5 Steps to (NOT) Build a Boat: Planning for DIY Yacht Construction

[@bobcornwell403]

An excellent lecture. Left out a few possibilities. 1.) plywood/epoxy construction to end up with a wood boat far less likely to rot. Developed surfaces, or lap planked are best. 2.) buying a bare hull and deck, or just a bare hull (good way to go with GRP) and fitting it out. 3.) Steel hulls can be built without a lot of specialized equipment, as long as the hull shape is kept simple. Some kind of gantry is needed to lift the heavy plates. Once lifted they have to be properly oriented and tack welded at the mid point of the curve. Then the ends can be pulled in with a come-along.

[@DatawaveMarineSolutions]

Excellent points. And although I didn't give it any credit in the video, flat plate construction is perfectly valid. I have seen many boats built purely from flat plate, with no bending at all. Not the most efficient, but they float just the same as any other boat. I didn't know about that trick of bending plate with a come-along. Roughly how thick can you go on the plate before that doesn't work?

[@bobcornwell403]

That depends on two things: the length of the plate and the sharpness of the bend. Since I wouldn't go over 1/4 inch (for a boat of less than 10 tons empty and maybe 40 ft in length), I don't think there should be a problem. The thicker plates would be on the bottom where the bends are less anyway (as long as there is little or no twist). A hull I designed which is a 'V' bottom sharpie, with a steeper than usual dead rise, and pointed at both ends, has very gentle bends that approach that of an arch. It is not a thing of beauty, and is meant mainly to be sturdy and have a work-boat finish. It is cylindrically developed, so there is no twist in the plates. It may not be the best shape, but I think it will do. I believe a simpler shape is a lot easier to fit an interior too. And it may also be easier to repair.

[@ezraboren2069]

11:55 I've built 2 boats and am currently building my 3rd (not necessarily a yacht but smaller boats) and this is very true, whatever you think its gonna take, it's probably gonna take twice as much

[@otosjvantolerbok4177]

This is one of the most important videos about yachtbuilding I have seen!

[@fixedG]

But Nick, I can build my own boat *and* my own shipwreck!

[@dominictarrsailing]

I've built a few small boats, several dinghies and 16 foot sailing canoes, and restored a 31 foot catamaran. In my opinion, if you want to build a boat with some given length, start by building a boat half that length. You are probably gonna need a dinghy anyway. Building the smaller boat will be so much faster than the bigger boat, that it won't eat very much into the project time, also you'll learn so much from building the small boat that you'll probably save time building the big boat!

[@johnkelly2652]

My dad and I built two boats. The first one was a 12' rowboat and it was from just drawings and yes it was basically flat plywood. The second one was a kit boat. But different from the Kit boat you described, ours came with a separate molded Hull, sides, cockpit items such as seats and transom, cabin, and a molded deck. So effectively we had to put it together like a big model, cut a hole and build the housing for the swing keel, fiberglass in the stiffeners, as well as filling the void areas with expanding foam for flotation. It was a 16 foot Sloop, and it took us about six months of weekends, Fridays and Saturdays since we didn't work on Sundays. I got to admit that experience has gotten me itching to build another one (and it's not because of the fiberglass.) LOL

[@George-jg9sy]

I don't understand why someone clicked dislike on this video. I'm sure he makes better naval engineering videos...

[@dejayrezme8617]

Ah well not quite that rich. And I know the sanest way is to buy an old sail boat... But I'm still dreaming of a fully solar powered power trimaran :) In terms of complexity of systems it should be simpler. Any boat will have solar panels, this will just have a lot more and bigger electronics and batteries. Commercial solar panels are dirt cheap now. Upside is that you'd have ample solar power to run appliances. Sailboats have motors and fuel tanks and filters etc. Electric motors are simpler to maintain. You don't need any mast or rigging or sail which also saves money and work. Unfortunately I haven't found any plans for something like that yet. It would need to be very long and thin for displacement efficiency and have a wider deck that is perfectly flat for panels. Almost like a mini aircraft carrier haha. Well for now it's just a dream. I'd be curious what you think of the "intelligent" vacuum infusion method of the harry proas? PS: Thanks for your videos!

[@RealHankShill]

I have plans to do the same thing but decided a cat was a better design for my uses than a trimaran. Its just barely possible if you start with a very light displacement cat and live in the tropics, which I do not lol.

[@dejayrezme8617]

@@RealHankShill Oh wow first time I've found someone who also wants to build one! We should chat :) I started with a catamaran and I think it's best if you want maximum space per length. Or if you buy a used catarmaran and retrifit or if you want existing plans, but most catamarans are too heavy. Then I looked at the "ILAN" and "Adastra" trimaran designs and the harry proa designs and the principle convinced me. For the same weight of a cat you get about 50% longer boat. Because I don't need maximum space, I want maximum length per weight and cost to cruise with 2 people. A trimaran can be longer for the same weight and cost which increases hull speed and makes solar power more feasible. The design I've come up with is rather simple and primitive. And ugly haha (my sketch: i.imgur.com/bUh6kWo.png). But 15m long and 3m wide central hull (1m WLB) would still allow transport on a regular semi truck. I hope to have about 50m² or 10kW of solar. Unfortunately solar panels add like half a ton of weight. But according to my preliminary numbers 3kW power (assuming 50% efficiency) should be enough to power an extremely lightweight build boat at about 6 knots. I made a spreadsheet of how much sunlight you get per horizontal square meter of solar panel per day for each location and season. Summer and spring/fall in the mediteranian is no problem (~6 knots with unlimited range). Summer works even in Iceland. Winter in the north sea would still allow you a range of 34 NM per day on solar alone, but you could use battery reserves and a small camping generator to compensate. Or better a small outboarder as a backup. These are all preliminary numbers based on sketches from someone who has no experience designing boats.

[@johnkelly2652]

@@dejayrezme8617 I saw a science based channel that addressed that issue and I think the YT title was "Tesla catamaran". They might have some information that you're looking for or at least calculations that they've already done. Just a thought.

[@fredio54]

Best boat is one you can finish: Amen, you can always find a half finished hull in weather beaten condition in some corner of every country :-D Big dreams, not quite the reality to match. I helped build out boat 26 years ago, 40 feet, and a material you didn't even mention: wood. Plywood, glass over, epoxy, not polyester, frames and stringers under it, 3 layers on the bottom, two on the sides, marinised truck engine, original budget was 100k local currency and 1/3 of that was the nav/electronics package parallel imported.

[@lachlanlandreth9069]

Watching this, the guys building his own vessel, SV Seeker, springs to mind. I do wonder if that vessel will pass survey.

[@BrianNavalinsky]

That would be a big "No".

[@TrabberShir]

What survey? He is going to get to the regulatory fine print and decide to classify it as a pleasure boat of less than 65 feet buult for personal use. In which case no survey is needed. It's actually been a while since I looked at the regs in the US, thus I may not be remembering the details for SV Seeker will find too clearly. Up here in Canada the window of no inspection is a pleasure boat, between 6 and 24 meters long, between 43 and 424 cubic meters of volume, with a capacity of not more than 12 passengers, and built for personal use.

[@BrianNavalinsky]

@@TrabberShir It's the Jones Act that will dictate whether it is an "Inspected" or "Uninspected" vessel, but insurance will definitely require it, especially as a commercial venture to carry passengers. Now I don't know what his intentions are, but as a retired marine surveyor I would deny that boat coverage for a dozen reasons. If he can get his naval architect to sign off, then fine.

[@TrabberShir]

@@BrianNavalinsky I am not sure trusting the architect would be smart on that boat, unless the plans take all the decoration into account, or the raw plans have a ridiculous reserve of stability. Been a while since I saw the state of his project, but when you need a crane to lift decorative ironwork to be installed on top of the house, that throws up some red flags. You might also be surprised how willing he might be to go without insurance. The guy that designed his origami hull preaches the type of anti-establishment ideals that result in lots of uninsured boats. Edit: named a name then realized I may be naming the wrong member of the supply chain.

[@BrianNavalinsky]

@@TrabberShir To give you an idea as to where I am at on the whole Sunseeker circus, I sail a J/120 and it is all white except for a Baltoplate bottom.

[@jeffeck1701]

I've been dreaming of an aluminum hull swath sailing catamaran ever since I saw your videos on swath hulls. I believe the swath design would have benefits no one has even considered yet. With a computer sensing tension on the different rigging cables, the computer could automatically ballast the upwind hull to make it nearly impossible for the boat to go over. With experimentation, I suspect the captain of the boat could find a more stable configuration for very rough seas, how much or how little ballast and where... Another thought is it would allow the captain to lower the boat in the water when at anchor insulating the submerged skin of the boat from the heat of the sun and also make playing in the water easier. I saw a while back a fiberglass boat that had a solid foredeck (term?) and they were promoting how it was possible due to the way they drained the water fast. I could see the Swath hull to allow for a much larger solid deck in front of the cabin or more interior space. Just some random thoughts from a welder in Kansas...

[@mozismobile]

Sounds like a recipe for a small software bug turning the boat upside down.

[@kevgermany]

@@mozismobile the Boeing solution - as successfully implemented and crash tested on the 737 MAX.

[@bobbyshaftoe]

3D wire-feed boat printing is the future.

[@WilliamFoster-k1l]

Excellent presentation. Thank you.

[@panpiper]

I think I've watched this video three times now.

[@JyttesTrailCamera]

Not a single mention about wooden boats? They do still build them you know 😊 Excellent channel btw, I've learned a lot here. Thank you.

[@yarpenzigrin1893]

Wood is the worst choice of material. It's difficult to work with and needs a lot of maintenance.

[@yarpenzigrin1893]

@@charonstyxferryman If you mean plywood then you're right. But its only advantage over a foam core is lower cost. I don't know if any boat manufacturers still use balsa core.

[@redsmith9953]

Excellent topic, and good to know, Thanks!

[@MyKharli]

you should see the guys making a canoe out of 1 sheet ply in 6 minutes

[@thematronsmilitia]

Have you seen the DIY project underway over at RAN Sailing? I think it's amazing. It's a 50ft monohull, cedar strip sandwiched in fiberglass

[@rex8255]

Your first comment ("Step number one, DON'T") reminds me of one definition of a boat I've heard: "A hole in the water that you throw money into".

[@fourtoes412]

Excellent video, as someone who runs a boatyard, I have no interest in building a boat from scratch. Agreed, purchase a used hull, or buy a kit and I suggest hiring a composite technician, to assist as necessary. DIY boats generally have many mistakes and have limited resale value....far more sensible to buy a hull, that was originally manufactured by experienced professionals.

[@franciscomartinezzea8531]

Fantastic pragmatic advice. Thank you.

[@marinusjansen9139]

Being a naval architect by degree, I like your videos. Still I'm set on doing my own boat. I will however be using an "off the shelf" linesplan, shell development and rigging arrangement. That being said I'm into Dutch Leeboards so that's an odd duck in and of itself.

[@yarpenzigrin1893]

Consider an unstayed mast and junk sail. Or two. It really cuts down on the costs(you can really just put a tapered aluminium streetlight pole if it met the design requirements) and is safer than a stayed mast (far fewer things that could fail). The junk sail has as many reeefing points as many battons it has and can be reefed in a few seconds in any wind conditions. And if you're doing a custom boat anyway, make one with a scow bow instead of a pointy bow. It has plenty of benefits, especially for smaller vessels.

[@LadyDewBuild]

Yup building my own boat is a big deal, I own that. I did NOT need much infrastructure to build my steel boat (read Thomas Colvin's books) When I am done I will KNOW everything about my boat and I am not alone, there are many of us whom understand what we got into and are getting it done. A FEW examples that can be found on KZbin are; New Builds Lady Dew Build (mine) - Steel George Buhler designed Building MV Dauntless - Fiber Glass Salt & Tar - Wood George Buhler designed Life on the Hulls - Fiberglass Building SY Mistress - Steel Six Points Wood Works - Wood George Buhler designed SV Seeker - Steel Rebuilds Sampson Boat Co - Wood Project Brupeg - Steel Each and everyone of these projects are doing great, some have better videos then others, (I rank my videos at the bottom) But all are living the dream and the only regret I have is not starting sooner.

[@loonatticat]

I can’t believe you omitted Acorn to Arabella from that list. (Wood timber [mostly] harvested from family property) The execution and care is quite a bit superior to several of the projects you listed.

[@LadyDewBuild]

@@loonatticat Absolute embarrassing oversight! You are completely correct!

[@loonatticat]

@@LadyDewBuild I just took a look at your channel for the first time. Subscribed immediately. Looking forward to binging through your build videos!

[@LadyDewBuild]

@@loonatticat don't be looking for KZbin content like the others I mentioned. I'm not good at you tube

[@Falconnner]

Hi Nick, very clear and structured video. What do you think about HDPE etc. materials for boat hull construction?

[@DatawaveMarineSolutions]

I haven't had a chance to work with it yet. But I like the recycle capability. One issue I have with fiberglass / carbon fiber / composites is the lack of recycling options. Last time I checked, there is no way to recycle a composite hull. I believe I have seen some uses to grind up a boat hull and repurpose the shavings, but no true recycling. From that perspective, I'm interested in HDPE.

[@Falconnner]

@@DatawaveMarineSolutions Thank you, Nick.

[@njall7515]

Thanks for the great advise and data!

[@gerritgovaerts8443]

Not all kit boats are created equal . Kits like Schionning do come with flat panels and hence simple hull shapes , but this kit is different : maxcruisemarine.com/max42sc-sailing-catamaran/ Technology used : maxcruisemarine.com/3dm/ The hulls come finished in gelcoat also which saves a lot of time . MJ Sailing on youtube is building one right now and plans on spending 2 years working for 2 people (manufacturer claims 14 months)

[@mymrmelon3503]

naw imma just go warp some wood and stick an 1800's sloop together with nails and duct tape LMAO

[@olabomdia9562]

Have Channel that IS building the 3rd is "Ao sabor do mar"

[@alainsaaiman4975]

Dude calm down, I just wanted a kayak. :)

[@shaider1982]

Sir, I actually had a former professor (no engineering background) who tried to make a large boat (SUV sized, not sure if it can be considered a yacht) via ferrocement using cement used in houses. He was informed by a relative in my country's coast guard that it must be marine rated. I wonder if inspection of such vessels involve checking the cement mix, the metal structure, etc.

[@DatawaveMarineSolutions]

I would need to review the USCG rules on inspection for ferrocement ships. But it does make sense that the concrete mix would be part of the inspection. However, that only applies to commercial ships. For private yachts, USCG does not inspect each hull.

[@shaider1982]

@@DatawaveMarineSolutions ahh, ok sir. Thanks for the info👍

[@gonzomechanic7196]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@Zarcondeegrissom]

in my wanderings around KZbin, I've watched a few vids of people having fun and getting whet when bow-dipping at Haulover inlet. in many of the vids, I've noticed larger yeats with a massive window midships down at the waterline. For the same reason NASA shrunk the windows on the LEM, I would think those large waterline windows on the larger yachts would be a massive hull weak spot if not a flood risk in anything over sea state zero. other than a giant gaping hole in the hull to access machinery space equipment in drydock, I don't know what to call them windows, lol. what do they do in stormy weather or during a hurricane, hide in a drydock? for real how do those not leak/break in rough weather and flood the boats all the time? I guess an example could be an "Azimut 60" or "Azimut 55" that makes me want to be anywhere else, lol.

[@DatawaveMarineSolutions]

Yes, the windows can be a weak point, which is why they are made of very high quality glass. I don't manufacture the windows, so I can't comment on the details. But these are not your typical house windows. More like an automotive windshield. They require a lot of force to break them. The main trade-off with those large windows is the cost required to build them. You will also notice that most of those windows do not open. The seal around an opening window is generally the weak point. But just a solid pane of glass, permanently bonded into the hull: that is pretty reliable. But I do concede: these yachts are never intended to ride through a hurricane.

[@Zarcondeegrissom]

@@DatawaveMarineSolutions lol, I was thinking in the slip pear side during a storm that can easily kick up waves in a harbor, however, I guess they do have to take extra precautions. it is a luxury thing, and rough seas are not luxurious. thanks. still scares me knowing how most yachts are not watertight compartmentalized like coastguard/navy ships, so a leaking window would be "very bad". Thanks. I'll go back to never having the funds daydream of a restored USCGC Hamilton WHEC-715 museum ship (My uncle was on that ship back in the 80's), or just the north sea EERV ships, they are 'cool'.

[@yariiijan8225]

*Does Ryzen CPU and nividia GPU driver have issue ? I have heard from Tom Hardware website..... Can I run mechanical software like Openfoam, Hypermesh, Ansys(Simulation), Converge CFD, Ansa in ryzen smoothly and what about linux....can i go for hp omen (R5 4600H GTX 1650)*

[@cf453]

Subtitled: "Nick is tired of your crap."

[@TAZAR_II]

Can you please do a video about the Ever Given?

[@DatawaveMarineSolutions]

It's on my list. I'm also waiting for the official investigation before I comment on the incident itself.

[@georgestratis1430]

Yes, But you didnt mention anything about wood!!

[@BrunoWiebelt]

refitting a 10 to 20 year old boat is the best option ... in time and money

[@RealHankShill]

And choose a Catalina for the factory direct parts support :D

[@sanane9790]

You should to do tutorials for stormworks

[@sanane9790]

And how about stormworks tutorials?

[@ArcticSeaCamel]

But I Wanna!! 😭 And I will! 💪🏻 😉😅

[@pointnemo72]

😂 meanwhile the real sailors out there building boats for $10k-$15k and sailing around the world.

[@Zarcondeegrissom]

Step 1, don't, lol. yep, don't do a HMS Captain (1869) lol. leave it to people that understand seakeeping, lol.

[@grathado28]

Pretty sure making a boat is a lot less expensive then take a million or more we get it you don't want people hustling in on your territory 😅

[@tomhunter6158]

Thanks Nick. The provincial government of BC also tried to build three commercial ferry boats. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_ferry_scandal . I am sure you and your readers will find this amusing. For our non-Canadian viewers NDP political party equals Socialist political party.

[@johnq.public2621]

:)

[@frederickencioofficial3575]

dont build your own boat. companies who build boat wont have money.

[@diamir0017]

Can you give me more informations? Thinking about building aluminium boats buying a good plan.