Cheapest cost to self-design & self-build a 45ft sailboat

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by sailingrock, Dec 26, 2018.

  1. sailingrock
    Joined: Dec 2018
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    Location: United States of America

    sailingrock New Member

    Looking to design and build own custom sailboat. Very tight budget. Aware there are cheaper ways, but want me OWN DESIGN. Are my estimates bonkers even for a brain dead zombie-lover like me?

    To be built in haunted barn on cursed ground near a pet cemetery.
    Mostly high lat sailing.
    Naval Arch to generate minimal drawings to my design
    Prices in thousands, words in English.
    Resemble dufour 12000ct ketch with modded butt-area.
    Willing to buy used crap, except for hull and engine

    Boat: Alum or Fiberglass Hull, 45ft, monohull, ketch or schoony, beam 13.5.
    3300 hrs = Est. build time
    05 = Naval Arch
    30 = Hull and deck
    08 = keel
    18 = Engine + Accessories
    05 = Electrical (gen, batts,solor, wiring, panel, the bla)
    03 = Water(maker, tanks, bla)
    03 = Heads and stuff
    03 = Interior wood/textiles (min)
    03 = Galley stuff
    01 = Heating crapoola
    02 = Trans to wawa from barn(10mi)
    04 = Masts, rigging, sails...
    04 = Autopilot, charts, all electonical thingys
    00 = Everything else that I left out.

    89 = Stupid Total

    Can this be true? Can it be done for 89 thousand smackerooos?????
     
  2. Squidly-Diddly
    Joined: Sep 2007
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    Squidly-Diddly Senior Member

    I'm thinking 3300hrs only if you are already a bonfide $100/hr tradesman.

    To produce at that nominal "$100/hr" rate you need a $25/hr helper, just for cleanup, running to store, as well as admin and "semi-admin" tasks like keeping track of all the parts that arrival on their own schedule out of sequence.

    Figure on $100,000 worth of tools and shop rigging (at least $20K of weird new stuff even if you think you "have everything") and supplies like cleaners, thinners, sandpaper, bits, blades, dustmasks, gloves, etc.

    Never built a boat that size but first thing I'd do is pour nice concrete slab in the old barn.

    Maybe find TWO different exp boatbuilder guys to act as "build consultants" to come over and give the project the once-over at critical points. I say TWO because chances are one will give up or otherwise not work out and I'm sure they will have diff approaches to earning their consulting fee. Try to get one Design Guru and one Build Guru.

    How spartan will interior be?

    As reference, new kitchen cabinets (2uppers, 2lowers, fake stone, sink, stove, microwave, dishwasher, etc) from Home Depot cost $15,000 installed in San Jose in 2002 (during downturn when labor was cheap). That was for a rental home, LL not wanting anything weird or fancy, buying whatever was on sale.
     
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  3. sailingrock
    Joined: Dec 2018
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    Location: United States of America

    sailingrock New Member

    I'm in Michigan. No way that for a kitchen here without going the fancy-smancy road. I can do my own wood-working and re-purpose as I need. The main goal is to see how cheaply person X can get their own design built and on the water. That would be the challenge or theme of the whole project. Great for videos, I think. I'm willing to scrounge around for stuff to use including cannibalizing old very cheap sailboats that I can get my hands on. My opinion of sailboat is that it is a boat and should have the look and feel of approximating old frigates, carracks, pirate ships. It should not have the feel of a space ship or race car or some 21st century advanced technological contraption. I think those kinds of boats (e.g., Garcia Exploration 45) are disgusting. So, "spartan" in the sense of no extraneous electronics or motors to open and close doors. No draw after drawer after drawer and cabinet after cabinet. It can all be done so much more simply. You also have to have the ability to "get lost" below deck. By this, I mean, you want to be out of sight of everyone else gathered in that saloon without being forced to retreat to your berth. A "nook" must be designed into the plan. Furthermore, even if it means subtracting a square foot or two from the living space, I want GOOD maintenance access to nearly everything and not just through stupid "technical doors". I believe that I have accomplished this. Now I want to build it. I'm hoping that 3300 hours is the minimum to get it in the water and sailing. I can add over the months thereafter as I continue to work on it. I'm looking for it to eventually be my new home.
     
  4. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    What method was used to arrive at the 3300 hours figure ?
     
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  5. Angélique
    Joined: Feb 2009
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    Location: Belgium ⇄ The Netherlands

    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    ‘‘ Cheapest cost to self-design & self-build a 45ft sailboat ’’

    Well, it depends on your standards, plus your skills, and your work ethics and work speed, and available work time, and the choice of materials and their local costs, and the availability of a almost free or free building spot, in 2012 a 72' sailing cat took only four months and a few $ to sail away from a beach near Banjul in Gambia, so everything is possible, or not . . :(


    ‘‘ This is a time-lapse video of a wooden sailing ship being built in Gambia, West Africa, 2012. We went from a stack of planks to a sailable vessel in just four months. ’’

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    ‘‘ This is the story of how Bill Probert took 37 years to build his Alan Buchanan 1949 Wild Duck. Please share this tale of an amazing man who never gave up his passion to build his first classic yacht. ’’


    ‘‘ We joined Bill for the first sail on the Wild Duck that took him 37 years to build. ’’
     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2018
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  6. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    gonzo Senior Member

    Anything that resembles a Doufour will require expensive materials and high skills. None of which you have. For the price you are estimating, a barebones workboat type can be built; but not in 3300 hours by an inexperienced person. The masts and standing rigging will cost more than $4,000. Add sails, running rigging and deck hardware to that. Finally, and most important, your design will likely be poor and have structural problems. After working on the build for a couple of years, you will learn enough to see the defects. That will lead you to undo a large part of what you built to do it properly. At the very least, find a design by an experienced person. There are plenty of classic designs that can be had for free.
     
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  7. kapnD
    Joined: Jan 2003
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    kapnD Senior Member

    One man working 8 hour days pencils out to approximately 2000 hours a year, so you will be finished in a year and a half !
    Don’t buy the champagne just yet...
     
  8. M&M Ovenden
    Joined: Jan 2006
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    M&M Ovenden Senior Member

    Hi,
    If you are looking at a common hull design you are better off searching for a used hull / boat. Your budget seems like a bit on the low end, I would expect the NA to be more to get complete CAD files for cutting (Aluminium)... don't think fiberglass is a home build material.

    Cheers,
    Mark
     
  9. Angélique
    Joined: Feb 2009
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    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    Last edited: Dec 30, 2018
  10. JSL
    Joined: Nov 2012
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    JSL Senior Member

    If you have not designed or built a boat before allow (at least) about 25% of your time for the learning process plus about 15% of your time for correcting mistakes and 10% for cleaning up, etc.
    An idea: find a 'good deal' used boat you like and buy it. Faster, probably cheaper (in the long run). If you cannot afford it, you probably would not be able to build the equivalent for much less.
    (updated 18-12-31)
     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2018
  11. Angélique
    Joined: Feb 2009
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    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    Like for example the poor man's ocean cruiser, the about 45' version has ample standing headroom, but since Tom passed away in 2014 his plans are not available till to date far as I know, so just posted here for the general idea...

    [​IMG]
    ‘‘ This design does not have full headroom, but has everything else going for it as far as comfort is concerned. It is seaworthy, fast, simple to build, inexpensive to rig, and can use an auxiliary engine of minimal horsepower. This vessel can be built in aluminum or steel. The 37-footer (shown here) sleeps two, and has a 9' 3" beam and a 3' 6" draft. She is double-ended, and carries the simple three-sail schooner rig. As long as simplicity is acceptable, this type of hull has much to offer. ’’
     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2018
  12. Milehog
    Joined: Aug 2006
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    Milehog Clever Quip

    If you have never built a boat before build a dinghy first. Seriously.
     
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  13. Angélique
    Joined: Feb 2009
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    Location: Belgium ⇄ The Netherlands

    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    That's good advice, also thinking of a own recipe without the how to knowledge, and even without ever having baked a cake at all, is a disaster waiting to happen, which isn't so bad if it only concerns $ 2 for cake ingredients and a first time effort for this of only ½ an hour, but even then I've never heard of it happening successfully that way...
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2019
  14. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    fallguy Senior Member

    I am building a 32' powercat and the time budget is 4000; dollars $100k, all my work and some help; so 80% is materials.

    It is easy to laugh at your lack of wisdom here. Double both budgets and you'll be closer.

    That boat is pretty big to build.

    You might want to drop the size a bit to get the hours budget down. These large boats take LOTs of time to build. You'll quickly discover each section of the boat takes hours and hours.

    Self design is a horrible concept if something fails. Far better to find a likeable design and hire the NA to modify to suit.

    Best of luck.
     

  15. M&M Ovenden
    Joined: Jan 2006
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    M&M Ovenden Senior Member

    This line doesn't make sense to me, if it's your design then you are the Naval Architect in my mind.
    When Murielle (my wife) designed our boat everything was done in CAD and NC cut (steel). It saved a massive amount of time when she built it. I wouldn't skimp on the plans.

    Cheers,
    Mark
     
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