new but ambitious

Yeah I miss quoted the 4L thing, but you still going to need a couple hundred gallons... you will have to coat EVERY piece of ply and wood you put into the boat to encapsulate it, to protect it from the elements...
And unless you can calculate EXACTLY what you will use to do that, you will always need more.

And I never said you were stupid, but you seem to have a tremendous ability to under-estimate what you will need to build this...

And as you have said "your willingness to learn"... well, if you are truly WILLING to learn, build a small boat, learn about what it really takes, learn about the processes needed to build a boat... and THEN build your dream...

Right now you are putting the "cart before the horse" if that makes any sense to you... in other words, you want to learn how to build a boat by building a big one.

Good luck

Building a 39' boat is not a small undertaking by any means... take the advice given to you, build a small boat to start and see how that goes before you commit to such an undertaking... as mentioned prior, you can use it as a tender for the bigger boat later.

 

For the tools it might be easier to show you. Take a look at the links below.

compound miter saw:

http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-C10FC...927&sr=1-15&keywords=compound slide miter saw

Router:

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-561...d=1380903058&sr=1-4&keywords=router milwaukee

Planer:

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-2012NB...=1380903152&sr=1-1&keywords=makita 12" planer

Drill:

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-023...sr=1-1&keywords=milwaukee magnum hole shooter

Screw Gun or Driver:

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCD760...0903401&sr=1-3&keywords=cordless drill/driver

You can spend less on power tools but take it from an older guy who's tried to save money on cheaper tools. You cannot.

You also need to learn to use these tools. Drills and sanders are not too difficult to use but table saws, miter saws and planers will take some time to master. This is why some of the people here are urging you to start with a smaller project. You can develop some skills while not committing yourself to a large project.

Congratulations on becoming a father. Please consider delaying your project for at least a year or two and perhaps until your son or daughter starts school. Little babies are even more time consuming than boats! I don't know if this is your first child but remember this. Build a good boat and it will probably be around after you're gone. Children are only young for a little while. And once they grow up you can never get that time back. If you miss your kid growing up bacause you were down at the boatyard all the time you will kick yourself in the *** for missing the "grow up years".

 

The OP says he likes the Glen-L Sorrento, a 36' planing cruiser. Certainly it is the type of thing that would do what he wants speed-wise. Note it is 15,000-odd pounds, much more than the 3 tons he envisaged. I also note the timber and ply alone were estimated to be costing around $17k, which was more than the entire budget he had in mind for the project. The fasteners over $2K. The only way this type of boat could be modified to be lighter would be to go flatter in the bottom, and/or narrower in the beam, which would involve losses in internal space, and seaworthiness.

 

I have to agree with you on this!
It's been on my mind for quite some time.
The thing is: I hate "wasting time, energy and money" on something I know I'll probably hardly ever use!
But I definitely agree with you, so maybe I'll change my mind and build something smaller first, I'll think about it!

 

By the way: I'm now considering using an existing design of 36', and just make some changes to the cabin-style/form and change the inside arrangements.

 

I was indeed very surprised by it's weight!
I think (Hope!) this might be partially caused by following differences:
- total hull-height is much higher than what I intended
- heavier lumber than the meranti I intend to use?
- much more (and heavier) furniture than I intended to install
- Originally, I seriously under-estimated the fuel-tank I'd need, and therefore also the fuel weight! (about 600kg lower!)

Could this make up for a difference of, let's say, 2 tons (4.000 lbs.)???

Also: could you give me an idea about how much you'd pay for 2 cubic meter of lumber and 60 square meter of marine plywood, 9 or 12 mm?
Thanks for the help guys!

 

I forgot:
regarding the price of fasteners, I truly believe these will be much cheaper here in Thailand, but I need to check it out to get some accurate numbers.
Also: getting rid of half the furniture (beds most of all) and building them in light weight pine should make an important difference in weight, no??

 

Well, chopping out a lot of weight, even if you could maintain the structural integrity, brings with it a change in how the boat sits on the water, it may float higher than is desirable, and not be so steady at rest, or underway. Short cuts often turn out to be dead ends.

 

Thanks a lot for this information!
Looking at the images I wonder:
A miter saw, can't you do the same with a decent circular saw? I can see it's easier for certain things, but still...
Planer: don't even know what that's used for, sorry! could you give me an example?
Drill/screw-gun: in the old days, it was possible to use the drill for both functions, I hope it still is?

I agree about the mastering aspect: certain things I haven't done in a very long time, so I'll need some practice!
Thanks again!

 

Mmm, I see. I'll have to be very careful about that.
Thanks!

 

Looking at those plywood numbers in the Sorrento-design (much much more than what I anticipated), I can't help but thinking there's gonna be a lot of waist material!
Than again, a hull heighth of 3m vs 1.75m (my idea) does make a big difference in surface.

Can anyone give me some information about prices for lumber (dark red meranti) and marine plywood 12mm in the US?
The prices I've found so far seem to be much lower than what US sources suggest.

 

Much depends, imo, on the waters you intend to navigate, long distances over "curly" water at speed are a tall order, unless you are traversing mainly sheltered or mildly choppy waters, you are going to have to pay big $, in both initial outlay and ongoing costs. Depends on how good your local weather service is, too, it helps if you can pick accurately a period of good conditions that will last for the duration of your planned trips, that way you can get away with a boat that is not so hot in the slop, even though you always want something that can come home slowly, in safety, if needs be.

 

Well, I intend to go out mostly in the gulf of Thailand, where weather conditions are usually rather calm and stable.
Off course I'd be checking the weather predictions and only go out when weather's good.

 

I had a quick look to see what the estimated build hours would be for that Glen-L boat, could not find one, but would be pretty daunting imo. You would not want to invest all that time and have some old second-hand engine installed, you want more reliability with a single engine anyway.

 

Study plans for that design will include a BOM and rough build time estimate, which should be doubled for a novice or first time builder.