The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

Before You Build
CHAPTER
6
As you read this chapter, pay careful attention to the comments about the time commitment required to build
a boat. Labor is easily underestimated, especially by someone who has never built a boat before. <strong>The</strong> advice
given in this chapter is as valid in 2005 as it was in 1985.
<strong>The</strong>re are many reasons to build your own boat. You
may enjoy the process and regard boatbuilding as a
source of challenge and pride. <strong>The</strong> boat you want may
not be available in the marketplace. You may feel that
you cannot find the quality of workmanship you are
looking for unless you build your own. If you are like
many people, you want to build your own boat to save
money.
To enjoy any of these advantages and savings, you must
plan carefully and have realistic expectations of what
your project will entail. Builders who start their boats
with no firm idea of the time, money and difficulty
involved are often forced to abandon their work. You
do not want to be one of them.
Chapter 7 presents guidelines for estimating how much
you will spend on materials and hardware and for
calculating the time it will take you to finish your
project. It assumes not only that you have decided to
build, but also that you have a specific design in mind.
In this chapter, we will discuss factors that we think
you should consider before committing yourself to a
boatbuilding venture. If you have never built a boat
before, this may help you to decide if you have the
resources to finish one.
Our goal is not to discourage would-be boatbuilders.
In fact, we hope that you will enjoy the process so
much that you will do it again and again. We’ve built
everything from plywood dinghies to 60' (18.2m)
trimarans, so we know how exciting it is to get started
on a new boat. It will be easier to maintain enthusiasm
throughout your boatbuilding project if you
give it some serious thought before you build.
Should You Build Your Own Boat?
Before devoting significant resources to a project, fully
consider the arguments for and against building your
own boat. You will save some money. More importantly,
you will end up with exactly the boat, with exactly the
detail and workmanship, that you want. But in order to
achieve this, you will have to make a significant investment
of time, energy, and patience.
Labor costs represent about 50% of the price of some
mass-produced boats and a considerably higher percentage
of the cost of one-off hulls. If you build your
boat yourself, you will not pay for someone else’s work.
Unless you quit your job in order to take up boat construction,
you will save money on labor.
By building your own boat you will eliminate sales
costs. A boat priced at $10,000 in the showroom was
probably built for $8,000. <strong>The</strong> extra $2,000 goes for
shipping from the factory to the dealer, the dealer’s
overhead and profit, and the salesman’s commission.
You will not have to pay these markups.
While you will have to pay sales taxes on materials and
hardware, you can pare down your tax bill by building
for yourself. You will not owe sales tax on a price inflated
by commissions and overhead, and you will not pay
indirect taxes on labor.
If you plan to borrow money to finance a boat, you
may save a bit by building it yourself. You will pay less
interest because you will need less capital. If you can
delay ordering materials until you need them, you may
be able to pay for some as you go along and your loan
period may be shorter.
Over time, an owner-built boat will generally cost less
to service. Because you built the boat, your troubleshooting
will be more effective. A boat is a collection
of components. Since you constructed or purchased
and installed each of these yourself, you will be able
to recognize malfunctions at an early stage. Since you
bought the original hardware and instruments, you will
know where to go for replacements and repairs. By the
end of your project, you should be capable of almost
any major hull repair.