| The Y-Flyer was
originally designed to be built at home out of marine plywood. For many
years, most of the boats in the class were home built. The wood boats are
generally considered to be slightly stiffer than the fiberglass boats —
but they require more annual maintenance. However, they can have a long
useful life as wood boats over 40 years old are still being sailed today.
If you plan to race, wood boats are very
competitive. Greg Kleffner, the 1990 National Champion, won in a boat he
had built himself. At the awards banquet he commented “To win the
National Championship, in a boat you’ve built and rigged yourself, has
to be the ultimate thrill.” Older wood boats
won the National Championship in 1996, 1994 and 1991,
while Greg's new wood boat won in 1990.
What does it take to build a wooden boat?
The first thing is a place to build it. However, it doesn’t have to be
large. Chris Brooks built Juggler, Y-2772, in a one-car garage (see
photo).
Says Chris, “Building a Y-Flyer in a one
car garage was a ‘tight’ proposition. The jig was bolted to the floor
diagonally to allow for work space around the hull. Along the left side of
the garage are the okume (mahogany) sheets scarfed to 18 ft lengths. The
work bench and table saw are in the back right. Also note the pink
insulated box in the back of the garage. This box is heated and was used
to store the epoxy at temperature. This made laying up the epoxy a breeze
in the winter. I also insulated and heated the garage.” Yes, a gorgeous
boat can be built in cramped quarters.
The second thing you need is supplies.
However, you don’t have to buy everything at once. Dave Shearlock —
who’s now been sailing Y’s for over 35 years — recalls building his
first boat. A 1979 St. Louis Post-Dispatch article says, “Whenever
Shearlock saved up $15, he’d go buy himself a sheet of plywood to
continue work on his boat. Sometimes it would be weeks between sheets. But
he finally finished the boat.” In fact that’s how a lot of the earlier
members of the class got into sailing — building their own was an
affordable way to get a great boat. While a
sheet of plywood costs a little more now, it's still a
good way to get a great boat.
Do you need to be a
master craftsman? No, most boats are built by
weekend handymen. You need to be able to use
basic power and hand tools and have attention to
detail. The specific techniques you can learn
from class publications and reference materials put
out by WEST system epoxy.
How long does it take to build a boat? It’s
hard to say, depending on whether you have someone to help you, whether
you’re a master craftsman or this is your first big project, and so on.
Many people find they can build a boat over a winter, in about 200 hours.
Chris Brooks, whose boat is pictured above, spent 16 months (after work
and on weekends) building his “ultimate” boat. That’s probably the
extreme of perfectionism!
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