But after a friend died, the Motueka 50-year-old decided not to wait.
The result was on show and on the water at Oamaru Harbour for the regatta which was part of Waitangi Day celebrations and the first day of activities for the Scott 100 celebrations, in Oamaru yesterday.
Apart from providing the boat's mode of power, the boiler comes in handy for a break, producing hot water for a cup of tea and heat for toasted sandwiches.
Mr Atkins first saw a steam boat at a classic boat show on Lake Rotoiti.
''I put it on my bucket list for when I retired, but a friend died and did not make it [retirement] so I decided to start it early.''
In 2003, he found an early 1900s day yacht - a real ugly duckling - and bought it for $400 to provide a hull. Buying a new hull could have cost up to $20,000.
He removed the cabin and deck and restored the timber hull, then set about getting the boiler and steam-driven engine and trim to finish it.
The Crescent steam engine he found on eBay and Air NZ flew it out from its seller in Connecticut. It is about 30 years old.
The boiler, which burns wood or coal, came from South Australia, home-built by an engineer.
He spent about $30,000, not including his labour, building the steam boat. The boiler cost about a third of that.
The 5.6m-long, 2.2m-wide steam boat, with a draught of 670mm, was launched on December 9, 2006.
Mr Atkins took the boat, along with others from the Nelson area, to Queenstown in October for the TSS Earnslaw 100 celebrations. While there he met up with cyclists from Oamaru on their annual penny-farthing tour.
They convinced Mr Atkins to bring his boat to the Waitangi Day regatta in Oamaru. He arrived on Tuesday and was on the harbour early yesterday to make sure it was stoked up for the regatta.
