As you know, we’re suckers for backyard boatbuilders taking on these massive boat construction endeavors. Many of these builders are blogging, photographing and filming the whole process for us on YouTube. So we were thrilled to find a kindred spirit to Steve and Alix from Acorn to Arabella, with Scott Smith, a talented hobbyist woodworker who is building his own 41-foot Diesel Duck trawler in his own backyard shed. These ambitious backyard builders are popping up more frequently, and we think it’s a worthy way to spend your idle time – sawing, laminating, building and dreaming in your backyard boat shed. But until you get building your own, you can dream about it while watching those already in process – like Scott Smith and the Sea Dreamer Build.
As Smith’s blog explains, “This is the story of a complete boat building novice and his family with no previous nautical experience constructing a 41 foot Diesel Duck in the backyard of an Upstate New York home. This George Buehler designed trawler yacht is a blue water cruiser designed to cross oceans. Built mostly of home center lumber, epoxy and galvanized hardware, this boat is within the reach of an average person.”
Scott Smith took some time selecting the design he wanted to build, and his wife encouraged him not to skimp on his dream boat. Why not go for it while you’re going for it? Smith is armed with the space to build (he too built himself a boat shop shed out back), all the tools and then some (he’s got a few tricky high-end tools up his sleeves), and he’s obviously a skilled craftsman.
Scott is a Jamestown Distributors customer and a TotalBoat Epoxy user. In his blog, he shares his materials with us and says about TotalBoat 5:1 Traditional Epoxy.
Every epoxy is different and each manufacturer has their own proprietary blend. I believe you get what you pay for, so I’ll keep buying brands that I’ve heard of and just live with the slightly larger cost. It’s a great adhesive but it’s not perfect. I buy my epoxy from Jamestown Distributors and have been satisfied with my purchases. I have used System Three Silver Tip epoxy and TotalBoat traditional 5:1 epoxy with good results.
Scott’s video work is a joy to watch. It’s stable and unmarred by too much commentary. He’s a one man show, but he goes to great lengths to set up multiple camera angles and shot, making it appear as if he has his own video crew at work with him.
Tune in and check out Scott’s work. Interestingly, he is at approximately the same place that Acorn to Arabella is – working on Keel timbers and preparing himself for the next big stage – the fun part: construction of the hull! Check out the playlist of Scott’s 26 videos so far on Sea Dreamer. We think you’ll agree that he’s another worthy YouTubing boatbuilder to add to your watchlist!