Location: Malta, Malaysia
SDI Design: Growler 710 VT
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"I’m based in Malta, a small island in the Mediterranean. I’ve worked aboard luxury yachts for the past twenty two years.

I’ve wanted to refit, or build my own boat for a few years now, and took up a correspondence diploma course in Yacht and Boat building through MTA during the first Covid lockdown two years ago.

I’ve been aware of Schionning Designs International for some time, and know they have a good reputation from some of the Australian and South African crew I’ve worked with.

After contacting Robert and Tarryn about the 650VT I asked if it might be possible to lengthen the design a little, with an emphasis on increasing the usability of the foredeck / bow rider area - something that Robert was very helpful with.

After confirming the plan, the materials for the build arrived at my workshop in early April. First thoughts - what have I got myself into! But so far, with help from the design team at Schionning and a reasonable amount of research elsewhere I think I’m making good progress.

Reasons for building my own boat - and this design in particular.
1) I like the benefits a catamaran give over a monohull.
2) I had a particular layout in mind that I wanted to use.
3) The SDI Growler 710 VT is the perfect size for the workshop that I have. Ultimately, this is a test to see if I can complete a quality end product. The ultimate plan would be to work on designing and building something with a couple of cabins that my wife and I could use to tour the Mediterranean and beyond."