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OB 20 or 24


VTboat

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Hi all,

 

I was thinking of starting a building project this fall and really like the look of the Outer Banks.  I'm worried that the 24 would be too big of a project and was wondering what others have into them for time and materials.  Has anyone who's built the Outer Banks(20 and 24) kept track of time and costs?

 

Thanks

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HI VTboat-  my sense- based on my experience completing a CS17 and being in the process of an OB20, is that the cost will be fairly incremental, and the time will be more but not exorbitant. Building the boat does not take that much, it's all the finishing, accessories, level of trim, motor, etc. that add up in time and cost.  I chose the 20 more for usability than anything else.  I also liked the proportions a bit more, but most importantly, that extra 4 feet, for me, would have seemed a lot more as I got it on and off the trailer by myself, etc.  I did not need the extra interior room for my purposes.

 

Are you in Vermont?  Where will you use the boat?

 

JP

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My material cost for the first OB-20 was about $4500. Labor was about 700 hrs. I work faster than most folks. This was back in 2006-7.

As JP asks, how much boat do you need? The 20 is great for 2 people to cruise for short trips. If you have more people, go for longer trips, or will be in really rough conditions, the 24 may be better.

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And I will add a little more detail-  I decided on the 20 after seeing the 20 that Chick built in person-  I plan to use it in the sounds here in NC, mostly as a weekend cruiser/day boat.  I wanted a way to get out of the sun, as well as shallow draft and a place for my two little ones (2 and 5) to grab a nap as well as have a porta potty.  My plan is to sew up a canvas enclosure for the cockpit for those times that all 4 of us want to sleep on the boat for an overnight, and to build the "kitchenette" that Chick designed for heating up a breakfast/coffee, etc.  I have a larger sailboat for any longer cruises that I might want to do.  The 20, for me, seemed to be the right design, that checked off all of the boxes, that would still be practical for a quick run down to the ramp for an hour on the water.  I am lucky that I live close to a lot of great boating areas.  I originally bought the plans, but, in the end, went with a kit.  My time in the shop, between family and work, is fairly limited, and cutting plywood is not tops on my list of things that I like doing.  I think the kit is saving some fairly significant time, maybe not in the overall project, but definitely in how quickly it looks like a boat, and that keeps the motivation going for my late night building sessions after the family is asleep.

 

Construction so far is straightforward, I am close to finishing up planking the hull and will glass and fair next.  Then I'll flip and start on the fun stuff.  This being my second B and B boat, I can't say enough about the quality of the plans, the B and B crew, and the resource that this forum is.

 

Good luck with your decision making and don't hesitate to ask more questions!

 

JP

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I am in Vermont.  The boat would mostly be used on Champlain and the Champlain canal.  Right now I have a 17' 6" that we cruise on.  I built it when my boys were much smaller and it has served us well but time to upgrade.  

 

I like the proportions of the 20 better but worry that it would really be too small.  I will be trailering it then staying on the water for a couple days each time so trying to balance comfort and keeping it trailerable.

 

 

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VT boat,

I went through a similar process about a year ago.  Started out by falling in love with the lines on the OB20.  Shorty after seeing that design my wife and I spent 6 weeks travelling around New Zealand in a small van feeling a bit cramped.  When we got home and had to decide on a boat design to build we realized the OB20 might be a bit small for us. We live in British Columbia and have a lot of cooler, wet weather and realized we would use a larger boat more having a bit more room and a warm pilot house.  Long story short, I am about to begin building the cabin sides on an Outer Banks 26. The OB 26 is a lot of boat and has been a lot of work.  Perhaps the 24 would be a sweet spot for your your needs.  If I had gone smaller I would be thinking about launching soon instead of rolling another coat of epoxy on the interior this morning.  The flip side is we will likely spend a lot more time on ROSIE travelling to places that would be uncomfortable on a smaller boat.

 It is all a trade off. ENJOY!

Ken

IMG_1733.JPG

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Other than handling around the trailer, bigger is always better.  I can also confirm that the jump in build time from 20 to 24 is very small.  To look at the build process in it's most fundamental form, each model has exactly the same parts, there a just some that are a bit longer in the 24.  Time and material increase is nowhere close to the 20% length increase.  From my experience the hull materials cost increase would be around 3-5% +/- for the longer model.  This is why the big custom builders prefer to build +40ft boats.

 

I was just chatting with Graham about this exact subject yesterday.

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Hi,

I think there is a lot of truth in what  Steve posted with a few other considerations.  Besides the obvious like increased fairing, epoxy, glass, paint, more planking, etc., the 20 has quite a bit less "furniture" to build in the interior.  The displacemet of the 20 vs. the  24 is not as significant as I thought having just looked at the specs.   The OB26 has a displacemt that is around 800 lbs more than the OB20. The materials that go into a boat with that increased displacement cost a bit of money.  Not linear for sure but significant. The other thing to consider is trailer, tow vehicle differences that might be different with a heavier boat. I sold my pick up truck around 6 months before I began the OB26.  Figured my smaller vehicles would be big enough for any boat I was considering at that time.  I will be looking for another truck soon since my car and van are not up to the task.  Poor planning on my part for sure but worth stiring into the mix. One other thing to consdier is the larger boat will require a larger motor, more fuel, etc.  For me, it is worth it to have the comfort of a larger boat but that is not a universal view. Once you have the larger boat you will likely never look back.

The other thing to take into account when choosing which of these boats to build is how much plan detail you require or desire to actually build the boat. I have a set of study plans for the OB20 and the detaills in these plans are really impressive.  If that level of detail is important I would check with Graham and Alan to be sure that expectation will be met with the OB24 plan set.

In either case, the end result will be a beautiful and unique boat.  Pick one and go for it!

Ken

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