I started this web site in September, 2000. I wanted to build a Joel White Haven 12 1/2  for a long time, but was a little nervous about tackling the project.  The boat  is known as being  "a difficult boat to build"  and I was a little intimidated by that description, having had only limited boatbuilding experience.  I  noticed on the WoodenBoat Forum a few posts from people in the process of building Havens.   It dawned on me that a web site exclusively for Haven builders would provide me and others like me a community of fellow builders to learn from and commiserate with as we go through the building process.  WoodenBoat magazine likened the site to "sitting around the wood burning stove"  in the old boat shed.  In addition to the hundreds of builder photos and photos essays on the site, an invaluable part of the site is The "Forum;" an interactive way for builders to communicate directly with one another.  The Forum is always open to anyone, member or not, to post comments, questions and answers or anything having to do with the Haven. 

Fortunately when I launched the site seven years ago there was immediate response from amateur builders who were currently building or had recently completed building a Haven.  Even more fortunate was the fact that some of these people took excellent sequential pictures of their construction process and were willing to share their photos and experiences with like-minded amateur builders via the web site!  Countless others now visit the site who are considering building the boat and find the site a source of motivation, inspiring them to tackle building their dream boat knowing the site is there as a resource. 

Many amateur builders have completed masterpiece examples of the Haven and are now thoroughly enjoying the fruits of their significant labor.  (a couple are even starting on second Havens or similar boats!) Photos of most of these boats are featured on the web site.  Although the Haven was designed for carvel planking, the site contains photo essays on cold molded and strip planked versions as well as carvel planked boats and even one lapstrake planked Haven. 

One great appeal of the Haven plans (available from WoodenBoat) is that they come with full-size line drawings of all 22 molds as well as the stem and transom.  This eliminates the need for lofting.  Lofting is a process time-consuming to most amateur builders, and baffling to many others.  Even with this “shortcut” most amateur builders spend from one to ten years on the project.  One member of the site’s on-line “Forum”  wrote  that the HavenBuilders site is a “living manual with updates.” 

 Most builders have some prior experience, having built less complex boats, or they have other significant wood working experience.  Other visitors to the site are “armchair builders” who dream of actually building the boat some day. 

Many people say they probably would never have taken on the project without knowing that the site would be there when the going gets rough.  It never ceases to amaze me how generous the experienced Haven builders are with their knowledge of the building process when someone runs into a construction problem.