What’s the Best Way To Build A Sailboat–Buy A Wooden Sailboat Kit or Build It From Scratch Using a Sailboat Plan?

When I checked out the wooden sailboat kits online I was amazed at how high the prices were — and the kits don’t include the sails and rigging.  For a 15′ pocket boat, I found a kit that was $3,400, after adding the rigging, we’re talking upwards of $6,000 for a 15′ wooden sailboat kit.  I don’t know what the shipping would be — but I know it won’t be cheap and that price would just go up. That was above the price I wanted to spend.

So I decided to take a different route and I started looking up sailboat plans online instead.  What I found shocked me again.  For a simple 24′ foot trail-able sailboat (not including the trailer) — the plans cost $240!  That seemed overly expensive to me and that was for just one set of plans. 

What if I wanted to build a dinghy to pull behind my sailboat so I could anchor off shore, but have access to shore without getting wet?   I could also use the dinghy to row away from my anchored sailboat and find that special fishing spot where the big lunkers like to hang out — and getting a sailboat into that spot might be a little risky.

That’s why I was glad to find this website that offers more than 200 easy boat building construction plans and I can download them directly to my computer or get them sent to me on DVD.    What’s really cool is the guy who put these plans together has been building boats for over 20 years — he’s also an excellent wood craftsman and comes from a long line of ancestors who have been building boats. 

His early ancestors were the Vikings and most folks know how well reknown they are for not only their boat building skills, but for traveling to many places in their boats.  They are believed to even have discovered America before Columbus, depending on what history books you read.

I like the idea of having a complete library on my computer of any boat I might want to build for less than 1/5 the price of just one sailboat plan.  Heck — he’s got plans for cabin cruisers, canoes, dinghys, dorys, duck boats, houseboats, hydros, jon boats, kayaks, small boats, inboard runabouts, paddle boats, paddle wheel boats, fishing boats, outboard runabouts, rowboats, sailboats, ski boats, skiffs, sloops, submarines, surfboards, utility boats, yachts and wooden boats.  All this from a guy that has over 20 years of experience building boats.

To me using a kit is the easy way out — and you’re stuck with the products they send.  What if they forget something and don’t send you all the pieces — you won’t know unless you check everything you’ve received against the materials list.  There’s nothing more frustrating than buying a kit only to find pieces missing.  That’s why buying a plan and using its material list to buy my own materials is something that I prefer.  It’s my form of quality control.  I know what I am getting, because I am buying all the parts myself!

The other thing is this: why spend money you don’t have to?  I don’t need to impress anybody by telling them how much something costs.  Actually, I prefer to do-it-myself, and impress myself and keep my wife happy with what I am capable of doing.  It gives me a secret pleasure knowing that I built something myself from scratch for far less than someone else can buy it new or used or build from a kit.  I’ll save the kits for models and toys.

Quality is the critical factor when I build for myself.  It’s my form of quality control!  If there’s something wrong with what I’ve built, I can fix it myself and I don’t have to get ticked off because someone else screwed up!  I enjoy working with my hands and what’s great about that is that my mind clears and I never seem to have any worries when my hands are busy on a project.

About the Author

I found these great plans that work much better than a wooden sailboat kit. You don’t even have to have woodworking skills to start out, it’s that simple. To find out more visit: YouCanFixItYourself.com  Written by Richard A. Hansen

Build A Wood Boat! Full Size Plans!

Dinghy Clew Hook Dinghy Clew Hook $11.77 Dinghy Clew Hook Dinghy Clew Hook Harken Dinghy Clew Hook – DINGHY CLEW HOOK

Dinghy Blocks Dinghy Thru-Deck Block 1.75 $38.94 Dinghy Blocks Dinghy Thru-Deck Block 1.75″ Harken Dinghy Blocks – DINGHY THRU-DECK BLOCK 1.75″

Dinghy Bracket Attachment Transom $491.94 Dinghy Bracket Attachment Transom Adventure Marine 3000 Dinghy Bracket – DINGHY BRACKET ATTACHMENT TRANSOM

One Design Dinghy Trousers – DINGHY TROUSER: BLACK L $162.94 One Design Dinghy Trousers – DINGHY TROUSER: BLACK L Gill Gill One Design Dinghy Trousers – DINGHY TROUSER: BLACK L

Dinghy Blocks Single Block 1.75 $31.94 Dinghy Blocks Single Block 1.75″ Harken Dinghy Blocks – SINGLE BLOCK 1.75″

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