Se/ecf/ng the Class Boat Best for You 37 



Each method listed is progressively more expensive, but as the cost goes 

 up the work required to get the boat afloat decreases. We indicate here a 

 rough guide comparing costs for a 13i/^-foot, sheet-plywood, centerboard 

 sloop of the Blue Jay class. 



Raw materials plus plans— Up to $300 



Kits-$399 up 



Used-$450 to |950 



New-$850 to $1,100 



To this one should add that it will take from 50 to 150 hours of labor 

 to build a Blue Jay from scratch, depending on how skillful one is with 

 wood and tools. (Plans cost $15 per set plus a $15 fee for each additional 

 boat from one set of plans.) Kit boats of this class require 25 to 75 hours 

 to assemble. 



BUILDING A BOAT FROM SCRATCH AND KIT BOATS 



A man who builds his own boat in his spare time, rather than having 

 it Tbuilt by a boat manufacturer, will save from 33 1/^ to 70 per cent of 

 the cost of a class sailboat. Added to money saved is the fun of building 

 your boat and then, on the water, the thrill that comes when you first 

 sail the creation of your own hands and skill. But before rushing headlong 

 into a sailboat-building project, ask yourself if you're a fine enough and 

 patient enough craftsman to execute the intricate work properly. It's far 

 wiser to decide regretfully against building your own boat than to end up 

 with a misshapen, half-finished skeleton in your garage or backyard. It's 

 much more pleasant to recognize your own limitations beforehand than 

 to erect an embarrassing monument to your ineptness that's good for 

 nothing but firewood. Remember that a class boat must be built exactly 

 to plans and specifications. The plans of most small one-design class 

 boats can be obtained from the secretary of the class. For information on 

 how to contact these secretaries see Chapter 6. 



Every year, more and more amateur boatbuilders are assembling a wide 

 variety of craft from packaged cruiser kits. These kits, manufactured by 

 some of the finest boatbuilding firms in the country, have been designed 

 under class rules for easy construction by the average person. Full step- 

 by-step instructions have been prepared for each kit, all the difficult work 



