OUR STORY

The Puur story began with my youngest son, Parker. In 2015, he took a year off from school, and we built a boat together on a small island in the Bahamas called Eleuthera.

Like most kids of his generation, Parker had spent his entire life immersed in the digital world. So, I wanted us to tackle a real-world project. A cool woodworking project would hit all the great object lessons in life that one learns when trying to bend the physical world to your will. And, I knew that sailing would reinforce a balanced approach to life: dealing with the things you cannot control, and taking pride in the things that you can. So, we chose to build a wooden sailboat.

Years earlier, I had restored a 50’ Sparkman and Stephens sloop, so I knew a little bit about boat work. But, building a sailboat from scratch turned out to be radically more difficult and complex than I imagined. During the 900 hours it took us to build his boat from scratch, we learned a tremendous amount about ourselves, about each other, about how to work with wood, and about life.

We bonded in a way I never could have imagined.

Parker returned to the States with his boat as a trophy of accomplishment and development, full of a confidence and practical skillset that transformed the way that he interacted with people and challenges in the ensuing years. Seeing his transformation and feeling mine, I thought it would be great if that sort of transformative experience could be made more accessible to more people—by reducing the complexity and time involved. 

I looked at a variety of kits and plans—from leading providers and niche providers alike—and I read hundreds of blogs and forum posts from people building boats from all sorts of kits. I wanted to know: are boat kits available that make it easy for amateurs to build a beautiful, professional-quality sailboat? The answer was No.

My favorite example: a kit manufacturer noted that one part in their kit was intentionally produced several inches too large, so that you could trim it as needed to fit your (presumably crooked) boat. Surely there was a better way.

I started Puur Sailboats to create an integrated boat building system using the latest 3-D manufacturing technologies, innovative assembly techniques, multimedia training and documentation, and a novel boat design philosophy—all with a singular objective: allow amateurs to enjoy building a professional quality sailboat at home without spending years to do it. The proof of our experiment is how you feel about yourself when you’re working with our method. Our goal is for you to feel confident, capable, and proud every step of the way—from unpacking the crate to raising your sails for the first time. 

Building and sailing a Puur 17 is an extraordinary story. If you think you might like to start writing one of your own, feel free to send me an email. I love encouraging people toward what I know first-hand will be a life-changing experience. 

Adventurously,