Although I had owned boats from 10′ to 34′ and captained boats up to 74’, I had never built one. I had experience fixing boats—mostly fiberglass repair, paint, gelcoat—and one day, I decided I was going to build. I began by researching designs and building techniques. Low maintenance and low cost of operation were my top priorities, followed by comfort, seaworthiness, and appearance. There were many designs that caught my eye, but I kept coming back to B&B Yacht Designs. Their boats all appeared to be well-thought-out, practical designs and not just something arbitrarily drawn in a computer program. It was clear to me that designer Graham Byrnes understood the dynamics and build-ability of wooden boats.I came across an article in WoodenBoat No. 211, listing the five finalists in a design contest titled, “The Pursuit of Pleasure at Two Gallons per Hour.” The winner was Graham’s Marissa 18, an 18′ center-console skiff built in plywood. It was visually appealing and looked like it would be efficient, consuming just 2 gallons of fuel per hour and seaworthy enough for me to feel safe in 2′ to 3′ chop.I contacted B&B Yacht Designs and purchased the CNC-cut kit. I went with the kit instead of building from the plans, not only for CNC accuracy but also to save time, as I would have a limited amount of it to complete the project.
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In the end, how much did it cost w/o engine? How long did it take you? Thanks!
I had my Marissa built from a kit with the forward deck coming back past the second frame and fitted with a varnished curved coaming around. I intended the boat to be built Bristol fashion but, on a handshake sort of contract, the builder had a more yacht-like vision which added a fair amount of extra weight. Only mistake in the build was installing two hatches in the floor deck forward and aft which leak rainwater. This required me add a bilge pump. The boat with a 50-HP Honda maxes out at 27 knots/5400 rpm. But the sweet spot is 18to 20 knots. Found a dolphin on the cavitation plate helps the boat get on plane quicker and stay there at lower speeds when crossing boat wakes. Boat performs as indicated in Trey’s write-up. Great boat, but does require some extra time at launching ramps around the Chesapeake because of the attention and questions.