Clyde Stires designed a 91.4-foot catamaran, but didn't have the money to pay a shipyard. His solution was to build it himself at his home in Perris, California, taking advantage of the dry climate. Without being a millionaire, he sold almost everything he owned in 1987 and began the project with sketches and scale models.
The handcrafted construction of a 91-foot boat 🛠️
Stires applied skills learned as a child, when his father taught him to use cutting tools. The process, documented on YouTube, shows how the boat took shape in his garden. Although he had no access to cranes or industrial workshops, he channeled his previous experience building trikes for Elvis Presley and converting a bus into a motorhome. Neighbors watched as the hull grew over time.
While others ask for permission, he builds a yacht ⛵
While millionaires call their broker to order a yacht, Clyde Stires borrowed a circular saw. His neighborhood went from seeing a normal garden to gazing at a 91-foot catamaran. Most likely, the homeowners' association is still drafting regulations about boats in backyards, though with California's climate, maybe they were just waiting for him to put a pool around it.