I have stumbled onto another aspect of sailing that I never knew existed. In a weak moment last fall I found myself downloading a set of plans from the Internet for a small sailing pram and telling myself "You Can Do This". I never really had any experience in boat building. Sailing was my forte. Leave the cutting, shaping and gluing to those that do that best. But as I stood there with the plans pinned up on my garage wall I finally convinced myself that if one has enough initiative, patience and drive, one can build a boat. And build a boat is what I did.

The boat that I decided to build as a first-time boat builder is called the D4 sailing pram. I wanted a boat that would be simple enough that even I could build. The D4 had everything I needed in a boat project. It is built out of plywood and is put together with a simple method called tack-and-tape. You literally sow the boat together and then fasten it permanently with epoxy resin. You can get a (Free) copy of the plans for this sailing pram for yourself at: http://www.bateau.com After downloading the boat plans I approached a friend of mine known as Mr. Ed with the idea of building two of these little boats in my garage. I guess at the time I was thinking that a little moral support couldn't be all bad, and that two heads would be better than one. Especially since neither one of us had ever built a boat before. To my surprise Mr. Ed took me up on the idea and the next thing you know we were unloading a pickup load of building materials into my garage. We decided to go two different directions with the design. Mr. Ed was going to build a power / rowing version of the D4 and I was going to build the sailing version.

I decided that if I were going to build a boat I would need some kind of a commitment to the project. I made a hard and fast rule that I would work on the boat at least one night each week. I didn't want the project to come to a stop. My thoughts were that if I could see some movement on the project even if it was only once a week it would eventually become a boat. To my surprise once I started the boat I couldn't get enough of it. I found myself spending every free moment I had out there in the garage watching the boat take shape. There was never any reason to worry about the project stalling or coming to a stop. I couldn't get enough of it. I had been bitten by the boat building bug.

I discovered a lot about myself last winter out there in my garage. I discovered that my love for sailing had extended itself to building a boat. I found that, like sailing, boat building held a reward all it's own. I found myself going out in garage and just sitting and looking at what I had created out of a pile of lumber. In the end Mr. Ed and I had built a couple of fine little crafts. Ones that always get the compliments and questions from bystanders at the launching ramp.

After the D4 sailing pram project was completed I found myself missing the time I had with the boat out there in that garage. I found myself wandering out into the garage looking for something to do. Maybe paint a rudder or glue up a rub-rail. But the boat was complete. Nothing left to do. It was at this point that I decided that another boat had to take shape in my garage.

This time I wanted to build a larger boat. A boat that would really tax my abilities. I wanted a boat that would satisfy my dream of a small ocean going cruiser. One that would fit my definition of "The Perfect Sailboat". Small yet strong. Self sufficient and capable of independent sailing. As you may know from reading my homepage there is a sailboat that comes close to meeting my definition of the perfect sailboat. It is the Pacific Seacraft Flicka. However building the Flicka in my garage, a garage that is only 18' x 20' is just not doable.

So, the search was on to find a sailboat that would meet my criteria. A boat that first off could be built in the limited space that I had available. A salty little craft that would combine the flexibility of tailoring with the ability to sustain cruising. Such a boat could open up cruising grounds that were, until now unreachable by M'Lady without an extended leave from my current position in the space industry. Bottom line, "I have to work for a living and can't spend a month getting M'Lady to the Florida Key's".

After a lot of searching I found the boat that will fit my needs. My next building project is going to be the 17' Cruising Sloop by Jay Benford. I decided that she would be built to meet my purist sailing attitude. The boat will be constructed in a traditional boat building method. The hull will be planked, without a single through hull. She is to be enginless with nothing but a couple deck sweepers to help maneuver about in a harbor. Her lighting of the cabin will be with oil not electricity, and so will be the ships running lights. . Everything will be manual, from the bilge pumps to the anchor windless. You don't always have the luxury of power at sea. I would want to know I could make my way with nothing but myself and the wind.

A while back my sister was on a diet and told me about a web page that was called 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet. On this page each of the women had vowed to post there wait on the web each week. In this way each of them would be held accountable to each other and the world for their diet. I thought this idea of accountability to be unique and honest. So in honor of the 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet, I am going to take on the same accountability. Periodically I am going to place a progress photo on the web to keep myself and the project rolling. I'll keep you updated on the Benford 17' as it becomes The Perfect Sailboat and I go about Building A Dream.