Constructing a seaworthy sail/diesel vessel

by Wade Woolsey
(Little Rock, AR)

My name's Wade, and I'm a college student in Little Rock, AR. With my chosen degree that I'm about to wrap up plus 7 years of Ph.D work, I should be able to afford constructing something that I can sail the Caribbean and Pacific with.

I only need space for me, my woman, 2 x 80-130lb dogs, rations for up to 60 days, a suitable number of deep-cycle batteries, solar equipment/generator, and I would like propulsion to be via sail and at least one inline six diesel engine with sufficient fuel for up to 1,000nm of crusing at 8-10 knots.

One of my primary hobbies besides cars and trucks (land locked state at the moment) is computers and all kinds of electronics. My bill and pocket money while I'm in school comes from such odd jobs. I've been thinking about how to best design, build, and implement my own GPS autopilot system for a sail/diesel vessel. I'm familar enough with coding, hydraulics, servos, and the like to get that done.
Not including cool electronics like deep-cycle batteries (LOTS), computers, displays, speakers, and radios do you have any idea what a very rough estimate as to cost of such a vessel would be? Also, length/width, and is it possible for private/wealthy folks to utilize the Panama Canal, and if so how much does it cost each way? I think a vessel capable of traversing Cape Horn might be prohibitively expensive.