It was an offhand comment at the end of a phone call with my wife. “Oh, your plans came today.” That certainly made it tough to finish up a day at the office. The plans were a $110 down payment on a dream that emerged from years of reading, studying and preparing.
I had decided to build a boat.
Of course, the drawings, text and pictures that came in mid-May were just the beginning. Now, our family builds, sands, disassembles, reworks and paints. Then we paint some more. We also source supplies and buy parts, with marine-grade plywood and epoxy currently high on the list.
But those plans were the first tangible step from the abstract to the physical, and they represented hundreds of hours of research into our needs, capabilities and options.
Much of this was new to me. Many people are raised with a boat because they live near the water, but I was not. Growing up south of Atlanta, I was only on a boat a handful of times, and I even took my time learning to swim (yes, I did eventually learn). But boats have always been a fascination. I built radio controlled models as a kid. When I got married, my wife and I often got on the water during vacations, even if it was just a harbor tour. On one trip, we drove parallel to the Dismal Swamp Canal and wound up walking the docks and ogling cruisers. Then, we attended a TrawlerFest. That sealed it: I wanted a trawler.
Drawing courtesy of Chesapeake Marine DesignEnamored of the trawler form, a Trailer Trawler 28 was one of the options the author examined.Subscribing to magazines and doing research got me more fascinated with designs, details and systems. Slowly, the idea of buying a trawler – even a used fix-me-up – was replaced by the idea of building one. First, I thought I might supervise a factory build. Then, as the economic realities emerged, I decided to do it myself.
Buying a trawler can cost $250,000 or more. A used boat can be less, but the repair costs and upkeep are still significant. I work in computer support and, although it is a good-paying job, large expenditures are not part of the plan. I'm handy. I build things. I can do this.
