Why Build It Yourself?

I am travelling around the U.S. by bike and I have realized that getting back to the basics really opens your eyes to just how scared we've become...I've met some wonderful people and discovered what we say we are all about FREEDOM

To be truly free is to follow your own path and see your world completely without the restrictions of what society deems normal...

We must ask ourselves the next time we stress about anything...Does it really matter...

Experience Life without restrictions and you will begin to understand why we are here...

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http://www.geocities.com/xistencenext/

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Why should I build one when I can buy it?



Not too long ago I was talking to a teenager who wanted a chess set made from military figures. It was very expensive and I told him that since he already had a collection of military figures, we could make a chess set from them. I went on to explain how we could make the board from some nice wood squares and maybe even make it into a table with a drawer underneath to keep the figures in. He looked at me and said, “Why should I build one when I can buy it?” Well, I guess that is a good question to ask when a person is looking at boat plans.



When I was a boy we had food and shelter – and a good family life – but not a lot of money. My Dad didn’t hesitate to tell us he couldn’t afford something we wanted – not needed – but wanted. So my younger days were filled with building things. I had friends who would come to my house and we would plan out and build soapbox racers, forts, clubhouses and anything else we saw on the “Little Rascals” TV show. When I became a teenager my father had a list that he kept by the kitchen door of projects for me. I would finish one and scratch it off the list, and start another. But these items were not chores like taking out the trash! They were jobs like dig out a basement under the house or convert the pantry into a bathroom! To this day I tolerate lists, but I hate them!



So what has all this got to do with why a person should build a boat (or anything else for that matter)? Because in a lot of us, there is still a need to create with our hands something wonderful. Also – like the Dad of my youth – we could not afford to buy the boat of our dreams. I am convinced that if cost is the only consideration, and you want an 18-ft. bow rider type of boat, you would be better off buying a used one than building it. They are numerous and they are reasonably priced. But put a cabin on your boat, and the cost starts to climb considerably.



So why not buy a used boat and fix it up? That is a very good option if you can find a sound boat. The used boats we looked at were very expensive for their condition. I also found that sometimes it was harder to rebuild something than to start fresh and build from scratch. One gain is that when you are finished, you will know the boat inside and out. You know the value and quality of your own labor – and also – you can fix anything on it without paying some over-priced mechanic to do the work for you. You can’t use the boat while it’s being worked on anyway, so why not spend that time doing the work yourself?

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