Just about ready to take the plunge!

[Ronb]

Well, it's been a few years since I first had the idea to build a boat.  Certainly not because I have any of the necessary skills needed to do so but rather because I really wanted to spend some quality time with my boys before they are grown and moved out.  I may not really make it as planned but hoping to get to spend some time with them creating something together.

Quick story why I'm hoping to build:

Back in 1992 we received a long awaited delivery of my Dad's dream project.  He had purchased a 1929 Model A Special Coupe that was sitting out in a field roughly 60 years ago.  It nearly caused him to get a divorce from my Mom.  She was so mad he spent $250 on that car and it just ended up sitting in the garage and all of us kids played around in it while it became more and more destroyed.  Around 1985 it was finally sent off for a 7 year journey to be remodeled.  When it finally arrived at our house it was quite dirty from all the shop dust.  My Dad quickly put me to work with a tooth brush and had me cleaning the engine compartment.  It took a few days but I was excited to help be part of the cleaning.  Little did I know that just a few days later he would hand me the keys to the Model A as he told me to take it to Senior Prom.  I was shocked.  I couldn't believe he trusted me with it.  It now sits in the very shop where I hope to build a boat with my boys.  I'm not sure who will get the boat when I'm done with it.  Maybe I'm just more interested in creating the memories of something they helped to build with their old man.

I'm pretty sold on the Kodiak and think that's the project for me but want to make sure before I pull the trigger.  I plan to take the wife up to Port Townsend in September to see some in person and convince myself that I can actually do it.  I'm rather tall (6'10" but shrinking...) so the benefits of being able to customize it weigh very heavily for me and I've spent quite a bit of time on other peoples boats and have a pretty good idea of what I want to have on the boat.  I'm sure this September will be awesome and I'll be more eager than ever to get started. 

I know it will likely take me a few years (hopefully not more) to get it on the water so we can start enjoying it but it's going to be a fun journey.  I'll do my best to be as generous as everyone else has been on here with their findings and share any and all the cool things I learn and mistakes I end up making in hopes to prevent others from making the same ones.

Ron

[Brian.Dixon]

Hi Ron ... I enjoyed your post!  Welcome aboard, and let us know if you have any questions along the way.

I like your family-oriented approach .. I know of cases where kids and wives got neglected 'for the temporary boat build' and divorces occurred.  Glad to see you are taking the opposite approach and wanting to make it into a memory and relationship thing instead of a "gotta get it done and go fishing ... at any cost!" project.  That's fine for the single blokes out there, but families warrant special consideration.

I would say ... start as soon as you're comfortable.  Make it the 'experience' and 'memory' thing with the family and don't worry about when it gets in the water.  I might try to set an outside completion date as being before the "kids are out and gone, and can't remember who their dear ol' dad is".

Re your 6' 10" height ... if it were me, I'd keep the pilothouse deck right on the stringers (gives 6'4" headroom) but then raise the pilot house roof 6+ inches to get at least 6'10" headroom ... and add a bulwark on the f'w'd 2/3rds of the hull to help keep the aesthetics in proportion.  Go ahead and raise the cockpit sole for more under-deck room and better self-bailing characteristics if you want, but provide a sill at the bottom of the house door to prevent water draining into the pilothouse - since the interior deck is now lower.  Otherwise, go at it and make it yours!

Brian

[Grady300]

Looking forward to seeing you in Port Townsend Ron. If ya want to get a peek at mine before it will be in Eugene getting at least a single motor in a few weeks.