Minuet Sailboat Build
Article by Ron Andersen from the Glen-L Newsletter archives
It took a little over two years, but my wife Claire and I finally finished our new boat, the Glen-L Minuet. When I retired, everyone said that I was making a mistake, that I would be bored in about two months. So, since we sold our Catalina 30 right before we retired and moved to Tennessee, we needed a new boat.
What better way to keep from being bored than to build a boat in our garage? I’ve built six boats prior to this, in my younger life, so it wasn’t too hard to make that decision. Also, Claire enjoys working on things with me so she was all for building a boat as well.
The next decision was what to build. I wanted something small enough so we could keep it in our garage and out of the weather. I’ve used Glen-L plans in the past which seemed very complete and easy to read so I went with one of their designs.
What we didn’t factor in was all the other fun things to do here in Tennessee that took our time away from construction. Somehow between hiking, biking, kayaking, riding our motorcycles and traveling, we did find time to work on the boat. We both found it relaxing. It was convenient having it in our garage so even if we just had an hour or two, we could still work on it. Occasionally we would be gone most of the day or maybe working in our yard, then just tinkering on the boat at the end of the day, even for an hour, made me feel good.
It felt strange when we finally finished the boat, then I thought of the enjoyment we would get sailing it and I felt better. We launched it for the first time on June 15, 2019. It was a lot lighter than our Catalina 30 so it took a little time to get used to it. I was impressed, it sailed better than I expected. Claire and I both really enjoy sailing it.
I kept all the receipts for the materials which I needed for registration. Below are what we spent for the general categories I listed. The prices include taxes and freight where applicable. We didn’t try to save money on anything and pretty much bought top of the line materials for everything so I’m sure someone could build it for less than what we spent.
We ordered the fastening kit, hardware kit, rigging kit, fiberglass, Poxy-Grip glue and sails from Glen-L which was easier than buying everything on our own. Glen-L sells good quality supplies and the kits have everything you need for your particular boat. Plans - $136.07; Lumber - $2,893.46 ; Glue - $134.85; Fasteners - $838.13; Fiberglass - $449.08; Hardware - $2,413.69; Stainless Steel Keel - $987.75; Paint - $859.09; Rigging - $737.43; Sails (includes adding sail track slides) - $945.75; Used Trailer - $655.50; Outboard Motor - $1,539.99. Total: $12,590.79. •SCA•
Not many men are lucky enough to have a wife who, even in her later years, still builds boats with them and even sails. Take good care of both of them—they’re irreplaceable!
Congrats! She’s a beauty!