wilicyote Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 (edited) I designed and built this entirely myself. In many ways it is a self portrait, including flaws. Paul Edited January 29, 2009 by wilicyote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Toad Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Wow. It is beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mammon Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Impressive. You build boats for a living or is it a hobby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilicyote Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 (edited) Thanks, My wife says I build boats the way some people do heroin. They pile up like so much cordwood in the back yard but I just can't stop. I am from the Quenton Daniels school of boatbuilding, they are for me only. Although I must admit I have never had anyone ask to buy one so I can't say for sure if they are for sale or not. It was objectivism that led me to wooden boats. I was raised in an abhorently sacrificial family and community. My parents were christian missionaries and I grew up in a community made up almost entirely of other fundamentalist missionaries and their children. I can relate to Ragnar having a father who was a bishop who disowned him. After discovering Rand I set out to do something purely for myself for the first time in my life. The product was a classic wooden sailboat, but the result within my mind and soul was like emerging from a coma. Here is another one. Paul Edited January 29, 2009 by wilicyote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarrisan Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Absolutely beautiful. It's always great to hear how Objectivism helps improve people's lives, and even better when they have something physical to show for it. If I were you, I would think about marketing myself a bit. I'm not much of a boat-person, but those look purchase-worthy to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherryTX Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Wow! Those are amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chops Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Very awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Here is another one. Paul Beautiful! Both of them (as well as the others, I'm sure). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exaltron Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Very impressive! I have fantasized about one day buying a classic wooden powerboat like that, but it never occurred to me that it could be a DIY project!! I imagine it would require massive amounts of both patience and quality tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilicyote Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Very impressive! I have fantasized about one day buying a classic wooden powerboat like that, but it never occurred to me that it could be a DIY project!! I imagine it would require massive amounts of both patience and quality tools. You will invest all your free time into that which you love and never look upon it as patience. Patience is what you need to endure things you dont like, not things you do like. As for tools... most of my tools are junk, cheap and ordinary, the likes of which you would find in almost any man's garage. When I was a child I wanted to play soccer. I told my dad that I needed some soccer cleats. He said, the shoes don't make the player (we were very poor). I played barefoot and discovered he was right.... sort of. The percentage of my ability that was tied to the quality of my shoes was tiny. I have found it is the same with tools. It doesn't really take all that much. All the tools needed to make the canoe pictured above will fit into a five gallon bucket and cost less than $ 200. Don't fantasize... just do. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Mac Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Wow! Those are great! The first one reminds me a bit of the boat Cary Grant uses to make an escape in To Catch a Thief, the Hitchcock classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gags Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 All the tools needed to make the canoe pictured above will fit into a five gallon bucket and cost less than $ 200. I like your work. Very nice. Did you do the inlay on the bow with a router? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Link Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Beautiful work! If the function of your boats matches their beauty then I'm sure you could have plenty of customers. Whether you could make a living selling boats depends on what price you can get and how long it takes you. Are those cane seats in the canoe? I have a hunch that they won't last very long. I used to have a set of eight caned chairs and every year or so they needed re-caning. My wife says I build boats the way some people do heroin. They pile up like so much cordwood in the back yard but I just can't stop. So sell them! Make your wife happy by getting some money and clearing the yard, and then you'll have room to build another. I am from the Quenton Daniels school of boatbuilding, they are for me only. Although I must admit I have never had anyone ask to buy one so I can't say for sure if they are for sale or not. If no one has ever offered to buy one of your boats then you haven't been showing them to the right people. John Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilicyote Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I like your work. Very nice. Did you do the inlay on the bow with a router? No, I used a few chisels and did it by hand. The inlay is walnut, thinned down to the proper thickness with a 3 X 18 portable belt sander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilicyote Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Beautiful work! If the function of your boats matches their beauty then I'm sure you could have plenty of customers. Whether you could make a living selling boats depends on what price you can get and how long it takes you. Are those cane seats in the canoe? I have a hunch that they won't last very long. I used to have a set of eight caned chairs and every year or so they needed re-caning. So sell them! Make your wife happy by getting some money and clearing the yard, and then you'll have room to build another. If no one has ever offered to buy one of your boats then you haven't been showing them to the right people. John Link Thanks for the encouragement John. You are right, I have not tried to market them... so who knows what the possibilities are. However: My time is worth about 20 bucks an hour at my day job. If I charged half that these boats will still be priced well out of the range of most people today. For example the runabout took about 3000 hours, plus materials costing $ 10,000. So at half my present wage that makes $ 40,000. For this amount of money a person could buy, off the lot, a larger, faster, more powerful and more useful fiberglass boat. That represents a premium for good looks that almost no one is willing to pay. The canoe seats are indeed cane, and you are correct, after two years of moderate use, they are in need of repair already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Link Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 My time is worth about 20 bucks an hour at my day job. If I charged half that these boats will still be priced well out of the range of most people today. For example the runabout took about 3000 hours, plus materials costing $ 10,000. So at half my present wage that makes $ 40,000. For this amount of money a person could buy, off the lot, a larger, faster, more powerful and more useful fiberglass boat. That represents a premium for good looks that almost no one is willing to pay. You only need to find one customer per boat, and I bet that there are individuals with the money, and the taste for beautiful boats, that would be happy to pay a premium for yours. Keep in mind that I don't know anything about the market for boats; I'm just responding to the beauty of yours. The canoe seats are indeed cane, and you are correct, after two years of moderate use, they are in need of repair already. I recommend you replace them with something else, unless you want to repair them repeatedly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazmatac Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 that looks good man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prosperity Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Thanks for the encouragement John. You are right, I have not tried to market them... so who knows what the possibilities are. However: My time is worth about 20 bucks an hour at my day job. If I charged half that these boats will still be priced well out of the range of most people today. For example the runabout took about 3000 hours, plus materials costing $ 10,000. So at half my present wage that makes $ 40,000. For this amount of money a person could buy, off the lot, a larger, faster, more powerful and more useful fiberglass boat. That represents a premium for good looks that almost no one is willing to pay. The canoe seats are indeed cane, and you are correct, after two years of moderate use, they are in need of repair already. It looks very nice, and I'm not even what you would call a "boat admirer" if there is such a thing... ...who knows unless you try to sell them. There was a young man who was born, grew up, and went to school right here in Elmira (where I live) some years ago. He used to buy clothes in NYC and then alter them and sell them at local shops downtown. After a few business ventures he eventually made it big. You've probably heard of him, his name is Tommy Hilfiger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mammon Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) I really don't care about hand-made boats. You can say I'm neutral on the subject, I don't know a lot about boats to appreciate the end result. But I said it was impressive because I appreciate the work. It's good to see someone building something for themselves, and to be passionate and creative about something. Or just something other than fiction writing. Edited January 30, 2009 by Mammon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Or just something other than fiction writing. If only there were an oversupply of great fiction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 I know nothing of boats - but I can recognise an achievement, and that is certainly one A credit to your mind, I'm sure - Bravo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gags Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 No, I used a few chisels and did it by hand. The inlay is walnut, thinned down to the proper thickness with a 3 X 18 portable belt sander. Hand tool skills are pretty important and it looks like you've done a nice job of developing yours. I've been fooling around with woodworking for a number of years and have a shop full of tools to prove it. In fact, my wife accuses me of getting more enjoyment out of buying new tools than actually using them. Unfortunately time seems to be in short supply lately, so I don't get many opportunities to spend all day in the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilicyote Posted January 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 We don't have an instinct for tool-making,...... just tool buying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Don't be too sure that you wouldn't be able to make money at it. Here is a builder in BC that does handcrafted boats. http://www.hilmarkboats.com/wooden_boats.html Those are some pretty pricey row boats. Take a look at the Newfoundland Trap Skiff! $59,880!!! As well, a simple google search showed a mass produced Criscraft wooden motorboat like your handmade one goes for $20,000. I wouldn't think it would be impossible to find someone with enough money, taste and ego to want a one-of-a-kind handmade motorboat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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