A man who built a 16-foot boat inside his house was forced to remove a patio door to get the vessel out.
Steve Goodchild, 73, spent 13 hours a day for the three months working to complete the wooden craft named Barnacle.
Dad-of-three Mr Goodchild said he had to pull down the door and frame to squeeze it through so it could set sail on its maiden voyage, BirminghamLive reports.
The retired former land surveyor, of Paignton, Devon, said: "When I retired I thought I needed a project. 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.
"I needed a design and found a company that provided me with one. I was looking for a specific shape of boat as I just want to cruise along south coast.
"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.
"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 big and I would take out the door frame.
"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.
"I took it out for the first time last Wednesday and it was the way I dreamed it would be. It was very stable, quite swift and points well into the wind.
"I loved the whole process and if I could afford to I would be happy to do it again.
'I could have bought two ready made ones for the price it cost, which I guess was about £10,000. But to be sailing in something you have built is an extra special feeling.
He added: "It was blowing probably a force five or six 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."
