How to build a boat: 40ft catamaran - 3 min overview & building timeline

Fast forward through 3 year's work - in 3 minutes, the building of a 40ft catamaran.
An overview - building a DIY homemade 40ft catamaran. If you have dreamed of building your own boat; this is my story, how I built my boat.
Find more information and pictures at - timwestonboats...
Get the book “Building Tokyo Express”, with all the details of how she was built. Learn more - timwestonboats...
Copyright - This video is copyright of Tim Weston. You are free to link to or embed this video anywhere, as long as it links back to this channel.
Video - by me
edited on iMovie
Music - "End of Summer" by The 126ers
"Glide Long" - iMovies jingles
"Vista" - iMovies jingles

[@bigbearsflight]

Hi Tim, great run down of the build mate, as you know my wife Yasmin and I have purchased Tokyo Express from John the guy on the Gold Coast you sold her to all those years ago, meeting up with you at Royal Geelong Yacht Club was for us a real treat, and by the look on your face for you as well, being able to chat so freely with you and discuss the changes to the boat over that time was a real insight, I could see the joy she brings you and the memories of course came flooding back i"m sure, Just a note to some of your followers, Tim made several changes to the overall design during the build, and talking with Tim he was greatly satisfied with the outcomes of the changes, the boat has well and truly stood the test of time as some 19 years later those changes to the structure Eg: fore- beam etc are still working well, Tim was seen crawling around the boat inside and out checking up on his handy work, it was great to see a guy so happy. If you intend to build your own boat get onto Tim he is a passionate engineer and takes an active role in all of his projects. Tokyo Express now known as Celestial-G3 is currently undergoing a mini refit, primarily the standing rig and electronics, funny enough NO NEED to change the design and layout side of things as Tim had already seen to a functional and robust build, Thanks Tim. Cheers Malcolm and Yasmin Eaton www.celestial-g3.com

[@TimWestonboats]

Malcolm, thanks for your comment and your kind words.. Yes, it was great to meet you last year after unexpectedly discovering the boat again after all those years in Geelong! My old and your home town. I think it was somehow more than a coincidence that you bought her.. It was a pleasure to meet you and be able to come down onboard again. I am very happy she is in good hands, I know you are looking after her. It is also good you are an experienced racing man and have a lot planned this season coming up so it will interesting to follow your progress. You know any questions you have or problems, just call me. I know her history well ;) Happy sailing Malcolm. Cheers Tim

[@edfontaine717]

thank you ,manifest your goal and dream through free will and understanding natures law of attraction

[@zacharyogden2429]

Impressive. Fantastic achievement.

[@TimWestonboats]

Thanks, Zachary. Regards, Tim. 👍

[@jamesbarratt593]

I love these videos. People like this are just the reason we keep clicking on the next video and the one after. they are a difficult find but so worth the ordeal. So many crap videos on youtube, I almost wish it never was invented. This however just class. Friendly, honest and charismatic. 10/10.

[@TimWestonboats]

James, thank you for all your kind comments. It's great to hear feedback from someone like you, it makes me happy I made these videos. I'm glad you enjoyed them. Cheers, Tim. 👍

[@jamesbarratt593]

Tim I tried to find the part about the sail. Joining the three sections and that sail obvioisly goes down into some strong support. Was that formed into a huge sheet of aluminium submerged beneath the fibreglass kr something to spread out the force. Really interested to know.

[@edfontaine717]

Way too cool ,this is exactly what I am doing with my life right now . Cant believe this ?

[@TimWestonboats]

Great stuff, Ed. All the best with your project. 👍

[@sweetbrandigirl]

Impressive !

[@ichthus1890]

Amazing watching the whole series. A lifetime achievment. Great story and well presented. I wonder if any of your younger friends or relatives have done anything similar?

[@TimWestonboats]

Thank you Ichthus. I met people, while building, that were also building and who became friends. But no, none of my own friends or family have built their own boat.

[@ichthus1890]

Tim Weston Looks like many of your family did enough work on your boat as it was I guess. I was a power engineer and operated in a hospital, we had a couple of 1000hp cat's and big RO machines. Modern boats are real marvels of technology, and a lot of redundancy just like in a hospital. Cheers

[@valteramorim8815]

Muito legal construir e velejar com a família parabéns!!🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@TimWestonboats]

Obrigado, Valter.

[@roddersa1147]

Hi Tim. Great stuff. Watched all your series as well. Very informative and inspirational. Ive been toying with the idea of building my boat, and I have lots questions I hope you could help with, sorry for asking so many... Are there any additional structural reinforcements such as screws, plates etc required on what I imagine would be the most load bearing sections, such as where the mast is anchored, or at the interface section between the hulls and centre section? or, Is the fibreglass lamination sufficient to bear such stresses? Is there any danger of the fibreglass detaching off the wood, eventually and if so, would that cause any structural deficiency? I noticed you built the hull using wood. Would plywood be a suitable replacement material in the context of the specific plans you used? And lastly, did you strictly adhere to the plans and find them fully descriptive, or did you find that you had to make a few modifications/improvise here and there, based on your experience? Thanks!

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi Rodrique. Everything in the boat is bonded. There are no screw or bolts, except where the rigging was attached, for example. I also had questions, before starting, about the chance of de-lamination. I did tests before I started. I write about this and a lot of other stuff in my book about the building of TE. "Building Tokyo Express" is the title, it is on Amazon. I also write a lot about how I didn't follow the plans. I changed a lot of things from the original plans. Have a read, it should answer your questions and maybe give you more ideas, if you are thinking of building a boat. You could use plywood, it is heavier but cheaper. It also would effect the resale value of the boat. It depends what your priorities are. Tim

[@roddersa1147]

@@TimWestonboats thanks Tim

[@gaschneidr]

Hi Tim! Just found your channel today and it was a blessing! Read some of your blogs and watched your videos, I'm going to buy your ebook because I want to make my own boat too. So excited! I have a question though. Out of curiosity, for building a Trimaran that you can live on, like a Neel or something similar, would it be much different from a Catamaran? I understand there are structural differences between the two of course, but I was wondering if one could adapt a Catamaran plan to make a Trimaran. It's just that I like the design choice of having a big open salmon with accommodations on the two hulls of the cat, like those made by Lagoon. I don't really like the Neel layout where you have a cabin in the middle of your main deck if that makes sense. I was just wondering if something like that would be possible. Thanks in advance for your help! Your story is a true inspiration for me

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi, Gabriel. Thanks for your comment, I'm glad you enjoyed the videos. To your question, I don't think you could adapt cat plans to make a trimaran. If you like tri's maybe a good solution is a proa, or better still and outrigger, a proa that goes in just one direction. I like them a lot. One long hull, like a tri but only one outrigger. You don't have the stresses of a tri but you have speeds greater than a cat, and simpler to build. Tim

[@jaybird4915]

Great looking boat. Liked the timeline slideshow. Again I have a few ?'s. Who was the boat designer? Would you use their plans again? Also curious as to the length and the beam. As well as would you recommend a cedar strip boat vs plywood construction hull. Been looking into starting a similar project. A lot of planning before starting. Still comparing plans. On the plus side I have the space, the tools and the carpentry ability. Just have to find the right boat plans, the right material and of course put in the time and effort. If you do put out an e book you have one reader for sure. Thanks for sharing

[@TimWestonboats]

+Jay Bird Hi Jay. The designer was Tony Grainger. but I want to design my own for the next boat. The boat was 12m x 7m. Strip cedar has many advantages over ply. But it's more expensive. I have built small boats in ply and it's worked well. I have ideas of trying plywood in the next large boat for something simple and cheap. I've been side tracked with work, but an eBook is still on the way.. Let's know what you come up with Jay! It's a good plan and great you have the room;) Cheers Tim.

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi Magentawave. Looks good. I like the looks from the side and the stern view, not so much looking at her from forward. There is not a lot of room inside for a 12m boat, but I guess that is what she is designed for. I like the idea of building in flat panels. Tim

[@grahamprice7470]

Amazing build. How did you find the plans?

[@TimWestonboats]

Thanks Graham. I bought plans from a local designer. The boat looks a little different to the original plans, I made some changes as well.. They were the pick of what I liked at the time.

[@ddcpjb]

Hi Tim . Loved your story mate and your videos mate , fantastic . Ive already started on my Catamaran 48 ft long . 8m beam . What Im keen on is your dggger board design . Seen quite a few and I tend to agree with you > Bigger is Better " Single hull have proven that . I lust know its normally better if you get help from our history makers , would you help me please . cheers Pete Qld

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi Pete, thanks for your comment. Good to hear, another Aussie building a cat ;) 48ft that is a good size.. Sure, send me an email at [e-mail] and we'll go from there. Chat soon Pete. Tim

[@AZIARGROUS]

Impressive! What is your background in boat design?

[@TimWestonboats]

I did some subjects in Naval architecture doing marine engineering studies and did some CAD courses years back, but mostly taught myself Az. But the cat is not my design, only the small boats..

[@helloworld7796]

Awesome! What was the total cost to build it?

[@TimWestonboats]

About $75,000 AUD, back in the 90s. There is a breakdown in my book "Building Tokyo Express", on the costs and time spent to build her. But even today, you can still save a lot of money, building yourself, I would say even more these days, compared to the cost of a new boat.

[@davidswanson5669]

what did you use as filler to help shape the contour across the wood? I'm referring to the white bondo looking material, is that what you used? I've had a crummy time, in my various wood projects, finding a suitable filler that adheres well to wood enough that it doesn't chip when it's super thin.

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi David. All the filling is done with epoxy mixed with a filler. Cab-O-Sil, or equivalent, to thicken the epoxy and a little Q-cells mixed in for fillets that don't need full strength, to lighten up the mix. It adheres better than anything else.

[@kasperkorea]

Wonderful. I am currently dreaming of pursuing such a project. What would you estimate the price of building the boat was?

[@donny_bahama]

On his website, he says $70K (AUD). And that was 20+ years ago.

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi, Kasper. Yes, what Donny says is correct. I have broken down the costs, in the book I wrote about the building of TE. If you have the time, you can save a lot of money by building yourself. Even more so today.

[@jamesbarratt593]

@@TimWestonboats wheres the book?

[@fatherlandchild2780]

Are any of the catamarans made out of aluminium or steel? I think metal would be safer if youre crossing an atlantic ocean!!

[@TimWestonboats]

Metals are too heavy Fatherland Child. Cats need to be light to perform well. Tim

[@fatherlandchild2780]

@@TimWestonboats Ok, thanks!

[@aike75]

do. you have any draft design measurements.... can you send me... any assistance is highly appreciated...

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi Rad. Send me an email, at [e-mail]. Regards, Tim

[@daryuoshazimi9944]

hi, where did you get the plan and drawings?

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi Daryuosh. Plans to build Tokyo Express will be available for purchase in January / February next year. Keep an eye out on the website timwestonboats.com and send me an email if you want to know more. [e-mail] Tim

[@pablocesaropaso3401]

May I cross the Atlantic with this ship ?

[@TimWestonboats]

Yes, you could!

[@cesargutierrez2030]

I took you 3 years to build it working everyday on it?

[@TimWestonboats]

Yes, Cesar. Just under 3 years.

[@Buelligan88]

I've done nothing with my life...

[@themostexcellentadventure5473]

LoL

[@thatdutchguy2882]

Are you toying with the idea of building another one mate ⁉

[@TimWestonboats]

Yes!

[@thatdutchguy2882]

Tim Weston Good on ya 👍.

[@wishfull9036]

Hi Tim. How much can you expect to fetch for the Tokyo Express?

[@thatdutchguy2882]

Wish Full He's already sold her.

[@wishfull9036]

How much?

[@cruz050365]

Send me the blueprint so I can build one to.moving to florida got a job thare

[@MrLikeke]

At least say the 'magic word'.

[@lotharmayring6063]

i dont think it is a good idea unless you like to buid boats and have a lot of time

[@lotharmayring6063]

not for things that a nessesary for life. you wasted much time instead of sailing

[@lotharmayring6063]

let this to the professionals, they work faster and better

[@lotharmayring6063]

i like to sail and not waisting much money and time building a boat. i also would not build a car. This is a question of safty and not a question of fun. i wonder how you got papers insurance etc and i also wonder which marinas accept selfmade boats

[@TimWestonboats]

Hi Lothar. Thanks for your comments. I agree with what you say, it's a good idea if you like building boats and have a lot of time. That was my position exactly. It did take a lot of time and I would definitely have earned more money working than building a boat. But it's not the reason I built the boat. It was a hobby that I enjoyed, more than any job I've ever done and in the end I did actually get paid for doing it. On top of that I ended up with a boat that I knew was built right, or at least built right to my standards. It was built how I wanted it and I had more faith in it than a production boat. Everyone has their own standards and needs to be confident in what they are heading off to sea in. If you have more faith in a production boat than something you build yourself then that is the right choice for you. For me it was also a boat that I knew inside and out, which resulted in increased in safety on the water not reduced. If something went wrong I knew where to look and how to fix it and usually had the gear onboard to be able fix it too. I'm not sure what rules and regs are like where you live but buying insurance and parking your boat in a Marina in Australia has nothing to do with who built the boat. Well not in my experience. My boat was insured and I stayed marinas. In Australia I think there are more home built yachts on the water than production boats. All the best. Tim

[@lotharmayring6063]

i also like a boat which satisfies my special whishis. I like some professional cascos. No electronics. No idea to build the sails or motor my own. Also the casco has to be done by professionals which have the experience. This is a question of safty. No marinas let you in with selfmade boatstuff. In Spain and many other countries the boast has to go every 2 years an professional inspection and the dont accept unlicenced selfmade stuff. of course not, because they are not safe. In case of accident you have to pay everything. Also you cannot rent the boat etc etc