Do people still build boats in their backyards. Isn't it kind of like making your own granola or energy bars? Who does that these days. Besides can't you just buy this stuff without all the drift and unknown outcomes. You can't return it if it's the wrong size or color and what about instant gratification. Well if I have to lie awake at night thinking about some problem it might as well be one of my own creation. So why am I doing this to myself? I didn't start out with this intent though I've done it once before, a drift boat I built with a buddy over a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks was easy this is an eight month or more process.

What happened was I was out in my 13 foot Achilles inflatable coming back from a 9 day circumnavigation of Vancouver Island when I spotted an F-27 trimarran. Even though I was doing 20 knots plus, I couldn't catch it! That got me on the web one boring day at work looking at multihull options. Sailing my full keeled Westsail 28 is a walking speed adventure. I stumbled across Wharram's website and soon I was checking it constantly for used Wharrams that I could buy. I even pursued a couple; a Pahi 31 in Germany - nice boat, too much money for me, and a Tiki 38 (Google "Razzle Dazzle tiki 38) in the Philippines - the price was right but apparently the jungle had gotten into it so to speak. Meanwhile I had ordered two sets of study plans from Wharram, looked at every forum and website I could find, drafted up cross-sections of the hull on a wall to see what size the hulls would be and stewed about what to do. Now I didn't really need a new boat, I have a collection already. A Westsail 28, and Achilles 385 RIB, an Aire Superlynx, I even own a liferaft! But I couldn't get the Wharrams out of my head. Since I can't sail all these boats at the same time, I decided to put the Westsail on the market - sale pending. The Achilles is a work boat, my 86 year old father lives by himself on a remote island and I don't like having to charter a floatplane in emergencies (because of $ not experience) but I love to crash through waves wearing a drysuit and accessories. If I built a Wharram, I figured the liferaft and the superlynx can come with me.

All was going well in dreamland when one day Wharram's website said his webmaster was retiring. I panicked, what if Wharram was retiring himself never to sell another set of plans! I found my wallet got out my credit card and ordered plans on the spot.