It’s time for a mid-life crisis. After spending most of my life in, on, and around the rivers, bays, and oceans in southeast Georgia it’s time for me to build a sailboat. With the help of my lovely wife Cheryl and daughter Kori, I am planning on building a John Welsford Pathfinder sailboat. By no means am I a woodworker; in fact its always been a weakness of mine. I’m not sure if I know what I am doing so use caution if you choose to use this page as an example. I have no scheduled completion date nor will I rush the project. For me, this is as much about the learning as it is about the sailing.
I served in the U.S. Army for nine years and then went to school to be an aircraft mechanic. I now work for the premier business jet manufacturer in America.
idle hands workshop 
Hi
Just found your blog. I’m building a Navigator, and it seems that you and I started at just about the exact same time, and we’re at just about the same place. I was ahead of you – I’m a teacher and I had all summer to build – but now winter has stopped production until March or April. I’ve only read a few posts but I’m sure I’ll go back to the start and read through. I’ll be following you!
I just started blogging yesterday, trying to go back and document part of what I’ve been doing.
https://kkkken.wordpress.com/
Keep up the good work – it’s looking great.
Kenny
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I love the Navigator! It was a tough decision for me to go with the pathfinder but I do not regret it. Oddly enough production has slowed down for me but for the opposite reason. In the deep south this is the time of the year to get out. I can’t be locked inside when its in the 60’s outside. I checked out your blog and it looks like you are moving really fast.
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Thanks – It may seem fast because I’m blogging in retrospect. From now on I’m sure it will seem much slower as I update weekly. I understand about your summers – my brother used to live in S. Carolina and in the summer they mostly locked themselves indoors.
I think I might have gone with Pathfinder if I had the space, but the Nav barely fits in my garage. Welsford says the differences seem huge. I’m sure you’ll get a lot of use out of it.
Do you read the forum at Woodenboat Magazine? http://forum.woodenboat.com/ I waste a lot of time there. There are two guys currently documenting their Pathfinder builds, one in Fla and one in Houston. I find it really helpful because the boats are so similar.
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?188315-Pathfinder-Build-In-FL-Keys/
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?174341-Welsford-Pathfinder-build-in-Houston/
And this guy in the Caribbean just finished
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?146509-Pathfinder-build
Good Luck!
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