Sailing is a wonderful way to relax, and you can build yourself a basic sailboat quite easily with simple wooden sailboat plans.  Even if you have never built a boat before, a project such as this is pretty straight forward.

It should be understood that building a sailboat with basic sailboat plans will not result in a huge yacht.  What you will end up with is a small personal craft that will provide you with many hours of enjoyment.  Once you build your first sailboat with a basic plan, and complete the project, you can move on to more complex and expensive builds.

The most basic wooden sailboat plans utilize the stitch and glue method.  If you have no boat building knowledge, whatsoever, this is a method whereby your end result is a lightweight but very strong hull.  This is the most crucial part of any boat, because you don’t want any surprises when you are out on open water.

Woodworking skills for building with sailboat building plans are not crucial, but they will definitely help you to get the best results.  The most basic plan that you will start off with building is a type of “training rig”, so if you have always wanted to sail, but never have ventured out on a sailboat, this is the place to start.

The total cost for building this very basic sailboat is just under $5,000.00.  You will most likely have to find a supplier for your sail, but the rest can be done by you.  You should learn the basics about sailing before you attempt to build such a boat, and you should also know how to operate the boat before you launch it.  The last thing you want to do is get out on the water and then have no idea how to control your boat.

Good wooden sailboat plans will lay out all of the steps that you need to complete your sailboat.  Most basic plans will include a wooden mast with interchangeable topmasts, and two mainsails of different sizes.    There will also be rigging details for the sails.  The mast, bowsprit, and boom will be constructed from hollow timber and reinforced with stitch and glue.  A good plan will set out that you can replace your wooden mast with aluminum tubing.   You will need to locate a good source for a good quality sail, and the lashings and hardware required to complete your project.