After three years of planning, Ben had the funds and design for Mother of Perl. The funds had come from a generous inheritance from Ben's mother Elise Woolsey Walker. The plans were the result of the cooperative efforts of Bruce Roberts.

Ben started by sending Bruce his cabin layout design. Bruce drew a Centenial Spray 45 hull with the required changes to fit Ben's plan. Not only did he send reproducable transparancies, but also the computer files of the drawings. Ben took these computer files and further refined the design, adding many details--about 20 sheets of drawings.

Bruce also put Ben in contact with a boat building agent that represented the Put Veini company of Riga, Latvia. In April, 1998, Ben traveled to Vastervik, Sweden to meet the agent and the boat builder, Victor Tchaburko. The three of them signed a contract for the construction of the hull, the work would begin in just two weeks, May 1st, 1998.