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Retired man pulls patio door off his house to remove 16ft boat he built in lockdown

Steve Goodchild spent thirteen hours a day for the three months working to complete his wooden craft named Barnacle. (SWNS)
Steve Goodchild spent 13 hours a day for the three months working to complete his wooden craft. (SWNS)

A man who spent three months building a 16ft boat during lockdown was forced to remove the patio door to get it out of his house.

Steve Goodchild, 73, spent 13 hours a day while the UK was kept at home during the coronavirus pandemic working to complete his wooden craft, named Barnacle.

But during construction he scaled up the project – and it proved too big to move outside.

The dad-of-three said he had to pull down the door and frame to squeeze it through so the boat could set sail on its maiden voyage on Saturday.

The boat proved to big to move outside the house. (SWNS)
The boat proved to big to move outside the house. (SWNS)
Steve Goodchild removed his patio door to get the boat through. (SWNS)
Steve Goodchild removed his patio door to get the boat through. (SWNS)

The retired former land surveyor, of Paignton, Devon, said the vessel would have sailed through the door without issue if he had he stuck to his original design.

Goodchild said: "I have always done a lot of woodwork and have been a sailor since the age of four, so I thought I would build a boat…

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"The idea of cruising along the south coast in good weather really appealed to me.

"I hate to think how long it took in terms of hours, but in total I worked on it for three and a half years.”

The wooden Stornaway, which Goodchild started building in 2017, was completed during lockdown but the patio door proved to be a challenge.

The boat sailed on its maiden voyage on Saturday. (SWNS)
The boat sailed on its maiden voyage on Saturday. (SWNS)

Goodchild said: "I was always good at measurements and I knew I would get it out the door if I stuck with the initial design.

"But I changed it to give me a front deck and it made it fatter. I knew a long time ago it was going to be too bit and I would take out the door frame.

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"It was still a tight fit. I don't think anyone who saw the build thought I would be able to get it out. But I did.

''All it needed was to remove the plastic door frame and undo a few bolts. After building an entire boat, that was the easy bit.”

The wooden Stornaway, which Steve Goodchild started building in 2017, was completed during lockdown. (SWNS)
The wooden Stornaway, which Steve Goodchild started building in 2017, was completed during lockdown. (SWNS)

As the government eased lockdown, Goodchild took Barnacle out on Saturday on the waters off Paignton harbour for the first time.

He said: "It was blowing probably a force 5 or 6, which is a bit much for a sailing dinghy, but I was determined to get it out and so I motioned it out of Paignton harbour, I put the sails up and it went like a bird.”

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