I'm building my two hulls in effectively a 1 car garage (with also very little head room). I found there was only room for one mould/jig, but once that is moved out/dismantled, there is room for two hulls. It can be done but occasionally you need to shift one off to the side as far as possible, and you get used to shuffling them around on saw-horses.

I had typed up a considerable reply only to have he forum software throw it out because of a glitch. So here is the summary.

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Firstly, does anybody have any projected cost break downs on what it costs to build a boat vs buying a boat “off the shelf”.

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My homebuild was only some 20 % cheaper then the commercially offered F16's. Back in the day however there were no F16's (I have the very first one) and so homebuilding was the only option. Don't do because you expect to safe alot of money, you won't.

Homebuilding is something you must consider when you want to life the experience of building or because you want something that no commercial builder can offer you. Otherwise just get a second job in the evening working in a bar and earn the difference in purchase cost that way. This is quicker and easier.

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I’d be especially interested in the price for a mast (alloy), foils, sails, cross beams/tramp, and rigging/fittings.

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Phill can tell you all on this. Mast blank is I believe 850 Aus, but a very large portion is added by the mast fittings, halyards etc. Beams are cheap and you can buy a good set of the commercial Aus Blade builder (Marcus), Tramp you can easily make yourself and is inexpensive. Sails are expensive, there is no way around that; don't try to make these yourself as a good set is very hard to make and requires multiple tries. Additionally sailing an F16 with a bad set of sails is simply no fun. All rigging is expensive. Foils/rudders seem to be less expensive then most people realize and very good commercial sets can be had for the F16. The best set, so far, can be had of www.catamaranparts.nl for, what I think, is a very respectable pricing. Shipping these items is also not expensive as they small and light.

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Finally I've heard that the blade is more suitable for carrying heavier weight, what would be the ideal weight range? I weigh 100kg, and would be sailing solo, as well as with a crew (most like my partner) who weighs around 65kg.

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It confirm that. This is indeed my opinion. I have a Taipan F16 myself and 2 others have Blade F16's at my club. A few times I sailed the Blade F16 and I found it to be more calm then my Taipan and significantly more capable to carry weight in a competitive sense. We've sailed it at 165 kg combined in chop and it felt just fine. That weight on my Taipan will start to feel sluggish.

Of all the homebuildable plans for racing boats that I know of (Taipan, Blade, Mosquito, A-cat, Tornado), both the Blade and Tornado will carry crew weight the best. And the Blade has the most extensive building instructions and best direct support (Phill) of them all.

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I look forward to hearing from you all, I’m located in Victoria (Australia).

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The Australian Blade Builder is located in Southern Australia and you should really take a look there. Or get Gary Maskiel (Victoria) to take you for a ride when his boat has been delivered. Why ?

Well I'll give you the advice that was given to me when I was considering homebuilding. It will safe you alot of time (and ready to sail boat weight) when you just buy two commercially offered hulls and then finish the boat off yourself. This still leave a very large portion of the homebuilding experience including the parts you may well want to do differently. This will get you on the water about a year earlier and by now it is very hard to compete with the commericially build hulls when homebuilding. That is in the way of weight and shape. It can be done but it will take dedication and alot of care to worling cleanly and accurately.

I would go the second route. It is simply the best of both worlds. So that is why I advice you check out the Aussie build hulls and see if they are indeed good enough to convince you to go this route as well.

Go to this thread to see pics of these hulls :

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=108517&Main=107988#Post108517


Wouter

Hi Chris,

another option may be a second hand ply Blade. I know of one for sale at a reasonable price, only one season old and built with the assistance of a professional boat builder. PM me your details if you are interested and I can talk to you and put you in touch with the seller.

Hi All

Just a few examples.

Mast Sections and fittings to DIY, $2700

Boom and fittings, with Mainsheet Systems $770 - $850

Rudders,centreboards, Stocks, Tiller and Cross arm $2300

Trampoline $430 - $475.

*based on Taipan 4.9 prices in $Oz.

Chris,
I'm back online now after more than 4 days without electricity.
I responded to your email early this morning,so if you have not already, please check your mail. If you have any more questions just reply to my email and I should be able to get back to you sooner now.

Regards,
Phill

With respect to my timber Taipan F16 project, I've spend some 13.000 Euro's to build it to a full spec sloop with spinnaker boat. At the time a Taipan F16 from AHPC including shipping was 16.000 Euro's overhere. So it saved me some 20 %. That was all. However I did get honour of having the first purpose build F16.

I bought the plans, rudders, stocks, daggerboards and superwing mast (all AHPC Taipan components).

Mainbeam is off an old broken Taipan mast and the rearbeam is an 80x2 mm round alu section (better platform stiffness)

I bought the sails (Redhead, Goodall)

and I bought mostly Ronstan fittings, some Riley and proctor fittings and hardly any Harken fittings.

Snuffer ring was Goodall, I got one of the very first.

All the rest was homebuild, and again, the cost savings were only some 20 % and some 2.5 years were spend building. With the new price for a fully fitted Blade F16 at 14.165 Euro incl. taxes and delivery to only some 1.5 km from my club I would not consider homebuilding again. I rather spend those 2 years sailing. I may however consider building some parts of it myself like the mast, as I have different idea's about that then most sailors.

However, I'm very proud of my Taipan F16 catamaran and it will stay with me for another couple of years, it is a good boat.

Wouter