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

Is the 4000 hours the designer's estimate, or yours ?

 

The designer would probably estimate closer to 3000.

But I am an amateur and my build is pretty complex. I will be closer to 6000 for a plethora or reasons; hip failure included. I am trying to make some adjistment away from that part..

If an amateur can build a 45' sailboat to finish in three years; he'll be doing great. And that is full time work at 2000 hours annual.

I think a cat build is harder, and I was thinking he meant a 45' cat in my reply.

 

A lot of things get taken for granted in building. The workspace might be problematic, the climate might not be controlled, the builder might not be equipped for moving things or storage. The vendors are not established. The list is endless. My space is small.

For an amateur, these all require resolving. The pro boat builder has already figured most of it out.

Just building my vac table required planning, 2 vendor contacts, building components. It was probably a four week process. Epoxy lifts, some fairing..

Due to space issues, if you look at the picture, the mast section had to have storage racks installed.

Pro builders have it all done already. Building a 34' flat, sealed table is no small task.

 

You can build a better boat for half the price in less than a 1000 hours. Learn MiG welding and work with aluminum. Order large sheets of 5xxx/6xxx grade, make minimal cuts and bend it together. Weld the seams, add reinforcement beams and foam padding, way better than fiberglass or wood or any other obsolete technology. Also design your dream boat in AutoCad, DelftShip, or AutoShip and do stress analysis on the structure first. By far the most amateur and silly things I've seen are experienced people using wood or fiberglass, laying down multiple layers, binding with epoxy resin and wasting ridiculous amounts of time on a mediocre boat, and sadly the community considers it an art.

 

An origami design needs even more knowledge and experience to design a good boat, so a complete dilettante in boat design would be better off to get a proven design for that, and then the time savings are only on the hull, which is just a small part of the total building proces...

I would consider Tad Roberts' 36' Ragsdale schooner to be a good option for the mentioned origami build method . . .



‘‘ . . . The Ragsdale schooner hull is designed to utilize the so-called 'Origami' or folded construction method. . . . . The major benefit is very fast production of the bare hull, which can be created in a matter of days. Beyond the bare hull, an origami boat takes as long to finish as any other boat. The key to reducing man hours here is to simplify everything, or eliminate it totally. . . . ’’

 

I'm pretty sure "Sailingrock" is the same guy from Michigan who periodically posts a similar ambitious plan/intent here and then disappears in huff when people give him a reality check.

 

What are you referring to there ?

 

Probably a wise concept here.

I think they need a modicum of insulating.

If you can reduce the artful aspect of boatbuilding it will save lots of time.

 

Re post #20, here's a Tad Roberts origami Ragsdale builder...

 

Oh, Mr. E, you're way into 2019 by now, so happy new year to you, and to everyone else when the time is there . .

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And to you, and all others here, a happy and healthy new year !

 

Pour foam for dynamic stability, reduced noise, and overall more buoyant design. Can be filled as a last step after all the modules are installed (bathroom, waste, diesel tanks, etc) to make it into an unsinkable boat.

 

Not so sure of the wisdom of pour foam in an alloy boat, for various reasons, welding repairs can lead to fire, I wouldn't be happy applying it to bare alloy because of poultice corrosion possibilities, either.

 

I'm afraid our mate sailingrock has tacked away from these forums, but we're having a nice chat anyway . . .

 

No, it's not true. Why not buy that Dufour and make the "modded butt". In that case you have some possibility to stay inside your budget.
Teddy