Considering building a small cruising sailboat

 

I have been feeling a hankering to build a small coastal cruising sailboat. Various previous attempts to build something - a gypsy wagon, garden room, and house have fizzled out for one reason or another. Given the permitting and general hassle of construction around here, I am back to looking at building something mobile. 

 

Chebaaco 20 I helped build about 30 years ago

It makes absolutely no sense financially to build a small sailboat when the bays and marinas of our coast are full of such boats that can be had for between free and $5000.  I figure it will cost around $20,000 just in materials and equipment to build a 22 foot boat and probably take me about 2000 hours. So obviously I had better enjoy the creative process since I will not be getting paid for a minute of the work involved!

Sonic 23

Here are the requirements I have set for the project:

1. Attractive - If I am going to create something it had better look good (at least to me) when I row out to it on it's mooring. I prefer classic boats with a nice sweep to the sheer line.
   
2. A decent sailer upwind and down - don't need a race boat but it should have respectable performance to windward
   
3. Buildable in under 2000 hours over 3 years - So it should not be too large or complex
   
4. Trailerable behind a 6 cylinder van (<3500 lbs including trailer) - Again this limits the maximum sane size or at least the displacement. This also means it will need to have shoal draft and make use of a centerboard or lifting keel to achieve decent upwind performance. Being trailerable will allow me to take the boat out in the winter here rather than risk leaving it on a mooring in inclement weather. It will also save on yard bills and reduce maintenance by keeping her under cover in the winter.
   
5. Capable of cruising locally and with care as far as Alaska and around Vancouver Island. I won't be crossing oceans, but I do want to explore the local coast and parts of it can be quite a challenge. I also don't want to camp out, having been spoiled by cruising on bigger boats. The boat will need to be self righting in the event of a knockdown - say to 120 degrees.
   
6. 2+ berths in 2 separate cabins - I sometimes cruise with a friend and it is nice to have some privacy. It will mostly be me and Rani on board with friends for day sailing,
   
7. A functional galley - I want to be able to cook under cover
   
8. Interior heads (toilet) - Having been caught in the cockpit once I need a private space down below
9. Full sitting head room in the main salon and v-berth area for my 6' plus friend. It would be lovely to have standing headroom, but making such a boat that is either easily trailerable or half decent looking would be well nigh impossible.
   
10. Easily maintained - not too much annual maintenance and a minimum of brightwork.
    

The original Trekka under sail

I have owned and/or cruised on a number of boats between 20 and 24 feet that satisfy many of these requirements, but all the more capable ones have been keel boats that were not (easily) trailerable. The Chebacco 20 I shared with my friend Fraser was easily trailerable but falls down on being capable of sailing it safely on exposed shores as well as being a camp cruiser with no heads or galley. The Sonic 23 I sailed on my first big cruise was owned by my friend Dave Besonette. It was a perfect boat in most ways other than being a fixed keel boat and took us in safety around much of Nova Scotia. I later owned an Abbott 22, a Laurent Giles Trekka class, a C&C 24, and most recently, A Farr 727. All these boats are around 21-24 feet long and weigh in the vicinity of 1.5 to 2 tons. None of them are easily trailerable but they are all capable of great adventures.

In my next post I will look at some of the designs that could meet the above requirements.