PLANNING FOR YOUR NEEDS

I stated earlier that building a Sternwheel boat is not without cost. More to the point, "it does involve a significant expenditure of funds". This fact combined with the possibility of ending up with a vessel that falls short of your needs makes 'good planning' imperative.

Proper planning can make the difference between a vessel that will fill your needs for years to come or one that you can use only when circumstances are right. For instance, if you build a large boat, more than two people might be required to take it out. This would prohibit just you and your spouse from taking a nice short twilight cruise. Where as, a too-small vessel will prevent you from taking friends with you for an overnight outing.

I suggest that you outline as completely as possible the ways that you intend to use your boat and not just for one summer, but for years down the road...er,uh, river.

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:

• How many people will normally be traveling with you?
• Will the vessel be used just for short daytime cruises or longer trips which involve overnight stays?
• How many other people might normally be staying overnight with you?
• Will you be doing extensive cooking on board?
• What are your bath and laundry requirements?
• What are your docking facilities?
• What will you do with the vessel in the winter?
• Are there any height restrictions in your area (low bridges)?
• Is there any problem with water depth where you'll be running?
• Will you require heat and/or air-conditioning?
• What is the availability of fuel where you intend to run?

This is by no means a complete list but, it should give you the idea of what type of criteria to consider. Just remember, the better you can define your usage, the better you can size the vessel to meet those needs. I must emphasize though, that you should refine your needs as much as possible. The smaller the vessel the less costly it will be to build and the easier it will be to handle. Never the less, since changing the size of a boat is not easy, it sure pays to try to cover all the bases the first time around. Most pocketbooks and few marriages survive the building of more that one boat.

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