18' Ricelli Rocky Cutter (2022) - PNEUMA

After building a CLC NorthEaster Dory with my son in 2013, the yearning to build another boat grew stronger (as many others who have been so afflicted would know), and so in 2016 I selected one of Paul Riccelli’s designs nicknamed “Rocky” (RYD-16.9) as the chosen one.

I was attracted initially to the designer through Paul’s helpful contributions on various boat building forums, and then discovered his “Rocky” design because it had a classic look to it and I was after sitting headroom in the cabin.

I started the home build at the end of 2016, investing time over weekends whenever I could (I was working full-time during the build period) and eventually completed the project at the end of 2022. Paul was a great help during the early stages of the build however he unfortunately succombed to heart failure in 2018.

The boatbuilding activity was a God send during the COVID years as we were locked down in Melbourne Australia for prolonged periods of time, but that didn’t bother me as I could simply wander down to the boat shed in the backyard and enjoy the woodworking activity – very therapeutic!

The much celebrated launch in early January was somewhat disappointing as there were a couple of unexpected leaks (where the centreboard trunk meets the hull) which meant we couldn’t raise the sails on that occasion. Fortunately the fix was easily implemented, and we are now looking forward to many enjoyable hours on the water.

For those who are interested, I have documented the build on https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/building-ryd-16-9-rocky-hull-21.58922/