I finally narrowed down my boat search.I have been tormenting myself with buying or building.After doing the math,I have come to the conclusion that I can build a new boat cheaper and better than buying a used turn key boat.Most of the turn key boats I looked at really needed work.Fiberglass boats are the worst.Most have water logged flotation foam that causes the wood stringers and transom to rot from the bottom up.Ive stripped (and helped strip) and rebuilt a few boats.It is not fun in a big 25+ foot boat.Its faster and easier to start from scratch.
Most of my boating will be on larger lakes and the ICW around South Carolina,North Carolina,and Georgia.I do plan to take the boat around the Great Loop,so it must be a sea worthy design.I searched for years for a design that was easy for a first time builder with some basic carpentry and boat building skills.There are a lot of excellent boat designers with plans out.Most are more suited to the advanced DIY builder than a first timer with basic skills.Out of all the producers of plans,I decided on Spira International.Jeff Spira is the designer of all the plans.The best thing about his plans,is access to Jeff Spira himself.He can be contacted through his website or on facebook.He always gets back in contact with you within time.He is a busy man tho.So please give him a few days,he could be away.
My base criteria for a boat is as follows in this order.There are more variables,but these are the main ones.
1)Trailerable behind a full size pick up truck,van,or class C RV.
2)Shallow draft, 12 to 16 inches with the lower unit up.
3)Absolutely no more than 2 gallon per hour fuel burn at displacement speed.
4)Must have sleeping arrangements for four.
5)Must have full head with shower.
In my next post, "The Chosen One",I will review the Spira plans that I considered,a break down of build cost,and the plans I chose.
Honey,Lets get a boat.
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This will be my first keel up boat build.Well,unless you count the single person knock together boats I have built.I have rebuilt and restored a number of boats by myself and with friends.I even held a job doing interiors and upholstery in boats.
The one main factor is the cost of building the hull and cabin.I will layout the cost to build the 27 foot trailerable Spira International boats.I am using the bill of materials(BOM) off of the study plans that are available on the Spira International website.Its good to be able to get an idea of what costs are involved before building.Most other designers require you to purchase a study plan to get an idea of whats involved to build their design.You may still be required to buy the full plan set to get the BOM.This is a bad business practice in my mind.With the BOMs in hand,I started getting the numbers together and adding up cost.I will layout the cost break down and then give some ideas on how to cut some costs.I will start laying out things and end with the boat I have chosen as the design I plan to build.
The Elements of Boat Strength
Suppliers for pricing are as follow.
Lowes Wood supplies.
Home Depot Wood supplies.
Raka Epoxy and fiberglass.
Fastenal Screws and bolts.
McMaster Carr Screws and bolts.
DuckworksBBS Duckworks carries some of the odd size screws called for in the plans.
Avoid treated woods as much as possible.Treated wood usually contains traces of copper which corrodes fasteners and any other metals that come in contact with it.Even painted it can still leech copper.Also,copper is bad for the marine environment and is illegal to use in bottom coatings in some areas.
I prefer A/B fir plywood but will accept A/C fir,if its good quality.Avoid plywood with voids and footballs if possible.
I only use stainless steel fasteners for the extra corrosion resistance.Most of them will be sealed in with epoxy.I only use Raka epoxy kits with non blush hardener.
50 inch width is considered standard width for fiberglass boat cloth.Try to purchase all of your fiberglass cloth at one time.It saves a lot of money.
Bahaman Hull only No BOM for cabin.
$105=240 ft. 2x4
$40= 38 ft. 2x8
$60=2x stock for transom splash well
$78=180 ft. 1x4
$75=170 ft 1x4 decking-You can use decking or epoxy coated and painted 1x4 choice is yours.
$50=1x stock for rail cap-A good hardwood works well but is costs more.
$297=9 sheets 1/2 in. plywood
$195=5 sheets 3/4 in. plywood
$219=500 #10x3 in. screws
$196=2000 #8x2 in. screws
$338=5 gallons epoxy
$259=50 yards 6oz fiberglass cloth
_________________________
$1912=total
You can look at the cost of other models to gain and idea of the cost to build a cabin.I estimate between $300 and $500 depending on length of the cabin.
Chubasco
Hull Only
$264=8 sheets 1/2 in. plywood
$142=10 sheets 3/8 in. plywood
$103=240 ft. 1x4
$79=180 ft. 2x4
$341=1000 #10x2 1/2 in. screws
$30=250 #8x2 in. screws
$76=5/16x4 in. machine screws
$26=5/16 in. nuts
$9=5/16 in. washers
$60=12 ft. 5/16 in. threaded rod-washers and nuts included above price
$5=four 1/4 in.x 4 in. lag screws
$338=5 gallon epoxy
$25=3 in. glass tape 50 yards
$311=60 yards 6oz fiberglass cloth
_____________________________
$1809=total
Decking
$36=80 ft. 1x4
$99 =3 sheets 1/2 plywood
$25=250 #8x1 1/2 in. screws
$30=deck finish
_____________________________
$190=total
Cabin
$29=62 ft. 1x4
$58=2 sheets 5/8 in. plywood
$165=5 sheets 1/2 in. plywood
$25=250 #8x1 1/2 in. screws
$55=2 quarts epoxy
$46=8 yards 6oz fiberglass cloth
____________________________
$378 total
$2377 total hull,deck,and cabin
Cane River
Hull only-The cost for Chubascos cabin would be close.
$284=20 sheets 3/8 in. plywood
$462=14 sheets 1/2 in. plywood
$131=300 ft. 2x4
$47=240 ft. 1x3
$50=55 ft. 2x8
$341=1000 #10x2 1/2 in. screws
$188=100 5/16x4 in. screws
$26=100 5/16 in. nuts
$9=100 5/16 in. washers
$245=2500 #8x2 in. screws
$608=10 gallon epoxy
$622=120 yards 6oz fiberglass cloth
_______________________________
$3013 total
San Miguel
Hull only-The cost for Chubascos cabin would be close.
$142=10 sheets 3/8 in. plywood
$330=10 sheets 1/2 in. plywood
$172=6 sheets 5/8 in. plywood
$105=240 ft. 2x4
$55=280 ft. 1x3
$16=32 ft. 1x4
$171=500 #10x2 1/2 in. screws
$196=2000 #8x2 in. screws
$798=15 gallons epoxy
$518=100 yards 6oz fiberglass cloth
________________________________
$2503 total
Sitka
This is the boat I am planning to build.I will stretch it to 30 feet and build the V entry bow per the plans.
This total will be to build Sitka at 27 feet.Add approximately $200 to $300 to build to 30 feet with the V bow.
Hull Only
$105=240 ft. 2x4
$85=125 ft. 2x6
$30=32 ft. 2x8
$50=100 ft. 1x4
$199=14 sheets 3/8 in. plywood
$396=12 sheets 1/2 in. plwood
$113=6 sheets 5/8 in. plywood
$451=60 yards 6oz fiberglass cloth
$498=8 gallons epoxy
$97=300 #10x3 in. screws
$98=1200 #8x1 1/2 in. screws
$176=60 ft. 1x8
_______________________________
$2298 total
Cabin
$31=64 ft. 1x4
$141=48 ft. 1x8
$462=14 sheets 1/2 in. plywood
$XXX=12 yards 6oz fiberglass cloth-price included in bulk order above
$182=2 gallon epoxy
$25=200 #8x1 1/4 in. screws
______________________________
$841
$3139 total for hull and cabin
Newfie.Some may notice that I didnt include Newfie.I really like that boat, but it has a very small interior and there was no BOM on the study plans.
Boat Building Manual
There are some ways to cutting material costs.I added a few above.
Lumber.Find a local saw mill and have the lumber cut to full boat length.You could also use trees from your property.Make a deal to get your lumber ordered filled and let the mill have the rest to sell as payment.This can be tricky as some saw mills are mobile while others require you to haul your wood to the mill.This option takes longer and requires a place to store the wood while it finishes drying out.The best option for most people will be finding a local builders supply.They get huge loads of lumber with a volume discount.If you buy enough,they sometimes will negotiate for lower price.Also,there wood tends to be better quality than most places like Lowes and Home Depot.
Fasteners.I recommend finding a local supplier and purchasing everything at once plus 10% to build the hull and/or cabin.Later when you need fasteners and hardware to finish out the boat,you can possibly negotiate for a slight discount on pricing.Hey,every little bit helps.
Epoxy.Some epoxy manufactures set a shelf life for their products some do not.I have had epoxy either, go bad, or it was a bad batch.Which,I am not sure.Epoxy is heavy and can get expensive.Try to buy in bulk to save on cost and shipping.Its best if you can find a dealer or supplier.Be careful tho.Their mark up may be a lot higher than ordering a kit.Shop around.I like Raka because they have an easy mixing system.
PL glues.I have had bad experiences with these, so I stay away from them.My main gripe is the ability for PL and epoxy to stick together.I built a knock together plywood boat and when I sheathed it in fiberglass and epoxy,the area around the PL let go.I wont knock PL glues, but theyre not for me when boat building.
My next installment will include more ways to cut cost during fit out and finishing.
Practical Encyclopedia of Boating
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