DIY-er builds the classic boat of his dreams - in his garage

The more practically inclined of us might even have toyed with the idea that, with infinite time and energy, we could just about build one ourselves.

But only a small number of people will do what Simon Jonas did; pay $120 to US-based Glen-L Marine Designs for the plans to a Monaco Mahogany timber motorboat, and then pour at least 2000 hours and more than a decade into building it in his garage.

The result is spectacular. He’s ended up with something that not only looks bespoke and beautiful, but floats and goes like the clappers.

Jonas had never owned a boat, or even a licence to drive one before the start of his incredible 12-year journey.

On top of that, he’s an electrician, not a cabinet maker or carpenter. Ask him what else he’s built with his own hands, particularly out of timber, and he can’t think of a thing. “Nup, not even a pergola,” he says.

But now, each time he’s out on the water (he doesn’t take it out much – I reckon he spends most of his time sitting in the garage gently patting it), people swamp him with smartphone cameras in hand, wanting to know how he could afford to import it from Europe.

“That’s what I wanted [to import an Italian canal boat], but they cost about $300,000, and this looks very Italian,” Jonas says.

“But it’s actually very American – it’s a modernised American version of a Venice or Monaco cruiser, taking away some of the steaming [used to shape the wood] and the complex processes so it’s now much easier [to build].

“You can do it at home with some very simple tools,” he says.

Jonas does make it sound simple, comparing the build to a “really massive” Lego set, but what about all those beautiful shapes – how does someone craft such art from timber?

“Well, it looks very curvy but there’s not actually a lot of curves in it,” he says.

“Most of the timber is actually dead straight; it’s a bit like the [Sydney] Harbour Bridge, it looks curved but every single piece in it is actually straight,” Jonas says.

His passion for the project remained strong even as people told him he was mad, that it would sink, and that he’d never finish it.

“All the reasons why people tell you not to do something is why I did it,” Jonas said.

“I mean, why just do the same thing in life over and over again? Why not try something completely different?

“Even the engine dealer [the boat features a 300hp 5.7-litre Volvo Penta V8 inboard engine] said you can’t do that to one of these engines, you’re going to wreck it.”

To make it look “more old-school”, Jonas modified the plans and swapped the boat’s stern drive for a shaft drive.

“I kind of downgraded the engine, and the dealer didn’t like that,” he chuckles.

But boy does it work. Out on the water, this light and sleek beauty accelerates with the kind of roaring, rude grunt you’d expect from an overpowered HSV.

The torque is furious and frothing, as is the spray that pelts into your face. Jonas has refused to install a windscreen as “it would ruin the lines”.

He does have other accessories for the boat, including a flagpole, but can’t bring himself to install them.

“I’d have to drill holes in it and… well, I just can’t do it,” he says.

And yet, after launching Jonas in 2018, the boat’s namesake is now selling his eponymous masterwork, a decision that’s almost as hard to believe as him setting out to make it in the first place.

“The joy for me was in the building of it, in the project itself,” Jonas says. “Now that it’s done, I’m okay to let it go.

“I mean I like being on it, but I do stress a bit about it,” he says.

The money Jonas earns from the sale of his boat (after he recoups the $30,000 – excluding his labour – that it cost to build it) will go towards his next project, and he’s already bought the plans.

Yes, he’s building a plane. And no, he doesn’t have his pilot’s licence.