| To get a good boat, you must first start with a | | | | are you just assuming? Ask yourself a lot of |
| good design. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the | | | | questions first. |
| collection of designs available is immense. | | | | My first boat was a 6ft dinghy I built while still at |
| In years gone by, choosing a boat design to build | | | | school. This was built out of cedar so it was really |
| was limited to what you could get your hands on | | | | light, and I could pull it behind my bicycle on its own |
| through local boat yards or designers. With the | | | | trailer. This was used for a number of years on the |
| Internet, the whole world plus a huge archive of | | | | river near my home. |
| older designs is now at your finger tips. | | | | My last boat was a 31 ft ocean going yacht. I had |
| No longer do you have to spend $20 to see small | | | | this moored over 100 miles from my home. In |
| plans so you could decide if it was what you truly | | | | retrospect, I got far more use and more fun from |
| wanted to build. These days, a few hours on the | | | | my 6 ft dinghy. This backs up my thoughts at the |
| Net, and you have probably more information than | | | | start. Do some serious thinking before making your |
| you need. As a matter of fact, you could end up | | | | choice of what to build. |
| with information overload. | | | | Remember, all you need is some basic woodworking |
| My best advice is first, decide on the basic concept. | | | | tools, some experience and some patience. The |
| Do you want a small day sailer, ocean going mono | | | | building of your own boat is a challenge, but if you |
| hull, live aboard catamaran or car topper. Is your | | | | meet it, the reward is the deep satisfaction of a |
| family truly interested in going boating with you, or | | | | self-made life afloat. |