Biggest DIY project I've ever seen

[mattbell]

A man I met yesterday has spent the last 30 years building his own 70' boat more or less from scratch. He even made the lumber himself from local trees that were cut down from various reasons.  He's less than a year away from finishing and launching the boat.  However, at this point he's around 70 years old, and he's worried that he won't get it done before he starts to lose his strength and ability to travel.

I got a tour of the boat.  He's developed an incredibly broad range of skills to pull it off, from woodworking to hydraulics to electrical systems to interior design.  I do have a maker mindset that values creativity, skill, and clever applications of wealth over raw wealth -- I am incredibly impressed by what he has done, but I would not be impressed by someone who merely purchased a 70' boat.

Some pics: