2. The initial flurry of excitement!

So, having decided to build a boat, I found some plans. It was to be a 5.8 metre ‘Barrelback’ from Glen-L in America. It has early Chris Craft DNA and would test my woodworking skills to make one as good looking as those on the Glen-L web site. I should add that my woodwork has been confined to medium sized pieces of furniture to date! Anyway, I bought the plans, it would fit in my studio in the UK and the research started.
Firstly, where to keep it, where to use it, what are the rules and regs in the UK? Does it go on the Thames (which is quite near) or is this just a toy for the sea? How many days will it see the light of day? Yes, and a thousand more questions. And that is before I had even bought the wood!
Then a dilemma!
On the way I saw a yacht that looks beautiful. A 6.4 metre J class lookalike (well, as much as one could). There are several designs that encompass the elegance of shape that is encapsulated in the J Class yachts. There are the Sound Interclub yachts from the USA, the Dragon Class yachts from the UK and the smaller one I found, the very inappropriately named ‘Safe Harbour’ which I found on the Selway-Fisher web site. My studio is 8 metres long, so just big enough etc.etc. So now I have to decide which to build … thoughts anyone?