Welcome to the Back Yard Yacht Builders!
We are a group of individuals dedicated to promoting the fun and reward found in building and sailing wooden boats. There is something especially rewarding about experiencing a beautiful and unique boat on the water knowing you built it with your own two hands. The breadth of our membership ranges from Senior Citizens to 10 year old Captains all building or sailing boats that they have built.
Initially membership was restricted to builders of the designs offered by Stevenson Projects . The Stevenson designs capture the elements of beauty on the water, traditional style, comfortable performance, ease of building, and economical design. The Pocket Yachts (Pocket Cruiser, Weekender, and Vacationer), Sailing Dinghies (Mini-Triad and 3-in-1), Fast Daysailers (Mini-Cup, Wing Dingy, Ply Flyer, and Skipjack), and the Special Purpose (Kayak and MiniCat) are all designs that anyone can build with minimal woodworking experience, common hand tools, and lumber yard materials. Building advice and counsel is available from Peter and Mike Stevenson here on the BYYB Forums.
The majority of our members have or are building Stevenson designed boats; however, our membership is not limited to just those designs. Membership in the BYYB is open to sailor/builders of any design. Many of us have been lead to this hobby by the Stevenson offerings but now wish to move up to more challenging projects and /or larger boats. Some members are associated with multiple boating groups. Our membership includes Professional Engineers, trained Naval Architects, and professional boat builders so there is plenty of help for any question that you may have or problem you may encounter with your project. Just toss out your questions in the forums or in private messages and our members will be glad to help. In fact your designer may be a member here as well.
Our group is loosely organized into regional fleets that hold sailing events throughout the year. Please watch for these scheduled events and feel free to attend even if you are not a member of BYYB. Bring your wife, children, and your boat too.
Click on the Constitution tab in the toolbar above for more details about BYYB.
Please look around this web site, visit the forums, ask questions, post stories, and attend our sailing events. We hope you will see the continued value of the BYYB and join us as a member.
Keith repairing an overhauled halyard.
Saralee at 06 Nickajack Messabout.