BYYB Forums

so having sold my skipjack here in landlocked alberta, i'm looking for the next big idea. we have purchased a 1/2 acre on pender island, off the coast of british columbia. there is a marina near our lot, and when i retire there, i want a bigger boat, capable of coastal cruising in the protected waters of the gulf islands. something easy to sleep on for a 2-3 day trip up the coast. but also able to handle some crappy weather....ideas?

Yes,
If you intend to build, check out Glen-L Marine and Jay Benford.

http://www.glen-l.com/

http://www.benford.us/

Otherwise, I think that a used Catalina 27 or Catalina 30 would meet your stated criteria rather nicely.  They're economical too.  You can find a decent Catalina 27 for $5000 to $10000 or a decent Catalina 30 for $10000 to $15000.  There are lots of them on the west coast and there's a reason they're so popular.  Even if you decide to build, a boat of this size will take years to complete, so you may want to buy a used production boat to fill that gap.

Maybe something adventurous . . . The latest revision to Emily Rose, with a raised deck.

Here are some other popular designs and websites:

Chesapeake Light Craft has a new design, dubbed the "Pocketship," available as both plans and as a CNC laser-cut kit. As designed, it only has one berth, but perhaps you could modify it for two.
http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/boat ... r-kit.html
I talked to the owner of one of these at the Wooden Boat Festival today.  He really likes it of course, and said it does well in rough conditions.  It has a weighted swing keel and lead weights in the bilge.  But it took him six years to build it, although he did say he wasn't hurrying.

Bateau has a few good plans:
http://www.bateau.com/products.php?cat=14#.VecUImPdVl0

Selway Fisher http://www.selway-fisher.com/ in the UK is another.

And don't forget Sam Devlin.  http://store.devlinboat.com/boats-under-20-feet.aspx

I saw a larger one like this at the Wooden Boat Festival.  Nice.  http://store.devlinboat.com/meansofgrace.aspx

Hartley is another designer, popular in Australia and New Zealand. Plans are relatively inexpensive.

http://www.hartley-boats.com/

And if you have big bucks and lots of time, maybe a George Buehler or Bruce Roberts design.

http://www.georgebuehler.com/

http://www.bruceroberts.com/

Duckworks offers plans from a bunch of designers.

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans.htm



But if you want a fairly seaworthy boat and you don't mind the marina's moorage fees, I'll repeat my suggestion of finding a used production boat for the short term so that you can be out sailing during the period you're building your dream boat, which will take years.

Here's what I am building. A design of Paul's with a finnish twist:



The hull is planked:



And the deadwood is progressing:



I am confident that it is going to be a fine little ship, worth considering the different versions Paul has of her.

Wow that's goin to be nice, please keep the pictures coming, I'd love to see the interior!

Hey Timo, good to see your post. I got you last email, but just haven't managed to reply yet. The deadwood assembly looks good. I agree with Mark, fixing up a used production boat is the cheapest and fastest way to get on the water, though you'll just have to live with the Clorox bottle aestedics.

I agree as well, we can get a Catalina cheap, might be fun to fix up the interior though. Building the cottage will be job 1 though 

...Or how about a wooden boat that needs fixing up?

Here's one near Victoria BC in sailable condition:
http://victoria.craigslist.ca/boa/5189325065.html



Or maybe something smaller...

In Mission BC
http://olympic.craigslist.org/boa/5229291392.html


In Vancouver BC
http://victoria.craigslist.ca/boa/5206321421.html




A bit further afield, these are in Washington state:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/boa/5217573154.html



http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/boa/5224730898.html



http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/boa/5211515140.html


http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/5214326620.html


http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/5222096748.html


http://images.craigslist.org/00b0b_ijZm0...00x450.jpg


There are even a couple of Weekenders:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/boa/5207443123.html
(no photo)

http://skagit.craigslist.org/boa/5206785493.html

Here's another possibility:  The Sundowner, designed by John Welsford of New Zealand.



http://jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/sundowner/

It's designed specifically for safe long distance voyages for the amateur builder and single-hander.

"The prototype took a couple of years of part time work for the inexperienced builder to complete."

Sundowner
by John Welsford
LOD - 6.5 M 21'4"
BEAM - 2.8 M 9'3"
Dry Weight Rigged - 2800 kg 6160 lbs
Max sailing weight - 3650 kg 8030 lbs
Ballast - 730 kg 8030 lbs
Working Sail Area - 35.5 sq m 383 sq ft
Headroom, Main Cabin - 1.9 m 6' 2"
Bunks - One double (optional) + 2 singles
Power - Inboard diesel, 6-12 hp