I am honest: When I had heard for the first time about those new Class 5.80 Mini boats, I was highly sceptical. As an initial idea from the Australian sailing legend Don McIntyre, inventor of the revived Golden Globe Race, the Ocean Globe Race and adventure sailing legend par excellence, it just felt like … well, like too small for a serious offshore racing boat. I mean, sailing the high seas, crossing the mighty Atlantic Ocean in a boat that is smaller than my bathroom (tub)? A Class 6.50 Mini-racer is a tiny boat as well, but at least those are so wide that quite some internal volume is created. But with the 5.80 … that´s much, much smaller! Well, as I said. This is how I initially reacted.
As it happened, during one of my trips to Les Sables d´Olonne, I came to see my first Class 5.80 Mini tied to the Vendée Globe-pontoon. I took many, many pictures, roamed the small dinghy from all sides and catched even the tiniest detail. But still, something felt off, I admit: These boats a very small! Have you checked out my article about a guy planning to row across the Atlantic? An awkward feeling rawled up my spine. And then I started to read into the 5.80-topic a bit and I realized that the process of building the boat is seen as an essential part of the whole exprience. So that´s on top: A DIY-boat! To sail across the Atlantic Ocean. I never published that article …
Well, as life goes sometimes, some things need time. Apparently just right now the second edition of the Glove Transat 5.80 is underway: 12 solo sailors had started their adventure in Lagos/Spain a few days ago. The boats have already successfully sailed to the Canary Islands and will now take on the big Atlantic crossing adventure: This Saturday the big leg over the ocean will be started. Following seas and fair winds, skippers! Coincidentally, here at home in windy Germany, I met Simone and Tobias. They are in the midst of preparing their own high seas experience: MAKANI is the name of their Class 5.80 boat. So, let´s have a chat and find out what this is all about.
The motivation of taking on the challenge of Class 5.80 Mini
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „Simone, Tobias, thanks for letting me ask all my questions! First of all, it is kind of suffice to say that you both live on the „Point Nemo“ of Germany: Picturesque Tauberbischofsheim is a little town almost in the center of our country and farthest possible distance away from any shores. How come you chose sailing as your passion?“
Simone & Tobias: (both are laughing) „Well, sailing is not so uncommon here. In fact, there are some nice and interesting inshore sailing areas, mostly lakes, but we get your point. As usual, it was his fault … Tobias started the whole thing.“, says Simone and looks over to her husband. Also smiling back at her, Tobias explains: „Actually, it was a YouTube-video that had inspired me. Watching a film about a young German couple just casting off and sailing away, I suddenly felt the desire to also get a boat and … well, set the sails. I guess I „infected“ my wife with this dream. Now I am very happy that she supported and encouraged me, to really do it, and joined in to take on this adventure!“
„It all started back in 2018. After an online survey we found a small, cheap boat in Belgium, which we liked. The budget was 1.000 Euros, so not a really big deal. We decided very spontaneously and bought her.“ Simone explains that they put their new 22-footer in the water near the Dutch town of Roermond – and then just started to sail: „Essentially, we would grab our then just two kids on a Friday noon, drive up north and sail. On every free weekend, any day off, all of our vacations. It was very nice, we sucked in that full experience and really started to become a sailing family.“ Nevertheless, Tauberbischofsheim to Roermond in the Netherlands, that´s a 400 kilometer-trip, one way!
„It was a great time!“, Tobias tells me: „Sailing, anchoring, discovering the area. So much fun, especially for the kids.“ The couple, after having catched fire for their new passion, sold the 22-footer as their third child was underway. A new boat was needed. „Well, with now three kids, you can imagine, it was too cramped and there were too many compromises in terms of comfort. Also, I wanted a boat that would be a bit easier to handle, especially when it comes to trailer road transport and located nearer to us. The whole driving thing to the Netherlands wasn´t feasable anymore.“ So they went for a new one, put it into the River Main which was much nearer to their home. Surprisingly enough for me, this new boat was even smaller! At 21-feet, the couple had scaled down.
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „So, at some point, I guess when you two were sure that sailing is the thing you like, you decided to join the Mini 5.80-community. Why not just buy an „ordinary“ used GRP-yacht of a decent size with a proper but limited refit and start yachting like this? I mean, that´s the usual way couples do it …“
Simone & Tobias: „It was again Tobias …“, she laughs. Tobias smiles brightly at his wife and explains: „Well, yes … we thought about that but then I had read an article about the 5.80 Class and the idea behind it in the Yacht-magazine. I guess it was back in 2020. I immediately understood that this was not only just about sailing any other boat, but the philosophy of it was fascinating. The fact that you´d have to build your own boat, with your own hands, makes it so much more … impactful for me! How cool is that? I mean, you build a boat and sail it across the ocean, what a great story!“ Simone agrees. But she says, that there are other, more practical issues to take into account: „You said it yourself: Commuting back and forth to the North Sea from here to a normal yacht would have been the only alternative. Apart from the waste of time, it´s also a waste of money for us. The idea to have a small, ocean-capable boat that would be trailarable seemed the better way.“ Tobias adds that if life would change and there would be no time to sail at all, they could just put the trailer with the boat behind the house: No running costs at all! „Well, and that´s how it all started.“
Building a Class 5.80 Mini boat
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „So tell me, how exactly was the procedure of joining this community? I mean, did you write an email to Don McIntyre and off you went?“
Simone & Tobias: „Yes, basically! You buy the plans and the building kits and then you start. There are companies offering pre-fabricated kits, boatbuilding manufacturers, where you can buy all parts to make your 5.80. We chose a German company: The parts contain everything you need to build the complete hull, the wooden parts. It´s just the interior fittings, the stainless steel equipment for the chain plates and the keel which you have to do on your own“, Tobias explains.
„Rigging and Sails from Quantum need to be bought with one supplier, as it is a one-design class of course.“, Simone adds: „We do it step by step: We buy only the stuff that is required for completing the current phase of the building process. But all in all it really isn´t that much, to be honest. Apart from the rigging and the sails, it´s an electric outboard engine and some small parts they need to buy.“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „I have spent myself over four years of refitting a boat, so I know what this is about. Tell me, which handcraft-capabilities do you have or other proficiencies which are needed to build a boat?“
Simone & Tobias: Both look at each other, back at me, raising their shoulders. „Essentially, apart from basic home-improvement knowledge and skills, none. But you know, that´s the idea: The plans are so detailed, the boat´s concept and construction so reduced that – I would say – anyone with basic skills can do it.“ Tobias adds: „Also, the idea behind the 5.80 community is, that all boatbuilders are networking and thus helping each other. That is something Don McIntyre is promoting and wishing for. He really encourages us all to share our experiences, to open up our sheds so that all can benefit from the learning steps we take during the building process.“
Simone nods: „There are people from all over the world: Australia of course, but also from the United Kingdom, America and all over Europe. We are in contact with each other.“ „And since there are always the same obstacles and challenges to overcome, you don´t need to make all of the mistakes over and over again.“ Sounds like a great system. I ask if there are so many hurdles in building the boats. Tobias says: „No, not so many, but some, yes! For example, we quickly found out that the construction plans and the actual CNC-cut parts are differing. As we were making the main bulkhead, we couldn´t explain a margin of one full centimeter. That´s a lot!“ It was then the wisdom and experience of the community which helped to solve and fix this problem. „Of course we had to step up our tool-boxes here at home: All sizes and forms of C-clamps for example“, says Tobias and laughs: „Instead of making a wish for the usual suspects for birthdays or Christmas, it´s always another set of screw-clamps, almost a running gag here in our household.“ Both agree that the building process works out just fine in terms of handcraft capabilities when – before starting another project – a proper research is done, the right tools are there and with some practice the teething troubles are ironed out pretty soon.
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „What have been the major milestones in the building process so far for MAKANI?“
Simone & Tobias: „I can tell you that we feel like every single step, be it just a tiny one, feels like a giant leap!“, says Simone. „If you don´t have any boatbuilding background, this whole project is so big – and so are any of the accomplishments! Tobias agrees: „For example, just opening the mail when the plans had arrived was a huge thing for us. Finally we had started! From an idea to a real project – it suddenly went from „we want to do“ to „we are doing!“ And it felt great!“ „Yeah, you leave your comfort zone and start to really do something. Amazing! What comes into my mind as well was the moment when we´ve had completed the first frame. That day we really understood that it was possible to do it and that we would be able to make it!“ Tobias tells me about the moment when all of the frames had been placed on their positions along the longitudinal axis was a major accomplishment for him: „Before this our garage was a mountain of loose wooden battens. Now, finally, there was a shape of a real boat visible! For the first time we could really appreciate the sheer size of MAKANI. And it was there, fully visible: We are building a boat!“ Lastly, around Christmas, both had cast the keel bomb, 90 kilograms of lead: Another big issue for sure – amazing to watch in the video they produced about this. I can feel them too, remembering that even the knowledge about my keel beeing cast for my new boat was such a moving moment for me, even if I hadn´t been around, let alone, did the casting myself.
Ups and downs of building a sailboat
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „So, in hindsight: Up until now, what has been the toughest or most complicated part of the boatbuilding process – and vice-versa, which things had been maybe suprisingly easy for you?“
Simone & Tobias: „Everything around making the frames is basically a no-brainer“, says Simone. „These parts are perfectly prepared by the kit-builder and fit just perfectly. It´s a lot of fun putting those together. The only thing is not to get confused, so labelling is king!“ Simone smiles and Tobias agrees: „When you buy the wooden parts-kit it´s just perfect. We were very astonished how nice and smooth it went. All in all we´ve spent some 13.000 Euros for the material as of now.“ Asking for the tough stuff, they don´t need to think for long: “Well, how to say it?“, Simone starts: „As we found out and later got confirmed by others, apparently the kit producing company kind of „optimized“ the original plans. So sometimes their parts don´t fit the measurements in the plan. Those optimizations are thought-through and good to have, but now the plans at some details are confusing.“ Tobias joins in: „There´s also an America-Europe-problem. We found out that the CNC-file made in the USA is optimized for 9 mm plywood-sheets. But here in Europe we only have them either in 8 or in 10 mm. So you need to find a workaround. That often sucks, but as I said before: Within the community, there´s almost always someone who had encountered the same problem before and therefore can give hints or directions how to solve it.“ A particularly enervating issue was the mounting rack: To save material and make it lighter, the manufacturer found out that making all of the spars only half as thick would work too: „That´s all fine, but now, with the frames only half as thick, nothing would fit according to the plan anymore …“, says Tobias. But, as both reassure, it´s just small stuff. „The fact that the community is there, makes up for it tenfold.“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „So tell me, how many working hours are you spending per day or per week to build the boat? And how does this project affect your normal life?“
Simone & Tobias: „We are not tracking the amount of hours“, says Tobias. „I like statistics as I am a skilled financial accountant, but for this project, we don´t do it.“ Simone adds: „When temperatures outside permit working with epoxy, usually in spring, the whole summer and into eraly autumn, Tobias is spending an average of 4 to 5 hours per day in the shed.“ I am puzzled: Daily? „Well“, says Tobias, „I suffer from depression and currently certified to be unable to work. So instead of just vegetating on the sofa, building MAKANI really helps me to refocus, to feel joy and a sense in what I do.“ I now begin to grasp the true meaning of this project for him. Maybe building something as beautiful and significant as a boat is a kind of therapy for him. Which makes it even more impactful. „Right now, it is too cold and moist, obviously“, Tobias moves on: „I´ve bought a Diesel-heating system for house construction and maybe we can get the garage up to a temperature above 10, 15 degrees Celsius. But abviously, work stopped for the most part. Last thing we did was the casting of the keel.“ Simone smiles, looks at him and says: „Maybe we can do the rudder? We could do it in the guest room …“ That is indeed a funny prospect!
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „So, what do you guys think: How many hours or weeks and months will it take you until the boat is floating?“
Simone & Tobias: „Right when temperatures will permit we´ll start putting the stringers on the frame, that´s definitely the next step in the project. After that, it´s the planking and epoxy-GRP-layer.“, says Tobias, „So I think it would be cool if we could get the boat to a finished hull, possibly also the painting as well up until September this year.“ That is an important date for both: Simone and Tobias are the founders of the German Mini 5.80 class, the first official 5.80 class worldwide, by the way. She adds that „in September the Lake Constance boat show will take place and we are planning to have a booth there: Including a showcase of MAKANI. It would be great if the hull, at least from the outside, would be on display and looking good for that occasion.“
MAKANI´s way to the transat challenge
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „But ultimately it´s the transat challenge on the horizon: Who of you both is going to be the skipper sailing the boat across the Atlantic?“
Simone & Tobias: „Well. We both!“ I stumble and open my eyes wide: Both? So I ask to double check. Tobias and Simone are nodding: „Yes, sure! It is permitted to attend also as a doublehanded sailing team. So, of course we will do it as a couple!“, Tobias says. „Originally, the third edition of the 5.80 transat race was scheduled to take place in 2027, and that was our plan. But now this edition had been advanced one year to 2026 – too early for us – and so we will attend the 2028 edition.“ „And we´ve won a full year!“, says Simone, „Which gives us more time to finish the boat properly but also to gather sailing experience.“ Their plan is to put MAKANI to the water either in the North Sea or the Baltic Sea to sail around and fully train as a crew, which is an advantage over an early start next year. „Skipper training, sailing, getting the routine as a crew.“, says Tobias. Bringing MAKANI back from the Caribbean will be a no brainer, since the boat had been envisioned to be fitting a 20 foot container: „If possible, we might also sail her back, who knows?“ MAKANI, both tell me, is Hawaiian for „wind“. Looking for a ship´s name both had been seeking something exotic and ocean-related. „It fits pretty good, don´t you think?“
I am feeling indeed a bit strange after we said Goodbye, even after this very sympathetic, open and detailed interview. Tobias and Simone are so determined and positive about their venture, the rich collection of pictures, many of which are technical documentations, show their meticulously planned and professionally executed work on MAKANI. I am stunned by their determination and positive attitude. And I definitely see the big steps they are taking in building their boat. Especially the humble, calm style of Tobias impresses me. Yet, at the same time and in the back of my head, I acknowledge the huge responsibility and scope of this project: Building a boat that is to be crossing the mighty Atlantic Ocean is quite something! But, and that´s what I take away from this interview the most, maybe that is the true beauty and idea of Don McIntyre´s idea: In the case of Simone and Tobias, I cannot think of a cooler project for a loving couple than building a boat and sailing across the ocean together.
That was absolutely interesting, Simone and Tobias, thanks so much for sharing! I wish you both the stamina, skills and capabilities to finish MAKANI in time and in budget. And of course I´d like to visit you latest when she is floating, looking so much forward to see you guys sailing! All the best, and much tailwind for MAKANI!
More related articles on DIY boatbuilding and wooden boats:
Alex Lang´s Mini 6.50 boatbuilding project, parts 1 and 2
Wooden boatbuilding at its best: Jan Bruegge´s WOY is a wow!
At RM Yachts in La Rochelle: Cold molded plywood yachts par excellence