Jaime, Will and Newbie,

Thanks very much for the compliments, they are appreciated. As for the "attention to details", I am a stickler in that regard. But to me, that is where the beauty of the job resides. It is nice when others notice that.

As for "how long" it took me. Well, I picked up the boat and trailer on Jan. 14 of this year. I worked on it during the evenings - after the baby went to bed - for the most part. The only daytime work I was able to negotiate was on 3 separate weekends. These were reserved for priming and painting (and acid-stripping in the case of the trailer). These jobs had to be done in a continuous manner, and my over-worked wife was able to accommodate. The actual painting is the easiest, most rewarding and sometimes most stressful part of the job. If a single run or sag occurred in the paint, I wet sanded the entire coat and started again - I just wasn`t willing to sacrifice a perfect job. That is how I achieve personal satisfaction in this type of work - although it drives my wife and friends nuts.

Over the past seven years, I have tackled some bigger projects. However, with a new baby in the house, I needed a smaller project that I could work on at home in the garage - not an easy criteria when one loves to work on boats. I have some sailing experience, and I have always loved the look and the idea of a performance catamaran. In my opinion, the Hobie 16 is the most attractive of them all - bar none. With its beautifully up-curved hulls, heavy aluminum castings and elegant pylons supporting the raised trampoline, I find the H16 almost irresistable. I am sometimes a little surprised when I hear enthusiasts talk about all the great attributes of the H16 but forget to mention this fact. To me, boats can be (and should be) a thing of beauty. And, if I can say one thing about the H16 for certain, the original designers believed this too.

In any event, I will be away for two weeks after today. Following that, I am willing to share everything I did with whoever is interested - and I hope there are some who are interested ...There are a pile of oldies but goodies out there that are in need of some TLC.

Dave