That's probably what I'd do too. Build a boat. Just been out on a mate's boat that took him seven years part time. I'd like to knock out something bigger, and aluminium rather than wood. 5 years full time would fly by, I'm sure...
The boat would definitely be nicer than my house, so I would move into the boat permanently and figure out from there how I will maintain it. If you think the 27ft sloop in the local marina has some bodge jobs, just wait until you see what I cook up trying to fix a super yacht with unlimited time and no money.
I'm actually planning to move full-time into a sailing yacht either this year or next, though the fact I'm doing this while working a full time job (remotely of course) will mean it's a rather slow rate of travel! I'm hoping to buy a forty footer of some description (probably a ketch but that could change between now and then) and do a lot of the work making it a comfortable place to live and work myself.
Another would be boatbuilder checking in. I started a rather ambitious project during covid to build a 21 ft sailing dory. It's my first boat but I insisted on going with traditional solid timbers and rivets and all that. I'm just about to rivet the last plank and still have the gunwales, rigging, rudder, centreboard etc. to do. It's been an amazing process though and I already can't wait to begin another build.
A fellow I knew would build boats. Sailboats. I don’t know much about boats but I’d say that these were something like 25-30 foot boats. These were not dinghies.
He started from raw plans, build the hull ribs, layer on the fiberglass for the hull (he bought his resin in 50 gallon drums). Now, of course, he has to sand and finish the fiberglass.
Once he got to that point, he’d build a rig around the hull out of wood that allowed the hull to rotate in place around its axis with a hydraulic Jack. He did all of this alone.
Once upright, he’d have about 5000 lbs of lead delivered to be placed and secured in the keel. At this point he gets the top parts of the hull and deck in place so he can weatherproof the interior.
The interior is all hardwood. Mahogany and such. His two car garage was a dedicated woodworking and cabinetry shop. The boat was in his fenced backyard.
When it was all said and done, 4-5 years later, a truck and a crane would come, lift it out of the backyard, and take it to the local harbor, 30 miles away.
Then, he’d sell it, start over, and make another.
He didn’t sail.
I know he made at least 3 of them. I’m sure he profited on raw materials, not so sure on time, certainly not on time/value of money.
He was a software developer by trade. He wrote accounting systems.
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