Scratch Build Considerations

C

CharlieB

New member
I'm considering building a Bearhawk LSA and I'm wondering if anyone can share their thoughts on a kit vs. scratch build.

My current thinking is that I'd buy a pre-cut fuselage tube kit from V3CA or another vendor if possible (I checked with Bearhawk Kits and they no longer sell the tubing kits). I'd probably take a similar approach with the wings—either buying them prebuilt or at least starting with prebuilt ribs and other major components.

I already have a reasonably well-equipped workshop (welder, CNC router, 3D printer, etc.), so I'm mostly wondering if anyone regrets taking on a scratch build versus buying the kit. Maybe "regret" is the wrong word, but did you eventually realize it would have been more cost-effective—or simply a better use of your time—to buy certain components or even the complete kit?

I'd especially like to hear from people who have actually built one. Looking back, would you make the same decision again?
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Welcome! You can find lots of ruminations on the kit vs scratch question in the search results, including everything from here down.

The short answer I would say is, spend your time doing what you want to do. If you want to have a nice plane with plenty of building, outfitting it the way you want, then a kit sounds like a great option. Your odds of finishing will be vastly improved and you'll still be a homebuilder. With a kit you'll still have plenty of building to do.
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If you want to spend your time bending, cutting, welding, and that's its own form of enjoyment, then scratch building might be right for you. You are building because you enjoy these things, not because you are taking some kind of shortcut or trying to save money. With a scratch build, you may feel like you are saving money, but you almost certainly are not, if you are evaluating holistically enough.

Also, Bearhawk planes are not typically built with CNC machines. Their steel parts are welded with oxy-acetylene or TIG, not sure which types of welding you are currently proficient with. I would give less weight to your current shop and skills. The tools and skills that you currently have will be a part of the build, but maybe not a large part. There will still be plenty of education and recreation and maybe a whole lot of it.

If I was looking to start an LSA scratch build right now I'd probably just buy Spud's package that is listed for sale here on the forum. Factory tube kit, factory ribs, spars, and also he's a nice guy.
 
I'm building an LSA from the kit, and I'm very glad I went that route. I'd never built much of anything before, other than some woodworking; I'm not a welder, no metalworking experience, so almost all of the airplane building skills were new to me. When the kit arrived, I knew that I'd made the right decision. Like anyone else, I could probably learn to weld, but it would take me a lifetime to get to the level of welding all those fuselage tubes and fittings at just the right angles, with the quality of workmanship evidenced by the kit factory's fuselage. Same with the wings: I've learned to rivet pretty well, but if I had to start with building the spars and all those ribs, I think I would've gotten bogged down and probably would not have finished. Now, as I get closer to completion, I have far greater skills, and a future project doesn't look so daunting. But for a first-timer, the kit was the right choice for me.
 
Thank you both for those responses. Seems to align with what I was suspecting from other projects. Hopefully I can get up close to a bearhawk in the future and see how I feel.
 
Yes I agree with everything Jared wrote above. I built a “quick build” LSA as my 5th kitplane project. My hat is off to all the scratch builders out there and if you enjoy welding, forming parts, committing to a much much longer project, and yes saving some money then thats one way to go. My kit took 16 months of full-time (enjoyable) work, not farming out any painting, wiring, or engine install. Thats with having previous building experience. I would guess scratch building would take two or three times longer at least. l’ve been able to log over 200 hours of flying over the last year which for me is way better that shop time. Whatever you decide, the LSA is a great design and a blast to fly,
 
I wish I had bought the wings. The spars alone took me almost two years from raw stock to ready to install. Don't underestimate it. I sure are proud of them though.
 
There may be as many differences of motivations and expectations between scratch-builders as there are between scratch-builders and kit-builders. "Looking back, would you make the same decision again?" If your concern is cost-effectiveness and best use of your time, then I think therein lies your answer.
 
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