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BEGINNINGS

The urge to build something had been developing since at least 1989.
My original ideas revolved around various planes/ micro lights. In 94/95 after a flying course, I decided to build a yacht and the next couple of years were taken up with finding, what I was looking for.

We looked at a number of possibilities including several part builds and unfinished projects and very nearly chose a Trident voyager, before I saw an ad. for a centre cockpit, round chine, steel hull for home build.
I placed my order in December 1995 for a yacht called the Argosy 39 designed by Bill Dixon.
The following months until the steel arrived were spent in preparation.
A tent was built with a concrete floor and a pit for the keel. (This saved three feet of a climb every time entering or leaving the boat whilst fitting out and must have saved me the height of at least one Everest!)
The lead that was required to fill the keel was melted from scrap from the local slater, and made into 1/2cwt. ingots. The oak and larch trees for the interior were felled, milled and stacked under cover, where they were air dried over the next two years prior to fitting out. The steel arrived on the 5th of September 1996.(After huge frustrations with the company supplying the kit 'Steelkit' of Aberystwith who should be avoided like the plague!) and the day before we were due to be away for two weeks.
On the 20th of September 1996 work began.
The frames were made up and assembled on the keelson; at first suspended from the roof but later locked together with 'T' bar and self supporting.
Next the deck was put in place and the transum and water tight bulkhead were located
Then the lead was placed in the keel, the fuel tank was constructed before the whole structure was plated. Some of the plates were profiled but many were cut from rectangular sheets and bent into shape.
During the construction 3/4 ton of MIG welding wire was used.
The skeg and rudder were built and a rudder pintel was fabricated locally from stainless steel. Water tanks and holding tank were constructed on site from stainless steel and a cockpit coaming with fixed windscreen was designed and added.

Finally all the welds were 'v'eed out, filled and buffed off and the hull was ready for priming.
The whole hull was shotblasted and epoxy primed, inside and out, almost exactly two years after starting

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