I have lived in the Rochester NY area my entire life. The entire history of Rochester is built on the power of the water, literally and figuratively. This City was founded in large part because of the power the Genesee River provided for area grain mills. It grew as a distant outpost on the westward expansion with the building of the Erie Canal. All this in addition to being located on the shores of Lake Ontario. Not to mention the many "finger lakes" that surround the upstate NY region. This area is steeped in nautical traditions. Traditions I was blind to for 41 years, perhaps because I was to close to bring it into focus.
That all changed this year when my wife and I bought a new Waverunner for use at our small family owned cottage on nearby Canandaigua Lake. A new world of fun on the water was opened to us and we wanted more.
Over the course of a few months while checking out various marine and woodworking websites I stumbled on to home built wooden boats and an idea was born. I got my feet wet with a small wooded mahogany runabout from Glen-L (still in progress). More reading and research led me to boat designer and author George Buehler. Mr. Buehler is the designer and creator of the entire line of Diesel Duck cruising boats. He followed up the design by authoring the book "Backyard Boat Building", an in depth review of the home built blue water cruising boat process. After reading that book, I was hooked! Combining my love of woodworking and the water, what could go wrong?
So now the adventure begins, constructing a 41 foot wooden blue water cruising boat in my backyard. The process is filled with countless unknowns, the least of which is the fact that I have nearly zero knowledge of ocean cruising or boat building.
I intend to document the entire process. From building the structure to house the build in, through splashing her for the first time. Every triumph and milestone along with the inevitable setbacks will be here. I welcome everyone's input and advice, I know I will need it. The "to do" list is very long and very expensive. We are just a regular family on a budget so I know this project will take years. Hopefully it'll all be worth it in the end when we are rocked to sleep underneath the tropical stars somewhere in the middle of the ocean.
It will be a long process balancing supplies, resources, time and money to get this project to completion. Much like having children, their is never a perfect time to embark on an epic journey. You do the best you can but sooner or later you just have to go for it.
My time is now, I hope you enjoy following along.
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