Owning a yacht is a popular hobby among billionaires. Titans like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg haven’t hesitated to spend part of their fortune to sail around the world in comfort, style, and luxury. Bezos commissioned the construction of the Koru superyacht from the Dutch company Oceanco, while Zuckerberg purchased Launchpad from a Russian oligarch.
On the other hand, an American named Clyde Stires took a different approach to acquiring the yacht he wanted: a 91-foot-long, 50-foot-wide catamaran equipped to accommodate 12 guests. In a video posted on YouTube, Stires explained that, given that he wasn’t a millionaire, he utilized all the resources at his disposal and combined them with a strong determination to build the yacht of his dreams.
From Building Custom Vehicles to Building Your Own Yacht
Stires was born in Missouri, but at age 12, he moved with his family to California. From an early age, he spent a lot of time with his father, who taught him how to use different cutting tools. With this knowledge as a foundation, he began to teach himself how to fix and build everyday objects such as toys. Much later, in the 1970s, he found inspiration from vehicle builder Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.
Afterward, he began building motor tricycles whose designs won over stars like Elvis Presley and Johnny Graham. His passion for what he did only grew. Years later, he found himself transforming a double-decker bus into a camper. He had previously bought his first boat in Taiwan and decided he “wanted to get back on the water,” so he got rid of almost everything he owned to start the project of a lifetime: building a yacht.
An example of the vehicles Clyde Stires used to manufacture.
Stires analyzed every part of the project before he started. Since he didn’t have sufficient financial resources, he couldn’t afford to build the ship in a shipyard. The costs would simply be unaffordable. Nor could he do it anywhere in the U.S. since weather conditions could accelerate the deterioration of the ship under construction. So, he decided to move to a suitable location to get the project started.
Stires’ caravan project.
He was already in California, so he looked for a house in Perris, a former railroad town characterized by its dry and sunny climate. After several sketches, calculations, and scaled-down versions, he started working on the project in 1987. In the YouTube video, you can see how the ship gains size over time. This undoubtedly caught the attention of the locals, as someone points out in a comment:
I lived in Canyon Lake and would drive by this thing every day going to work, it was real close to Highway 74. This huge ship just started to appear, getting larger every day. It was amazing to see. I had to stop and ask what was happening with this ship. He was always there by himself working on this thing. He was very nice, saying he’s building a boat to take around the world. Then you would think, how is this thing ever going to make it to the ocean?
The construction of the ship required Stires to perfect all his techniques. This included everything from welding for the lamination process to installing the wiring, hydraulics, and engines. It took Stires years to complete the deck plating, install all the equipment, and paint the boat. Once it was finished, he was faced with the difficult task of getting it to sea. As it turned out, the only alternative was to cut it up and move it in pieces.
The boat, named Kaleidoscope, was reassembled and launched in 1994. That milestone for the project was just the beginning of a series of surprising events that would come years later. Stires explains how his boat was stolen by a cartel while in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Although the authorities managed to recover the boat after much effort, the process of returning it to the U.S. was so complex that he decided to sell it.
Years have passed, and the yacht that once belonged to Stires has sailed again. It’s now part of the fleet of a yacht charter company. Kaleidoscope is presented as a yacht with “all the amenities for the most luxurious sailing experience.” The yacht’s new owners also call it the “limousine of the sea” and use it for private excursions and events.
Image | Clyde Stires
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