In 1990, I started building a 36 foot dory. It has been a long process, with many shifts in priorities, but the boat is finished and is the inspiration for this blog.
SV Mistral was not originally intended to be a sailing vessel. The concept was a shoal draft, live aboard/ camping boat that would move efficiently through inland waters. The impetus to finish her as a sailboat came from friends who recognized the potential in this simple, efficient design. Though she has not yet been tested, she is more than an inland water camp boat, but a capable cruiser and comfortable liveaboard. In the eighteen years since the inception of this craft, I have designed, built, and restored many other boats, but none have given me so much. I couldn't begin to guess how many hours went into building this boat, but it was worth every minute. The next few postings will introduce an overview of building Mistral
Laying up the keel with the proper camber, or "rocker" is the first step. The first pictures in this set are scanned from old and faded photos, taken with a dusty, dirty shop camera. Bear with me?
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