even eager, to fit the rigging, wiring, furniture and other systems themselves? As a (with permit) trailerable design, it seems like arranging shipment would be relatively simple.

    I have become a fast-fan of the Farrier folding trimaran system, both for the ability to occasionally trailer, and to make a wide-beam sailing design marina slip compatible. Multi-hulls in all forms are attractive to me from their stability through form, not lead in the deep draft keel aspect. Unfortunately, our cabin-space desires put us up into the 31-32' range of f-boats, and these are both thin on the used market, and frequently "hopped up" with carbon fiber, rotating masts, exotic sail materials and other things that really aren't a priority for family cruising.
     
  2. rwatson
    Joined: Aug 2007
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    Location: Tasmania,Australia

    rwatson Senior Member

    It's probably going to be hard to find a bare hull that suits you 100%.

    It sounds like it might be worth tracking down an experienced F## builder , so you can specify exactly what level of materials would suit you, and get one custom built.
     
    JosephT and Niclas Vestman like this.
  3. JosephT
    Joined: Jun 2009
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    Location: Roaring Forties

    JosephT Senior Member

    Agreed finding a bare hull that is ready to be fitted will probably be hard to find. There are a lot of F boats out there though. Just spotted a 32ft in good shape for $30k US. The prices for these boats are all over the map. You might be better off scouting for a good used hull and focus on getting a refit to your specifications. Most people go this route if there are plenty of boats out there.
     
  4. Mike Inman
    Joined: Oct 2018
    Posts: 55
    Likes: 6, Points: 8
    Location: Jacksonville, Florida

    Mike Inman Junior Member

    Absolutely. F-boats have a somewhat colorful history, and there was a period where Ian Farrier disavowed Corsair since they weren't producing his designs to his specifications, the boats were coming out heavy and weaker and of course cheaper (I forget if the WalMart family member was still controlling Corsair at the time or not...) I believe the ~30-32' Corsairs that are currently asking sub $50K are mostly from that vintage, I have seen a couple currently advertised, and another few recently sold.

    The main problem I have with refitting to my specifications is that my specifications are pretty close to bare minimum, and perhaps a little out of line with the typical Farrier owner: I wouldn't say no to air conditioning, but dacron sails and a simple non-rotating aluminum mast are just fine with me. I want the outboard, good trampolines, watertight windows and hatches, and a very basic interior, period. I guess I also wouldn't say no to jib/screecher furlers, and the typically installed roller reefer main is probably very good for power control on this kind of boat, so the thousands do start to creep in, but so many Farriers have been optimized in the opposite direction with low-roofed hulls, carbon fiber everything, racing sails, etc.

    I spoke with an east-coast US builder today, and feel like I dispelled the myth of "the hull is just 10% of the cost of the build..." His estimates of a finished basic custom build ~32' were in the $400-500K ballpark, with $175K for just the bare hull. This may be on the high side, but it hits within about 20% of the cost estimates on the f-boat site, and the builder's words were: "unless you want the hull unfinished, unfaired, unpainted, you're looking at 35 to 40% of the total build cost in just the bare hull."

    I'd love to be proven wrong, but 35-40% of the total build cost in the bare hull "feels" more realistic to me than the 10% I've read repeatedly here and there. Maybe there's a good Indonesian shipyard who would build me a F32 hull for $30K and ship it Port of JACKSONVILLE | iContainers https://www.icontainers.com/ports/jacksonville/ here for a $3K freight charge... but I haven't learned anything yet to make me think that's even close to possible...
     
  5. JosephT
    Joined: Jun 2009
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    Location: Roaring Forties

    JosephT Senior Member

    I hear you. Those built from kits depend on the workmanship of the builder of course. Here's the one for 30k I was talking about. The furnishings look pretty basic to me and the construction looks pretty solid. If you're sailing offshore you really don't want to strip the boat down much more beyond this. Provided the survey came back clean I would be very happy with it. A fresh top/bottom coat and it would look very sharp. It's also on a freshwater lake (minimal corrosion). Best wishes on your search for a bare hull!

    [​IMG]

    Used 2005 FARRIER Custom 10-Farrier 32, Boulder City, Nv - 89005 - BoatTrader.com https://www.boattrader.com/listing/2005-farrier-custom-10-farrier-32-102834869/
     
  6. Mike Inman
    Joined: Oct 2018
    Posts: 55
    Likes: 6, Points: 8
    Location: Jacksonville, Florida

    Mike Inman Junior Member

    Thanks, yep, this one just reduced from $50K asking to $30K asking - best deal out there at the moment (that I'm aware of), wish it weren't 3600 miles round trip to go pick it up... There's another who's still stuck on his surveyor's estimate of $47K in New Jersey - looks about the same, probably seen a lot more water than the one in Colorado, but it is half the distance....
     

  7. JosephT
    Joined: Jun 2009
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    Location: Roaring Forties

    JosephT Senior Member

    Flights are cheap to Vegas. If you can find a surveyor in the area it may be worth the trip. You can catch a good show or two while you're out there. Provided that boat was built well and had a good UV coat that's about as clean a boat as you can find. No mold or corrosion that I can see. I'd consider having it shipped to the Gulf coast and sailing it to Florida. That would be an adventure!
     
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