The Chula Rodhog The commissioning party took place at Ski Beach in Mission Bay. I had over 80 friends and family share in the day and we had a great time. I was honored to have my Mom officially christen the Chula Rodhog. She's now ready to rock and roll and the tuna season is just around the corner. All in all, the project took me about 19 months from start to finish. I launched November 20th , 2004, took her on a shakedown cruise to Baja and then spent the next four months outfitting her the way I wanted. Total cost of everything was around $26k- that's material, windows, trailer, motor, electronics, rodholders, rails, covers and dropdown curtain. I figure she easily compares to a 25 Parker in range and capabilities and they go for around $60-$75k. But more so than saving money, you cannot put a price on the feeling you get from starting a project from a flat piece of marine ply and molding it into this three dimensional object. It's an undescribable feeling shared by many people who take a dream or idea and turn it into reality. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity and means to pursue my dream of building my ultimate offshore fishing machine. Unlike my first boat where once I finished I couldn't look at another power tool, I look forward to my next boat building project. The boatbuilding bug has taken hold and it will be interesting to see where it takes me next. Thanks for taking an interest in my project and for your kind words of encouragement. Kevin Beddoe, May 10th, 2005
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