Boatbuilding

For years I’ve been so busy with global travel and family that I’ve not had time for any real hobby. Instead I’ve been vicariously enjoying other people practicing their hobbies via YouTube. Keith Appleton, Keith Rucker, Scott Manley, Cody’s Lab, TechMoan, and Curious Marc, plus the explainers of 3Blue1Brown, Alec Steele, CGP Grey, Clickspring, Half as Interesting, Half-Asleep Chris, Isaac Arthur, Kurzgesagt, Lindybeige, Periodic Videos, Practical Engineering, Real Engineering, and Tom Scott, amongst a few dozen other channels.

This year, in the endless lockdown, I’ve spent more time watching three channels than all of those combined. All three involve building (or rebuilding) boats. Acorn to Arabella, Sampson Boat Co, and Tips from a Shipwright.

Those three, along with the fact that I live on a island and often take walks down to the water has me inspired to not just buy a boat, but to build one from scratch. Seems a good way to spend too-soon-coming Autumn and Winter weekends, while waiting for the pandemic to end.

Step one was to be inspired by YouTube. Step two was to read the book on wooden boat building. Living on an island in a community with a history of wooden boats, that was a local library book and an easy read. Step three is picking a design to build.

Step four will be the most difficult, actually doing the build. In looking for the right design, I found hundreds of pictures of half-built boats on the Web. Proof that just like startups, boats are far easier thought about than actually built.

But I’ve built a lot of startups and fully intend to be on the water in my hand-built boat in Spring 2021. Details to come.

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