Is anyone familiar with the Redfin 520? It's a 17' trailer sailer you make from a kit, from scratch or bought at any stage the builder gets to before offloading. My neighbour planned to build one before he lost his kidneys and now he can hardly leave the house, the poor chap. He's talked me through the plans and suggests it's a good low-cost option for owning a sailing boat that'll get you around the bay. He's got all the marine plywood ready in his garage, sadly unused. I like to make things but have no idea whether I'd end up with a boat that's any good, by which I mean one that sails well rather than a comfortable little floating home. And building your own boat in general -- many done that?

Cheers.

In my opinion building your own boat would have to be the hardest and most expensive way to go sailing, even if some gives you all the ply you need for the job. Having said that, if you've got the time and money and you actually want to build a boat then go for it.

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andy59 said..
In my opinion building your own boat would have to be the hardest and most expensive way to go sailing, even if some gives you all the ply you need for the job. Having said that, if you've got the time and money and you actually want to build a boat then go for it.

+1 A sad story, but maybe he can sell the plywood. There are excellent bargains of trailer sailers on the market right now- here is one, but it will go quickly cos it is an absolute bargain:
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/phegans-bay/sail-boats/trailer-sailer-yacht-sailboat-investigator-563/1159722111
www.investigator563.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=916

And the Investigator 563 is a safe boat!

Its true that building a boat is an expensive way to go sailing. The costs really add up if you include the mast, sails, trailer etc etc.

But you do end up with a nice new boat compared to a 40 year old job!

Some cheap TS are well past their use by date and people spend a lot of time and effort restoring them. But its not recoverable if they sell.

So you are probably best buying a TS in really good nick with a great trailer and either a new motor or no motor.

But if you want to build a boat go for it. Very satisfying and enjoyable project.

The Investigator advertised is probably not bad value but note the trailer will need brakes and there are no pics of the sails. So you could end up spending another 3 or even 5k quite easily.

All depends what you want. My first TS was a 2k hartley and l did a lot of work on it then sold it for 2k! But we had some fun times.

Regards
Stephen

Dad built showed some family's how to build some after hours family nipper race boats basicly with a sheet of marine ply,bandsaw, epoxy,foam and staple gun. We built 10 and a few one the Australain championships. Anything is possible if you put put the love into it!

Also built a mirror dinghy with ply and copper wire with epoxy! I think that was before s/s staple guns was introduced!

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southace said..
Also built a mirror dinghy with ply and copper wire with epoxy! I think that was before s/s staple guns was introduced!

that's cool

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TwoSheets said..
Is anyone familiar with the Redfin 520? It's a 17' trailer sailer you make from a kit, from scratch or bought at any stage the builder gets to before offloading. My neighbour planned to build one before he lost his kidneys and now he can hardly leave the house, the poor chap. He's talked me through the plans and suggests it's a good low-cost option for owning a sailing boat that'll get you around the bay. He's got all the marine plywood ready in his garage, sadly unused. I like to make things but have no idea whether I'd end up with a boat that's any good, by which I mean one that sails well rather than a comfortable little floating home. And building your own boat in general -- many done that?

Cheers.

I have built several sailing dinghies and ordinary dinghies over the years. It's not a good low cost option really. When I was building it was a matter of buying some materials at a time and this spread out the costs. When it comes to the rig however it's a large outlay. The rig for a 17 foot trailer sailer and the cost of a suitable trailer and outboard makes looking for a second hand unit very attractive. 17 foot trailer sailers are ridiculously cheap on the secondhand market.
However, building a 17 foot ply hull in your shed can be a hobby in it's self. By the time you have the hull completely skinned you will then decide to sheave the hull in cloth and epoxy and expensive paint. Then the costs really add up and it's why you will see similar boats getting around as estuary motor boats.

I built a canoe when I was about 14 it sank the very first time I tried to use it and decided then and there I'd leave boat building to the professionals....

Thanks, all, that makes sense. On balance it's clear that a ready-to-sail old boat in good nick is the better option for me. I haven't even finished the chicken coop I started building last Christmas so a boat would fill the garage for decades. Interesting that a couple of you said second hand 17' trailer sailers are very cheap at the moment. Thanks again.

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Madmouse said..
Its true that building a boat is an expensive way to go sailing. The costs really add up if you include the mast, sails, trailer etc etc.

But you do end up with a nice new boat compared to a 40 year old job!

Some cheap TS are well past their use by date and people spend a lot of time and effort restoring them. But its not recoverable if they sell.

So you are probably best buying a TS in really good nick with a great trailer and either a new motor or no motor.

But if you want to build a boat go for it. Very satisfying and enjoyable project.

The Investigator advertised is probably not bad value but note the trailer will need brakes and there are no pics of the sails. So you could end up spending another 3 or even 5k quite easily.

All depends what you want. My first TS was a 2k hartley and l did a lot of work on it then sold it for 2k! But we had some fun times.

Regards
Stephen

With trailer sailers they do not keep the sails hanked on in all weathers, so you are likely to get a set of usable sails with the Investigator 563.

This is one of the reasons trailer sailers of the same size fetch a lot more in the market, compared to moored boats. If they have been stored under cover, a T/S can look like a new boat compared to an equivalent age fixed keeler.

All-up an Investigator on-trailer rig weighs in at around 1200kg. It seems the trailer is currently registered, and probably the RMS do not insist on brakes if it was originally registered without. If you have a large tow vehicle it is not a problem to tow without brakes. I tow my Investigator with a Subaru Liberty, and whilst the trailer has brakes, I dont think they are very effective, and she tows fine. Anyway fitting brakes does not break the bank, I have done it for about $500, and you end up with new hubs and bearings as a bonus.

I think l was just meaning the costs can add up if you go down the path of doing and old boat up. But you dont have to have everything perfect yo have fun!