So you want to build a boat...

How long does it take to build a box?

Well, to be truthful, it all depends but with any sort of work ethic not all that long which is why square boats tend to be attractive to some people...

T26X7 Slacktide

They're simple, easy to get your head around, and most importantly, people feel they can build them in a short span of time so they actually do.

We're actually talking about confidence...

Now, as it happens, I've built square boats and shapely ones. As far as I'm concerned, there is only a minor speed of building advantage to the so called "Instant boats" but the perceived easier-to-build mantra and non-daunting aspect allows some people to just build the damn thing and go sailing, while others will spend years or decades sorta/kinda getting down to business.

You might want to take a moment and see how Dave Z got down to business building his Slacktide...

Pretty easy is it not?

Truth is, building a boat of any kind is pretty simple and I've seen strip planked, plank on frame, and traditional ply construction go just as fast as long as there is minimal BS and the builder knows what he wants.

Yeah, I know you know someone who spent a fortune building a boat and years/decades later it is still not launched. I hear those stories all the time and, in every case I've come across, it is not the boat design or the method of building but the fact that the builder did not have his/her shit together, did not have confidence, or worse, lost his/her confidence.

You can build a boat. All you have to do is know you can and do it.