David Rabbetts – Self-Build a GP14
GP 14 Self Build
Hello, my name is Dave and being retired two years and aged 70 I have started to fulfil a long time wonder/dream.
For my 70th birthday Sue my wife gave me a delightful little book called “How to build a Boat” by Jonathan Gornall. This book does not however actually tell you how to build a boat as it’s more about his efforts over the last two years to build a clinker-built boat intertwined with his life as a boy and the fact that he is now a new father at the age of 58. Realising that he may not be around for to long he decides to leave something which will outlast him and provide his daughter with lots of good memories.
I have two sons Mark 48 and Luke 41. This last December either side of my 70th on the 12th three grandchildren were gifted us. Marks twins Samuel and Evie born on the 11th and Luke’s daughter Holly born on the 14th.
Will they remember me? I think back to my younger years and my own Grandparents realising possibly not. Can I rectify that maybe? so to taking a leaf out of Jonathan Gornalls book I decided to build a boat.
After a lot of research I realised that a clinker build was going to take to long and a stitch and glue seemed to simple. The GP14 though stood out from the other dinghies as I realised there is still an active racing and cruising fleet around the country. And so to sourcing a Self Build Kit.
The Build is now up and running, more of that below.
Is anybody thinking of attempting a self build? If so I could let you have a build frame/box already mark with all the station positions plus all the temporary bulkheads from 2.5 through 4.5 It would be a shame to take all this material to the waste disposal units. If interested please contact Julie Courtney. in the GP14 Office.
My location is West of Winchester.
