How hard do you think it is to build your own boat?

bandteacher1 · 02-11-2010, 04:04 PM

Well, my dad (God, I miss him!) was in the US Navy. He was an admiral on a Nemitz class carrier when he passed away. And we(him, myself, and my little brother) actually built a sail boat when I was 14 or so. It took us a couple of years to finish, but this was also during a time when aircraft carriers were needed all over the world, so we could only work on it when my dad was in port. It wasn't much, but it was a sailboat. We actually sailed it from Boston, Ma to Charleston, SC.

It's going to take alot of time and effort, but it's very rewarding. Go to your local book store and find some books on it. Alot of times, you can find books that'll spell it out very simply for you. A couple of suggestions:

DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Read up on the subject, and ask professionals who know what they're doing.
Build a smaller version of the ship you intend to build. Make sure it's to scale to the actual ship that you plan to build. This will help when you're building the full scale version, as you can actually see what it's supposed to look like.
Make sure to seal the wood. If you don't, the wood can and will grow mold.
Measure twice, cut once. I know it's over used, but it's so true. You'll need EXACT measurements to make her float.
Worry about the little things later (Eg.: the carpetting; size of the wheel; name; ect). You can't have a birthday cake with frosting and no cake.
Oh, if you really need to, I'm only a PM away.

Hope that helps and GOOD LUCK!