Why would you ever build your own boat?

Aloha! So, for my inaugural post, I am probably supposed to write something inspiring for other boat builders in the world. What I have come to realize is that boat building is truly an art and it is an activity in which the amount of effort that is put into the project is immediately apparent in the work.

I think it would be unwise for anyone to attempt to build a boat as a means of saving money to get out on the water. Ian has predicted between 1,500 and 2,000 hours needed to construct the F22. It would be more financially sound and way less grueling to get a job at McDonalds and save the earnings to purchase a boat.

The real reason for building a boat is that it is incredibly rewarding to see the result of your time consuming and meticulous efforts. You will put a bit of your soul and a bit of your mana into the boat. At the end of the project, you will have a vessel that you are intimately familiar with to take out on the water. You can be extremely proud because you have a boat that works and you know how to fix everything on it because you built it. What a great feeling!

Anyway, enough evangelism. I am maintaining this blog to document the process of building my fifth and most important project: the Farrier F-22 Trimaran with aft cabin and daggerboard. I have built (or been on the build team of) rowing, paddling and sailing vessels in the past, ranging from a 12' rowing dinghy to a 46' sailing Hawaiian canoe, but I consider the F-22 to be my most ambitious (and most rewarding) project yet.

When I first learned about Farrier trimarans, I purchased the plans for the F-32. I was younger and more foolish than I am now and came to realize that I just did not have the time nor funds nor facility to complete the F-32. So, I traded my plans in and purchased the F-22 plans. It is my intention to keep this boat on a trailer ("dry sailed") and launch it each time I want to go out sailing.

I live in the Hawaiian Islands, on the island of Oahu. We can sail year round, so it is one of those places where owning a boat makes sense. My past boats have been a Ranger 33 and now a Hobie Getaway. I expect the F-22 will be a mix of the two, providing performance and comfort. I want to use the boat to sail between the Hawaiian Islands. I can't wait to get started on this project.