Hi All

So, I have been watching Bernd's website, this group and his plans for many years already (7 or 8 I believe). I used to live on a narrow boat in the UK but have always wanted a sea going boat.

I'm pretty handy and already build a canoe using the same epoxy and plywood principles to get some practise in for the day I can finally do this.

My dream is to build the Pelican. I read about how Bernd lived on his for 12 years and that just seems an amazing prospect, but for me and my family, we definitely don't need anything like that now.

So my question is, where to start? I'm an expat living in Slovakia, so it is inland and in order to get as much practise as possible, I require something great for short weekend trips, but I can just rent.?

The dream right now would probably be the Eco 7, and then I would dock it in Croatia or Slovenia, so we can use it for family holidays 2 or 3 times a year. Is that too crazy for a first build? And, does anyone have an idea how I would get it from Slovakia to the sea? (I guess trucking it)

If you think the Eco 7 is too complex or large for a first project, where would you recommend to start??

I apologize as this is quite a long message, but we are excited to hear from you! Also, if anyone is based over in CEE, I would love to meet for a beer and hear your stories!

Thanks

Dale

Hi Dale

When I see what you need. The logical choice would be the KD 650. The boat has reasonable accommodation. and Is easy to sail.?
The boat can be trailered too. See also the following video.?

Cheers

Bernd

Hi Dale
I wish you the best. ?Beside what Bernd said, you might also consider the Eco 5.5 as it is also quite simple, trailerable, and you can camp with the family in or on it. Having a boat that is too wide to easily (legally) pull behind a car means you must keep the boat in a boatyard or on the water, and both of those can be very expensive. Boats like to have some attention, so building a boat that you can keep at home on a trailer seems like it would work.
I am building the Voyager, but I plan on moving aboard with my family when we launch.?

Cheers
Patrick

Hi voya12m and Bernd

Thanks for your replies! It is great to hear some feedback.

Definitely agree on the costs of a boatyard, so a trailered version would be great. I live in a city, so my only issue is where to park it when in use. We are building two parking spaces at our house, but they will be very small. That is something I might need to consider down the road.

I hadn't considered the KD 650 and that looks like it has a good amount of space! The Eco 5.5 also looks great. I will grab a couple of sets of study plans!

The Voyager looks beautiful! And I love the idea of moving the family on there!

One more quick question, how many boats do you think you should build in a lifetime :-D?

For example, I am 31 with 2 young kids. If I build a Eco 5.5 or a KD 650 and then in 3 years want to build something bigger and then in 6-8 years want to head onto the Pelican project – is this realistic while working a full time job and being a father? Or do you think I would be better off buying a smaller boat that I can trailer while building one of the bigger ones?

Maybe a little out there but just trying to be realistic :-)

Thanks again for your replies!

Hi Dale

Interesting and a bit confusing.

I have the feeling, you are not sure what sort of boat you want.

Make a list of what you need (need, not want).

What is your goal?

Where do you want to use the boat? Lakes, river, ocean sailing, coastal sailing.

How much money can you spend? Be please realistic. Many projects get never finished because of a lack of funds. Be aware, of the costs of the mast, rigging, and sails*. That the boat counts for only about 30% of the total costs.

Learning how to build a boat is easy. The learning curve to build in the wood, glass, epoxy technique is steep in regard to any other system.

Experience helps of course. Never build a boat? Build for example a SC435. A good first project. An Aluminium pool is used as a mast. I built this boat in 100 hours. So double that as a first-time builder.

There we are at the fun part. Two boats in a lifetime are for most persons enough. I built 19 as far as I remember ;-))

?

?

*One of the reasons why I developed different rigs, like the ECO 520 jibrig, or the Gunter rig. Nothing new but cost-efficient. Look also on the gaff rig from David.

开云体育

Hi Dale,

Hi Dale
A place to build and keep the boat is an important part of course. I hope you find a good solution.

Your boat questions are pushing up on the ‘meaning of life’ kind of deeper questions now. What you should do with the time that you have while the children are young is a big deal, and in my view, a more important question than that of vocation or earning money.?

Some of us get caught spending time away from those we love in order to do a project that will make an opportunity for us to spend lots of time with those we love. That is a tricky one.?

I started building at 33 with two small children. I have not sacrificed family time, and the result has been a very long building process. There is something to be said for fully focusing on the project for a while, then fully reengaging in family life for a while.?

For me the decision to build a big boat was a deeper one touching on life and adventure and family and all that. I had a “Field of Dreams” ‘if you build it they will come’ experience and we decided to go for it. We made work fit around it, not the other way.?

Even though the boat is not done, we are already on an adventure. So I would recommend asking yourself what you really want. You know, in a larger sense. Thanks for being gracious with my long and personal reply.?

Patrick

Hi All

Firstly, thanks again for all your replies. It's a great help.

Bernd, you are completely correct! I don't know exactly what we need, and it seems my lack of experience is really showing here. Without having more time on the water and trying some different boats in different areas, it will probably be quite hard to know exactly.

Something small like the SC 435 could be a great start and might just give me the bug :-).?

Pepijn - The Duo1000 sounds amazing and if you are serious, maybe something we can have a real conversation about! You definitely make a good point :-D

Patrick - It is great to hear from someone who started at the same age as me. It's a great point you make, and my kids are only 3 & 5, it's a special time and I don't want to miss it. We bought an old house about a year ago, and I took 4 months away from being a dad to renovate it. It was a great idea and got the majority of the work done. It has now slowed to a snails pace as you can surely imagine :-).

I really appreciate your personal replies to this. It seems the right option for me is to really get some hours under my belt and rent some different types of boats and sail in some different locations. I found 2 great rental companies nearby with reasonable prices so that could be great for 2022!

Thanks again everyone!

Hi All, Dale,

My story is going from simple to something more complicated.
At first I built a small 2m three point hydroplane. Motorized. It works!?
Now I am building 6.5m sailing trimaran.
At the time I start building I already know what kind of boat I need and how I will use it. All by using other boats previously. I have 5.5m motorboat, my first. And at the time I decided to go sails I bought sport catamaran. Hobie 16. And learned practically. So not just dream but practical usage of some boat is important for me to know what I am doing and "cool" my dreams down.
Full time job, kids, wife, house ... All of those slowing down the project. However still possible if you manage time right. That is one of most important skills. I could allocate small time for small task. I can negotiate time with family. I can even involve kids to help me. I can work at night or request time off from my work. All for specific task purpose. I is slow but progressing right. As long as you have every task completed. Eventually you see the combined result. Don't rush :-) Good luck!?

Hi All

I just wanted to give you an update as you were all so helpful with my boat building journey.

So, after shopping around and thinking of different ideas for boats, I have decided to enjoy the time with my kids while I am young. I bought a small Walker Bay dinghy with the ribs and sailing kit. It is obviously a huge difference between a proper cabin sail boat and a sailing dinghy but there is good reason for it. This dinghy weights about 27kg and fits at my house, so no storage costs and we can go to all these small lakes and rivers nearby. It also means I can teach my wife and kids about being on the water.?

In the meantime, I will finish the reconstruction of my house and complete the Eco5 as my first real boat build. I plan to build it over 2 years and then use it for local river sailing. Trips to Budapest & Vienna with a small cabin to sleep in. Long-term, I will build something bigger with the help of a small team of tradesmen. I still love the Pelican or even the Manta with the aim to move aboard in 2032 and then sail. sail. sail (this has been my retirement plan for some time :-)).

Thank you once again for your inputs. It has been more useful than you can imagine.?