The journey of Mahna Mahna started the moment we decided we wanted to build our own Catamaran and then sail the world on her, but the actual building started in September 2005. The initial materials for our Schionning 1230 Wilderness Catamaran arrived from ATL composites and some other suppliers, over August 2005 and work on the strongback, the frame upon which the hulls are built, started in September. The journal starts with the building of the strongback. We will endeavour to pass on what we learn in the building process as we go and we welcome any questions or advise from anyone either following us or ahead of us in the journey. There are many different methods used by builders and the methods we use and describe on our site are suggestions only. You should always consult your designer and materials supplier for the best method of construction.
Mid August 2005 The Kit Cat is delivered.
We have received the kit parts and have all the material we need to build a hull and deck to lock up. The only additional requirement will be some tools, timber for the strongback (the frame on which the hulls will be made) and all the fixtures and fittings and Gelcoat when she is fully faired and some additional materials for making things like frames and jigs. It is a huge project and finding the time to build her is going to be very difficult as I am in a new business on a fast growth curve and I want to maximise my earning capacity over the next five years so I can retire to the boat with a small nest egg to live off. We think it will take between 4 and 6 years to fully finish the boat based on what we have read of similar builders and similar projects. Getting started is the hardest part. Once started, inertia will carry the project along (we hope) and as she takes shape will create motivation as the finish gets closer. You can see pictures of the truck delivering our “boat” in the form of 3 pallets of panels and 2 pallets of drums of glue, etc. A few weeks ago another truck delivered a pallet full of glass fibre in rolls of various bias and weight.
As the unloading of the kit is the first real time spent on the boat itself (not including the hours and hours of internet research, etc) I will log the time spent on each job and the total elapsed time of the job in hours spent actually working (including standing around between jobs!!) on the boat so as to give a true indication of how an amateur part time builder does with the process.
Time Spent 0.30 Hours Total build time so far: 0.30 Hours Total Elapsed Time: 1 weeks