You can add me to the list of wannabes. I actually have pictures and study plans of a 36' boat I'd love to build in the years leading up to retirement plastered all over my office door at work, for motivation. I'm sort of a project oriented person, so I would see this as a pleasant hobby leading into retirement rather than a bunch of work. It's driving me nuts living in a condo, where I can't do things like this. I've got a little over 10 years until I can pull the plug, so my wheels are turning. Sell the condo, buy land, build little home and big workshop, build boat, retire, live and travel the world on the boat. Of course, my dreams were very different 10 years ago, and may very well be different 10 years from now.
The other alternative is to sit tight in my paid for home, accumulate more rapidly, FIRE, and buy a suitable boat. That's just a little less me. None of the boats on the market have the perfect combination of what I want regarding build material, keel style, sail plan, rigging, and interior layout. There is one in Malaysia for sale right now that comes close, but I'm not in a position to buy it and get it back to the states, nor am I ready to store it for 10 years while I build my investments. I can get everything I want and have a fun hobby if I do it myself. My favorite YouTube channels have to do with building or refitting a boat for long-term cruising. I also watch plenty that are straight cruising life, but don't look forward to the next episode like I do the building and refitting series. I highly recommend the following if anyone else is interested:
SV Seeker
Salt & Tar
Acorn to Arabella
Sampson Boat Co
Sail Life
MJ Sailing
edit: to add MJ Sailing, one of my favorites for quite awhile, but they've now shifted to cruising