Have you built something from scratch? A shelf, a name plate, or perhaps a patio to your house? Then you know that it takes time, can be quite noisy from all power tools, need storage space for material and tools, and foremost allow for the construction project itself. In addition, you need a great climate and weather, or an indoor location.
Building a ship is no different but requires a big space – a shipyard. So where to build a 15 x 9 meter yacht? Clearly not in an apartment or your backyard unless you have a big space and friendly neighbours. Based in Sweden, having cold winters, you need a heated indoor space to be able to run the project throughout the full year and be independent of season and weather. If you are on a somewhat tight budget this can be a challenge. Finding a suitable shipyard proved to be easier said then found..
Where to convert a dream into reality?
Living next to lake Vättern in Sweden the wish was to find a suitable location for a shipyard near home. Given S/Y Tossan would become 9 meters wide there was a known limitation – there was no way the boat could be transported on water to the ocean. The seaways from Vättern to the ocean in Gothenburg would not allow for such a wide ship. Therefore, the consideration was to either build near the ocean, such as near Norrköping on the eastern side of Sweden, or build the ship in parts closer to home and put it all together near the ocean somewhere.
After some considerations the choice was to build S/Y Tossan in large sections near home. The challenge was to find an affordable indoor location with heating and enough space. Scanning all possible locations in Vadstena and the surrounding country side gave no result. A red barn normally full of tractors was one option but the space wasn’t really big enough for its purpose. Other venues were too expensive.
What do you do if you cannot find a suitable shipyard? You build one. Instead of finding a place with all conditions set the brave decision was made to build one. The next stage was to find a plot and apply for a temporary building permit. Once done the actual work of building a yacht, or rather a shipyard could start.
On April 11, 2014 the first shipment arrived at the shipyard-to-be location in Vadstena, Sweden. It all started with an empty gravel field.
Once the big tent was up, which is no easy feat in itself, the tent had to be prepared for Swedish climate. The tent was insulated by an additional layer of plastic film, and both gasoline heater and an air heat pump was installed. Now the hangar-like tent, also known as a shipyard, was ready to get going.
Build or buy, that is the question.
Are you considering to build your own catamaran? How about more quality time and jumping directly to a life on the ocean? S/Y Tossan is up for sale, and if you are interested please reach out to book a tour or get all your questions answered.