My Written Journals

 Welcome to the website version of the journal of my boat building 
project as depicted in my written journals.

You can also visit my Google+ page, Boatbuilding in the Backyard.

The building portion of this project is now complete! 

We are on the water and starting a new chapter.

  

                                               This page is part of the introduction page on my

                                                  website that also details my building project.

The Building of a Dream Black and White Edition 

The black and white combined edition contains volumes 1 thru 4 all in one book is also on the street! This is 544 pages of my personal journal of how I built the Molly B with hundreds and hundreds of pictures. Just click on this link and you will be redirected to my bookstore where it is available for purchase. When I first started building the Molly B I published a journal of the construction every few years. These volumes, I through IV, are also available at my book store by clicking the link above.

The Building of a Dream Full Color Edition 

It's finally here, the Journal of the Molly B, full color edition! This is a rather expensive book, because it's in full color and covers the entire project from start to finish. This is 460 pages of my personal journal showing just how I built the Molly B with hundreds and hundreds of beautiful full color pictures. I'm making it available at a minimum price, just about what it costs me to have them printed and to allow distribution to book sellers everywhere. This full color edition is remarkable in that it provides a real representation of the construction process in full color. I don't really expect to sell any of these books because of the price of them but I wanted to make one available just the same. Just click on the this link to go to my bookstore where it's available for purchase.

I have been looking at boats for many years, motor sailors, houseboats, and trawlers.  I decided I wanted to build one, so I started by doing a lot of research on the subject.  I think I have purchased every book on the subject I could find. After several years of research, I decided I wanted to build a Trawler.  I started looking for plans and found a couple available from Glen-L. I ordered two different sets of plans, one for a 42 footer called the Argosy, and one for a 35 footer called the Yukon.  I liked the plan view of the Argosy but I didn't care for the hull design.  The Yukon was a little smaller than I wanted and I didn't like the layout of the plan view.  I finally decided to use the Yukon plans for the hull, and stretch them to about 40 feet then change the floor plan to that of the Argosy and put it onto the hull of the Yukon.  To the left is a picture of what I hope my project will end up looking like when I'm done, with a few changes .  This is the Pacific Trawler 40 from the front cover of Passage Maker Magazine, Oct. 2002. 

      I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination when it comes to building a boat. I am strictly an amateur builder with very little experience. I have built a couple of small boats when I was younger. I helped my dad and brother build a little runabout and I built a johnboat in my living room one time, but other than that, I have only done routine carpenter and cabinet type work building houses. I do not possess any special skills or education, which would make this task easy for me. I learned a lot about boats in the service where I was a vessel master for the US Army. I got my masters certificate, which qualified me to operate unlimited tonnage open ocean vessels for the military. These are the sum total of my qualifications to try to build a boat. I’m not saying it isn’t a formidable task no matter your qualifications, just that if I can do it, anyone can.

      The written Journals of the Molly B are my personal diaries of the building of my dream. The building of a boat is a simple idea but in practice is a labor of love, which exceeds all expectations. The task is at times an overwhelming undertaking, which is reminiscent of the insignificance one feels in the middle of the vast and seemingly endless expanse of water, called the ocean, you feel so small and so alone. You at times feel as though it is an impossible task. Without the knowledge or experience, to solve the many problems that arise as you proceed along your course toward the completion of your vessel, you are constantly reminded of your shortcomings. You search the written materials for the answers and surf the World Wide Web for endless hours looking for the information you so desperately need. You join bulletin boards and chat groups, and ask the so-called “experts” about things, sometimes, only to get an arrogant belittling discourse on the futility of your undertaking without the residency of a Naval Architect. Trust me, the answers are out there, you just have to find them.

      In reading my written journals, you may get the feeling of my frustrations over many of the problems I have encountered, However most of the time the problem is nothing more than the making of a decision on whether to do this or that. Trying to determine the ramifications of doing one thing or another is I think the hardest part of the process. It is kind of like playing a game of chess. You have to think way ahead of what you are doing at the time and try to understand how what you are doing is going to affect what you will need to do later on or the performance of the vessel.

      Then there is the financial end of the boat building process. It takes a lot of money to build a 45-foot vessel. I don't have a lot of money so I have to do a little at a time and try not to break the bank in the process. I'm making these personal written journals available with all their inadequacies to try to help with the construction costs of the Molly B. I hope they will be of value to those of you out there who are thinking of undertaking such a project or maybe those who are already in the process.

        The building portion of this project is now complete! We are in the water and starting
a new chapter.