Anonymous wrote:

If you feel that you are starting to run out of enthusiasm for the project, this is probably the time to consider employing professional help. 

At the moment, this is where I am.  I'm tired, miss my weekends and friends, and the project feels like a sentence.  I knew I'd have this battle at some point.  With hiring out to a guy a trust the stuff that I really don't want to do, but really want done well, I think my tank will stand a better chance of filling back up.

One can't speak for anyone but themselves, but...if it were me, and I could afford it, I would hire out that boatbuilder and take the summer off and go do all the things you currently feel like you are missing out on. 

Come back refreshed and with a bone in your teeth, with the added bonus the boat will have moved along significantly under the skilled hands of the boatbuilder.

For what it is worth, you are not the only one.  I was supposed to launch in Feb, and now 6 months later I still 'aint launched.  I wish you well mate, do what you gotta do Scott, to get that boat launched, she is going to be a beauty that Pearson, and when you are finally sailing you are just going to be buzzing under sail with the beautiful junk rig.  

This is what keeps me going...sounds corny mate, but I tell you, keeping the vision of my boat finally under JR sail in my head keeps me going, and keeps me going strong despite all the setbacks I have had.

Anonymous wrote:

David,

I think the last phrase in my comment is possibly the most important. Do not run out of steam!! It is not good for the soul and definitely no good for the project.

I have seen so many boats abandoned because the owner/builder ran out of steam. Set a target that you know you can achieve, then better it if you still have steam left over. Often the achievement of the lower target will renew the steam level and allow the builder to then achieve a better level of finish. If the boat is finished to a minimal level to start with, then sailed for a few years, energy levels and enthusiasm can renew and better levels of finish can then be incorporated into the boat.

If you feel that you are starting to run out of enthusiasm for the project, this is probably the time to consider employing professional help. If the boat is able to be used you have an asset. If it is not usable you have a liability.

Good words. Wise advice.

I lost count of the number of times I ran out of steam building Marco Polo/Teleport. I would rest a while until the well filled up again. The main reason I finished was the fact I was too damned stubborn to quit and admit defeat.

Refitting Elsie N has been a bigger project than I expected. Who would know? I have the same demons to defeat as I did with the other boat. This time I hired professional help to do some of the dirty work and skilled work. I hired a certified boat electrical techy to update and renew most of my electrical system. We added shore power hookup because I spend quite a bit of time at the marina. She's going to be my "cottage". She has, in fact, what Annie would describe as a "cozy country cottage" interior.

David Webb wrote:

The main thing is to make the boat strong and watertight, then finish it to a standard that you are happy with and will allow you to get sailing before you run out of steam and abandon the project.

David.

Well said David! I would add another priority which would perhaps come before appearance, and that would be robust electrical and mechanical systems. For me that means keep everything simple. For example, unless the vessel can carry large quantities of water, stick to manual water pumps. Although a good manual pump may not necessarily cost a lot less than an electric pump these days, it is ultimately going to be a lot more reliable, and use no electricity which means that the electrical system can in turn be more simple. 

To add to the 'horses for courses' idea, a friend of mine recently launched a forty foot boat that had been 17 years in the fitting out (from treated steel hull).  He bought the hull at age forty with retirement in mind, and spent a month each summer with the tarpaulin shed removed doing serious work on the boat, with a collection of friends and family helping him out.  For the rest of the year, the boat was covered and he would only potter about with things - particularly the stunningly beautiful teak work - when he had time and was in the mood.

For him, it was as much about the process as anything else and he is in equal parts disappointed and elated to have the boat on the water.

Annie Hill wrote:

It's horses for courses.  There is no more 'the right finish' for a voyaging yacht than there is 'the right material' for a voyaging yacht. 

Well, it's all about the look one likes, versus the time taken to achieve the look, versus one's priorities. I was very recently on an almost new Hanse yacht, and being a fan of modern interiors and architecture I actually liked the interior of the yacht very much and could happily live with it. But I very strongly suspect the 'wood' was not wood at all but some kind of plastic, and in twenty years time will not be looking anything like as good as what Footprints does now with her very real 'wood' interior finish. But it was a production boat built for a mass market, and did in fact sail very very well. Additionally my nephew and his wife had just completed a circumnavigation of New Zealand's North Island in the yacht which is a commendable feat. But the money involved, just thinking about it makes my bank account shrivel up and hide in a corner!