I am hoping to build a small sailboat for personal use.  The goal is to use modern building methods for a boat that has the character/aesthetics of an older design.  The issues revolve around the character and aesthetics of the boat, performance and ease of build versus my skill level and the time line from start to finish.  I started out with the fantasy of building a Cape Cod cat or a Gilbert style Great South Bay cat but it did not take long to convince myself that I would be in over my head.  So I turn my sights in a new direction.

Aesthetically the Somes Sounds 12-1/2 (SS12-1/2) appeals to me greatly and I would expect the boat to sail sweetly.    However, I have only built a CLC Chesapeake 17 and am in the early phases of building a Prospector Range strip built canoe.   Though the Pocketship is a new design it does have the character of a older design and would be a much easier build (I think) than the SS-12-1/2.  I have several considerations: Will the Pocketship sail as well as the SS-12-1/2?  Which would be easier to use as a trailer boat? Is the SS-12-1/2 too much for a first build for someone who has not laid out a build of this type before.  The boat building 101 course that I took at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philly did help with some of my skills but nothing beats helping an experienced builder layout and complete a build.

Please voice your candid opinions!

Tom (TRF)

PS Also posted on both CLC builders forum and The WoodenBoat Forum.