Meet Eduardo “Duca” Cassol and Roberta Becker Montibeller—the Brazilian couple behind Odd Life Crafting, a YouTube channel and project that marries engineering precision with raw maritime ambition. Since 2016, this dynamic duo has transformed a 44-foot steel sailboat, Odd (a 1991 Dinieper Tropic 1200), and a tiny Container House into testaments of self-reliance, proving that adventure is as much about craftsmanship as it is about navigation. Their story—a blend of Brazilian ingenuity, nautical grit, and a passion for sustainable living—has captivated sailors and makers worldwide, offering a blueprint for crafting a life less ordinary.
From Engineering Desks to Ocean Decks: The Birth of “Odd”
Duca, a mechanical engineer, and Roberta, a marketing strategist, traded São Paulo’s skyscrapers for the open sea after a 2016 backpacking trip through Southeast Asia. “We realized we were building careers but not a life,” Duca says. Drawn to the challenge of a steel hull—“strong enough for polar waters, yet flexible enough for our DIY dreams”—they purchased the neglected Dinieper Tropic 1200 and spent a year stripping her down to the skeleton.
Their YouTube journey began in 2017 with “Rebuilding a 30-Year-Old Steel Sailboat: Our First Steps”, documenting the grueling process of sandblasting rust, rewiring electrical systems, and hand-fabricating stainless steel fixtures. “Steel boats require love—constant, meticulous love,” Roberta laughs. “But every weld, every painted hull section felt like signing our names on the ocean.”
“Odd” as a Laboratory: Where Engineering Meets Ocean Chaos
Life aboard Odd is a masterclass in problem-solving. Duca’s engineering expertise shines in custom solutions: a solar array integrated into the bimini top, a watermaker powered by a repurposed windlass motor, and a modular galley table that converts into a workbench for metalworking. “When you’re at sea, every system is a domino,” he explains. “We designed ours to be redundant, repairable, and—where possible—powered by the elements.”
Their most ambitious project? Reinventing the boat’s interior with recycled materials. The salon features cabinets crafted from reclaimed teak pallets, while the chart table doubles as a drafting desk for Duca’s blueprints. “We reject the idea that sailing means sacrificing design,” Roberta says. “Why can’t a boat be both functional and beautiful?”
Land and Sea: The “Living Tiny Project” Detour
In 2019, the couple paused their ocean voyage to tackle a new challenge: building a 200-square-foot tiny house from a shipping container—The Living Tiny Project—with zero construction experience. “We wanted to test if our boat skills translated to land,” Duca explains. The project, documented in their YouTube S2，featured innovations like a foldable loft bed, solar-powered radiant heating, and a rainwater collection system. “It was chaos,” Roberta admits, “but it taught us that ‘home’ is not a place—it’s a mindset of adaptability.”
This detour deepened their philosophy: whether on land or sea, sustainability and self-reliance are non-negotiables. The tiny house now serves as their home base when Odd is docked, a testament to their belief in “living lightly, wherever you are.”
Crafting a Community: Sharing Skills, Inspiring Action
Odd Life Crafting thrives on transparency, with tutorials ranging from “How to Weld on a Swaying Boat” to “Building a Composting Toilet for Tiny Spaces”. Their most viewed video, “Steel Hull Maintenance: Preventing Rust in a Saltwater Environment”, demystifies the often-intimidating world of steel boat ownership, earning praise from seasoned sailors for its technical depth.
Beyond tutorials, the couple advocates for sustainable living. In coastal Brazil communities, they’ve hosted workshops on solar panel installation and rainwater harvesting, merging their engineering skills with environmental advocacy. “The ocean is our teacher,” Roberta says. “It shows us that every resource is finite, every solution must be durable.”
The Next Chapter: Sailing Beyond Borders
With Odd now equipped with a newly reinforced keel and a library of DIY manuals, Duca and Roberta plan to resume their voyage in 2024, targeting the South Pacific and eventually the Arctic. Their goal? To prove that a self-built boat—born from sweat, scrap metal, and stubborn creativity—can thrive in some of the world’s harshest environments.
“People often ask, ‘Aren’t you afraid of breaking down?’” Duca says, grinning. “We’re more afraid of not trying. Every bolt we tighten, every system we redesign—these are our anchors of confidence.”
Join the Odd Journey
Whether you’re a sailor, a maker, or simply someone who believes in crafting your own path, Duca and Roberta’s story is a call to action:
- YouTube: Odd Life Crafting (weekly deep dives into boat mechanics, tiny house hacks, and unfiltered life aboard Odd)
- Website: oddlifecrafting.com (free plans for DIY marine projects, blog posts on sustainable living, and updates on their voyage)
- Instagram: @oddlifecrafting (daily glimpses of steel hull renovations, Brazilian-inspired boat cuisine, and the couple’s signature blend of humor and hustle)
As they often say, “Adventure is not about the boat—it’s about the hands that build it.” Duca and Roberta’s journey reminds us that the most extraordinary voyages begin not with a perfect vessel, but with the courage to start hammering, welding, and dreaming—one bolt at a time.
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