OCT 2000 - MARCH 2003, Building the Woodduck

Yes, we built the boat ourselves. It took us 2 ½ years to build. Outfitting the boat and finishing preparations for our journey south took an additional year on top of that. We have been told this is record time for building a boat, but it seemed like a really long time to us.

The construction of the boat initially began in the basement of our good friends, Katie & Ian Buono. A load of douglas fir plywood, a 55-gallon drum of epoxy/resin, and the fiberglass sheeting were all delivered to Florida Street in San Francisco. When the truck driver arrived he realized he was not delivering to a business and had not come prepared with a fork lift. The driver threatened to leave with his delivery but with one quick phone call, Jake had the help of his friends Dave & Patricia, and they manually unloaded all of the heavy materials.

Three months later, the first steps were completed. This consisted of cutting out and prepping the bulkhead pieces, scarfing and assembling the stringers, and applying the first coats of epoxy. The boat building project officially outgrew its digs in the basement and we moved to our next building phase.

Finding the next location was not easy. It had to be affordable and we had to find a boat yard that was agreeable to letting us use the space to build a boat. Logistically, it made the most sense to choose a location close to the water. This cost more money, but made it easier and less expensive on launch day to move the boat onto the water. Most boat yards were skeptical about the boat ever being completed. They did not want to deal with a renter who was just going to abandon the project and stick them with the mess. After rejecting our first request, Nelson’s Marine boat yard in Alameda, grudgingly agreed to rent to us. It was not cheap. The rent added up. It constituted about 1/3 of the cost of building the boat.

I could write forever about all the little details of building the boat. I could break it down into each little project: bulkheads, stringers, cross beams, decking, cockpit, command pod, rudders, dagger boards, hatches, furniture, head system, electrical system, steering system. In addition to all the projects are the different skills of sanding, cutting, scarfing, fiberglassing, painting, rigging, and budgeting your time and money for each and every one of these steps. The list goes on and on. I'll let Jake tell you in his own words the story of building the boat. He'll get into the details of each project. Stay tuned for Jake's version of the boat building story.

The plans consisted of approximately 25 sheets and were the first expense we incurred. Our 42-foot catamaran (the Pahi 42) was designed by James Wharram. See http://www.wharram.com/.
He has been designing catamarans for over twenty years and his plans are tried and true.

I will mention that the cross beams took the greatest amount of time to build. I am very proud of the cross beams. It was amazing to see these pieces being laminated and growing in size and strength. What also grew was my appreciation for the beauty of working with wood and how you can shape it and make all the beautiful curves. I had no idea! My heart broke the day that Jake had to paint the cross beams. It was so beautiful to see all the layers of wood. They are the core of what holds the boat together and I feel they are the strongest feature on the boat.

The crossbeams are lashed to the hulls of the boat Polynesian style. There are four lashings on each cross beam. Each point of connection/lashing tests out at 1,000 pound breaking strength, for a total breaking strength of.....??? You add it up! The cross beams are not hard fastened to the boat, so the lashing actually flexes a little bit when you are sailing. If you focus you can feel the motion of the boat as it crawls along the water.

The best way to explain how we managed to build the boat is to tell you that Jake is a right brain thinker. He is an artist by nature and a born boat builder, as far as I am concerned. The only water craft he had ever built before this was a Chesapeake Lightcraft 18-foot kayak with a stitch and glue method of construction and similar materials of plywood/fiberglass. He built the kayak over a few months time and it was one of many projects that convinced him that building a 42-foot catamaran was indeed do-able. His work background consisted of experience with underground construction and work at a tool-and-dye company fabricating molds for car ceiling liners. In my eyes, you don't need any particular work experience -- what you need to build a boat are: passion and commitment.

The boat cost about $40,000.00 to build. This included rent, building plans, materials, hardware, sails, safety gear, line, mast, shrouds, etc. The list goes on and on. We never added up the exact price. We don’t really want to know that. We focused on completing the boat. In the final months, our funds actually ran out. We were forced to charge the remaining costs. If we had waited until we had enough money, building would have come to a halt, and who knows if we would have ever completed it. The important thing was to keep moving forward. The sooner we got the boat in the water the sooner we could stop paying rent. I do have a box full of receipts that I threaten to add up someday when I am really bored.

Jake worked on the boat full time during the fall/winter months. During the spring/summer Jake worked as a boat captain on San Francisco Bay and worked part time on the boat. Cathy worked full time as a legal secretary in downtown San Francisco and put in a few hours of assisting with the boat building each weekend. We never added up the hours either. What was the point? We stayed focused on finishing the project and did not dwell on how long it was taking.

It didn’t stop us from traveling to Europe for a month to get married June of 2002. The month long break only renewed our spirit and energy to get the boat finished when we returned! My advice to all women is to take on a project like building a boat with your future spouse. If you can survive all of the long hours of hard work, getting dirty and sweaty, and the many moments of frustration during the boat building -- all while standing side by side with your fiancé -- you can survive a marriage -- no problem!

We launched the boat in March 2003. It was one of the most thrilling days of my life. Seeing our 3 ½ ton boat suspended in air by a crane and just dangling from the end of a cable took my breath away. It was so rewarding when the Woodduck came to rest on the water and began its first moments of life!! Our baby was born!

By July 2003 we moved out of our apartment and onto the boat. We spent a year living aboard while anchored out in Richardson Bay, Sausalito. We saved lots of money not having to pay rent and utilities. We sold our rental building in 2004. Those profits paid off our debt and helped to purchase equipment. We set sail on Oct. 7, 2004. We had enough money in the “cruising fund” to travel for three years.

Our plan was to head south. Enjoy the website for pictures and short descriptions of where we have been so far.

Adios,
First Mate (Cathy)

P.S. I cannot leave out the many hours and words of encouragement put in by our family and friends. Dave, Patricia, Kevin, Regina, Mia, Katie, Ian, Ryan, Foji, Curtis, Steve & Christopher Pruette... You all know who you are. What you don't know is that the support that you gave us was a huge part of what drove us forward each day. And your spirit and enthusiasm helped us reach our goal. Thanks to all of you and a special thanks to Hans & Kathleen and Jay & Pam and Crew of the Adventure Cat for backing us up. We could not have done it without you! See http://www.adventurecat.com/