This section will be dedicated to Leda’s construction and boat building in general. It is not intended to teach anyone how to build a boat. I will, however, try to give an overview of basic concepts so that people unfamiliar might understand the things that go into building a boat and why Leda was built as she is. There are certain things about Leda’s construction that are noteworthy and I will get to highlight them here.
When I first started my journey of boat ownership, I read everything I could get my hands on. I studied building techniques, materials, different designs and designers. I learned about lofting, I bought and studied Chapelle’s Boatbuilding and Steward’s Boatbuidling Manual. I learned about West Systems Epoxy and read the Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction. However the books that probably had the most impact on me were Cruising Sailboat Kinetics by Danny Greene, N.A., with its straight forward and easy to understand approach to teaching about the dynamic forces that effect a sailboat. Offshore Yachts by The Technical Committee of the Cruising Club of America, is a wonderful guide as to what to seek and maybe more importantly, what to avoid in a yacht. And John G. Alden and His Yacht Designs by Robert W. Carrick and Richard Henderson. This last being like a coffee table book of porn for boat lovers. These last three are primarily responsible for my choosing Leda as “the boat”.
–Next: Leda’s Construction – Stats and Specifications