Dinghy Suggestions

[jhenson]

My wife wanted to but me a set of dinghy plans for fathers day, but I can't seem to decide what I really want to build.

My Triton is covered right now with a Costco 10X20 garage awning that I have raised with log sections to get it high enough to fit the boat under (a larger tarp overhangs to cover the additional length of the boat). Since there isn't really any way to enclose this for a heated space, I thought about building the dingy inside my garage this winter with my boys during some of the colder days when I wouldn't be able to work outside. It probably doesn't make any sense for me to stop working on the Triton, so this is just a preliminary idea.

A couple of designs I have considered so far:

The Spindrift 10 or Spindrift 11 built in the nested option:

http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/spin.htm

The Chesapeake Light Craft Eastport Pram:
http://www.clcboats.com/boats/eastportp ... f761d5673/

Also, CLC Passagemaker:

http://www.clcboats.com/boats/passagema ... 9b8359b6//

My brother, who has more cruising experience than I do, believes nested dinghies are an interesting concept but not worth the trouble of stowing on deck. The Passagemaker is probably unsuitable for the Triton because of it's size (the larger section is a little over 7').

I'd love to hear of anyone who has built a dinghy with other design ideas or opinions about those above. Maybe I'll end up buying a production boat anyway, so opinions about those are also appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

[Figment]

The more I see CLC boats in person, the less I like them. It's a kit boat, in the true "flap A and slot B" sense of the word, and it shows.

My next dinghy (not such a far-off prospect anymore) might be a Nutshell pram. But that may be more of a varnish-polish-and-treat-very-gently boat than I realistically can have as a dinghy.

Or perhaps Dave Gerr's "Nester", though to my knowlege no one has yet rigged one of these for sail.

If not a nester, then probably the "D5" by bateau.com, though I've heard that there's an improved version of this one on the boards.

[jhenson]

Figment,

I have Dave Gerr's book. Which, if I remember, has a table of offsets for the nested dinghy. But, having a sailing dinghy for my youngsters to sail is probably high on the list of options. I love the looks of Ian Oughtred's Auk though I think it would take more time to build:

http://home.wanadoo.nl/maarten.adriaans/hoofdindex.htm

Joe

[Peter]

I built a "Rachel" stitch and glue pram
http://www.riparia.org/rachel.html
and an Ian Oughtred designed Acorn 8' dinghy.

The Acorn turned out so nice I was afraid to use it, so I sold it.


The 'Rachel', made from scrap 1/4" fir ply and sheathed with 6oz glass cloth and epoxy, is my favorite. It rows well, tows well, and is all I need to get to shore in.

[bcooke]

Ask me in a couple of days.

My nutshell has been slowly coming together for about a year and a half (the Triton project sorta got in the way) but in the next day or two I will have the nutshell in the water and can give you a performance report. I have never heard a bad thing about the nutshell but I can't offer personal experience yet.

I can talk about building the nutshell though. It was pretty straight forward, not too tough as long as you don't have super high expectations about your ability to build beautiful boats (maybe you can, I can't). It did take longer than I expected even accounting for the major distractions. Just like your Triton project, you won't save money by building it yourself but it is a great feeling to see sheets of plywood (and a lot of cash) turn into a boat.

I didn't add the sailing option to my nutshell. I just ran out of time (I need it Saturday). One thing I realized though; there isn't room over the coach roof of a Triton to store it. Well, it would fit but it would hang over the companionway a little more than I would like. Next time, or maybe next year, I thought I would cut the nutshell in half at the midships frame and make it a nest-able dinghy. It would be a pretty easy modification. So many projects, so little time...

Interesting about the CLC boats. I haven't seen them up close myself but I always thought they would be pretty nice. They look nice in the sales brochures and I was anchored next to the vice president of the company when he was teaching a course in Brooklin Maine at the WoodenBoat school and he seemed like a pretty nice guy so I always thought I would buy one of his boats someday...

-Britton

[jhenson]

Peter,

That boat is just lovely! Can you comment on how labor intensive you found the boat to be? I have Ian's book on lapstrake construction, but haven't read it for some time. For some reason, his latest plans catalog that I have omit the Acorn 8' dinghy and have the 8' Auk instead, but I don't know if there are any changes to it (they look the same to me).


Joe

[A30_John]

Over the winter I built an FB 11 nesting dinghy designed by Evan Gatehouse. The plans are sold by bateau.com. I launched it last week to try it out and mark the waterline for painting. It is a very nice dinghy.

The designer put some of my launch pictures on his web site. Go to the following URL and click the Pictures link. Those pictures show the dinghy with its gray primer. I now have it painted, and will be using it on the water this weekend.

http://www.boatplans-online.com/proddet ... ?prod=FB11

By the way, there is also a picture on that site of a person rowing an earlier version of the FB 11. Since that picture was taken, the boat was redesigned slightly with the addition of more freeboard. That was a good improvement.

[Peter]

Can you comment on how labor intensive you found the boat to be?

Joe: I believe the 'Acorn' and the 'Auk' are very similar, if not the same boat.

It was quite labor intensive compared to the stitch and glue pram. Making a pattern for each plank and all the related epoxy work took time. I did one strake on each side every second day so the epoxy had a chance to harden before the clamps came off.
The backbone and stem are white oak, and the thwarts are Philippine mahogany. She weighs about 110 lbs ... a little heavy for a tender.

My idea of a tender is something that's inexpensive, tough, and tows/rows well. With a minimal investmen it's nice not to have to worry about it getting scratched, lost, or stolen. And the uglier it is the less likely it is to disappear.

[jhenson]

John,

Do you have an idea of where the FB 11 will stow on the Alberg 30 (and how you'll secure it on deck)? Also, are you fitting her with the sail option ? Have you tried launching it and retrieving it yet on the A-30?

I agree with Peter's idea of a dink. I really don't want anything that I would have to fuss about. Instead, I would prefer to use the time to keep the mother ship in shape. The Auk, though very beautiful, has never really been much of a consideration for me. Indeed, I would like this to be as simple as possible since I would be doing this as a father/son project with my boys.

We have very light breezes in the summer months on the Chesapeake, so a nested dinghy is a concept that interests me. Being lazy sometimes by nature, I know that I'll just tow it if the process of assembly or launch/retrieval is overly complex. That's why it is so nice to hear your insights on this concept since you have completed one!

Joe

[A30_John]

Joe,

I also agree with Peter's idea of a no fuss dinghy.

In deciding what to do about a dinghy, I had three major requirements.. it must be tough, as light as possible, and launch/retrieveable by one person.

To make it tough, I put a layer of glass cloth over the 1/4" marine ply inside and out. That brought the weight up a bit, but not too bad. The total is 88 lbs - about 48 for the rear, and about 40 for the front. That's something I think I can wrestle with. We'll see. Somehow, I need to be able to launch and retrieve it myself because I singlehand a lot. I'd like to be able to do it without resorting to halyards to lift the pieces.

For launch, the designer suggests putting it together on deck and throwing it over the lifelines - probably not realistic for a singlehander. So I made a few design mods to enable the halfs to be launched separately and assembled in the water. We'll see how that goes.

I plan to tow it most of the time, so I anticipate it will stay assembled most of the season. However, where I sail it is important to be able to get it on deck when the conditions dictate. As yet, I don't know for sure how I'll do it. I'll probably take it apart in the water, and pull up the halves one at a time. I'm hoping they will fit nested on the cabin between the dodger and mast. It's going to be a close call. That would leave the foredeck clear. If not, I met a guy recently who stows a nested dinghy on the foredeck of his Triton and he says he can still get around ok. This weekend I will be experimenting with it.

I found the boat straightforward to build. I decided not to build the sailing option because I wanted to keep the weight down. If I decide I can live with the extra weight, and I can't live without a sail, I'll retrofit it later.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Tim]

For what it's worth:

Sailing rigs are fun in concept, but in practice are less likely to be used. I think with kids on the boat, the sailing rig might be a great thing to have while cruising, but if you're like me and like to relax when cruising, I find the sailing rig on our Fatty Knees to be too much to bother with many times.

That's not to say it's hard to set up--it's easy once all the pieces and parts have been pulled from their various storage locations. This is the real deal-breaker; on the tiny Triton, the mast (2 pieces and boom), sail, rudder, and daggerboard have to be stowed all over the place and in some tight quarters, so it can be just too much sometimes.

Usually, just kicking back and relaxing in the cockpit wins...or just going out for a row. I've used the sailing rig maybe half a dozen times in 4 seasons of fairly extensive cruising.

It's nice to have, but isn't the end-all by any means. When I use it, it's fun. For kids, it would be great, I think.

[A30_John]

That was kind of my thinking too. I thought if I wanted to sail, I could just sail the A30. With regard to storing gear, I'm a minimalist, and as it is, I'm wondering where I'll stow the 6.5' oars and the seats.

Tim, two questions: Do you stow your Fatty Knees on deck?

And do you have an outboard for it? If so, what kind? I was thinking of either a Honda 2HP 4 stroke, or a Nissan/Tohatsu 3.5 hp 2 stroke.

[Tim]

I didn't mean to hijack this thread away from its core topic, but...

I've never tried to fit the FK on deck. It might fit forward of the mast, but unless I were passagemaking, I'd not try. We tow the dink on a long heavy line, and have had no issues. Note that we also avoid nasty conditions at nearly all costs, particularly for Heidi's sake.

Sadly, I am not a minimalist, and we carry too much crap on the boat. The daggerboard and rudder fit in the starboard cockpit locker, but much of the locker's contents must be removed to pull them out. The mast and boom stow in a bag on deck, lashed along the rail.



I have a Tohatsu 3.5 HP engine with the forward and neutral gears. I have been pleased with this engine. Last year was the first year we really used it extensively; the year before, we never cruised to speak of, as I was building the boat barn at that time.

I considered the Honda 2, but I find the noise they make irritating, and not much quieter than the also-irritating sound (but somehow more familiar and therefore OK) of the small 2-strokes. For the price premium required to buy the Honda, I didn't think it was enough of an improvement.

The forward/neutral is a very worthwhile option, particularly with a hard dink. I found the best price, at the time, at www.onlineoutboards.com. The Tohatsu, which, as we all know, is the same as the Nissan, was significantly less money than the Nissan.

I use the outboard in large harbors, or for utility/errand days. I like to row, but sometimes it's nice to have the engine too. It's light and stows easily on the pulpit.

[A30_John]

The prices at onlineoutboards.com are very reasonable - thanks for the link. I think I'll get the 3.5 Tohatsu. But first I must sell the 2003 Suzuki 6hp 4 stroke w/charging unit that I used as a kicker on my previous sailboat (shameless promotion). It's a great outboard, but too heavy for my dinghy!

Tim, how long is the line that you use to tow your dinghy? I'm going to HM in the morning to buy some polypro line for that purpose. A recommendation on thickness would be welcome too. I note you said "heavy" in your post.

Thanks...

[Tim]

My dinghy weighs 88 pounds empty. Since I knew that it would be unlikely that we'd ever haul it on deck, I found some 1/2" (I think) line in the "scrap" bin at WM some years ago (you know, the end of a reel that they coil up and hang nearby). It's probably 30' of usable length, plus knots. We tow quite far back most of the time. I ran the line through some hose as chafe gear where it attaches to the bow ring.

I also have a shorter line with a carabiner at the end that I use in port and at docks; the line is probably 5-6', and 3/8" in diameter. It's handy for just clipping the dingy to the mothership, or to the dinghy dock, so that I don't have to use the bulky tow line.

I know people recommend polypro for tow lines, but I hate the stuff. It's so slippery, and averse to holding knots. The advantage is that it floats, but I just shorten my tow line when coming to anchorage to prevent the line from getting sucked beneath the boat. Not a big deal. Even floating line can (and will) get sucked below the surface when backing down, eventually.

[Rachel]

While we're on the subject of dinghies/towing, I'd like to ask you an additional Fatty Knees towing question, Tim.

I've got an older Fatty Knees 7-footer that I've used pretty extensively as a cruising dinghy (love it) but have never towed. One of my summer projects is to get it ready for possible towing, in addition to a few other fix-ups it needs.

I believe I will want to add reinforcement inside the bow, but first I need to decide where to locate the towing ring. Right now it has a small forged ring mounted pretty low on the stem (nearly at the waterline), that might be original but I'm not sure, and an obviously-added strap eye on the flat bit of the stem up near the gunwale.

My first impulse was to go with the lower position (and I believe that may be where they put them on the new models), but, if I remember correctly, Bruce Bingham (Sailor's Sourcebook?) recommends mounting it up higher on the stem. Apparently, he has towed his Trinka extensively, even offshore (hard to fit on the coach-roof of a Flicka, I'm sure).

I could wait to get my own boat, then try towing the Fatty Knees; but then I'll have much bigger projects on my list, so I'd love to get the dinghy fixed up now.

So, Tim (or any other Fatty Knees towers), I'd love to hear where your towing eye is mounted, and how you like it there. Also, I'm curious how they've backed it up in the newer models.

Thanks
--- Rachel

[A30_John]

Thanks for the suggestions Tim. I like the idea of using two lines - one for towing, the other for a painter. I'll try that configuration. Today's the day I'll be trying 'er out!

Rachel, I don't know about the handling characteristics of the FK dinghy specifically, but I believe the favored position for the towing eye on most dinghies is lower on the bow. I understand that is the preferred location for towing because it helps keep the bow riding higher which makes it less likely to dig in. The usual reason for mounting a bow eye higher on the bow is to make it easier for a person to reach down and connect a winch cable when putting the boat on a trailer. This would apply to larger, frequently trailered craft, and probably doesn't apply to most yacht tenders. It sounds like got the location just right on your FK.

[jhenson]

John,

Thanks for posting your thoughts on nested dinghies. I guess that other than some added minor complications with building them, I can't see a lot of negatives with nested dinghies provided the hull does not compromise on load capacity, weight, or towing characteristics (even if they are towed most of the time). The various designs out there seem reasonable in this reguard, but actual observations are most valuable. I would love to hear your continued thoughts after using it for a while.

My kids probably like my brother's dink as much as any part of being on the water. Otherwise, I would not consider the sail option as well. Further, at my boys ages, the sailing properties are of little consequence. Some designs, like the CLC Passagemaker (with its sloop rig), seem like the most fun for my kids as they grow older, but the larger hull section is about twice as long as the nested section making it the same size to stow as an 8' dinghy.

Thanks again,

Joe

[Tim]

Rachel,

The eye on my FK is about 2/3 the way down the stem, 8-10" above the waterline. Generally, you need the eye quite far down to pull the bow up, as was said earlier.



The Trinka is a very different design than the FK, and maybe it tows differently, but I'd stick with your original ring.

I'm pretty sure my towing ring is just a U-bolt through the stem, with washers behind. I can't really get in there, but I do have to occasionally tighten the nuts, particularly the bottom one. I can't get a socket to fit on it, which probably means the builder couldn't either...and that's why it comes loose all the time. I can try for a picture later.

[Rachel]

Some designs, like the CLC Passagemaker (with its sloop rig), seem like the most fun for my kids as they grow older, but the larger hull section is about twice as long as the nested section making it the same size to stow as an 8' dinghy.

Yes, I was sorry to see that the CLC Passagemaker's halves were uneven in size, making the "large half" as difficult to stow as an 8-foot, non-nester. I'm sure they had their reasons though. I love my 7-footer for its cabin-top stowability, and it is a great gear-and-people hauler - better than you'd think for its size - but it's a bit cramped for sailing with two adults.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone stowed a 7' hard dinghy on the Triton's cabin-top? Does it fit? Looks close in the scale drawing, when I've tried it that way.

--- Rachel

[A30_John]

Joe,

I've launched and tested my dinghy.

http://www.roundthecorner.com/fb11/launched2.jpg

Here are my preliminary observations of this boat.

1) Rowing - very good. It rows very nicely. This is probably attributable to the dinghy's pronounced rocker. I enjoy rowing immensely, and this boat rows better than I expected for a 10' dinghy. It would be better if the oars were 1-2" higher above the water to avoid inadvertantly dipping/spashing the oars in the water on the back stroke, especially when it's rough. If anyone knows of a source of oarlocks that have that additional height built in, please let me know.

2) Towing - Good at slow speeds, poor at higher speeds. At slow speeds (up to about 4-5 knots) it tows straight and true. At about 5 knots, the hull starts digging in causing a large wake and a lot of drag. At 7 knots, it squats down hard enough for water to be forced up between the hull halves, and the dinghy slowly but surely starts filling with water. I tried towing on a long painter, a short painter, and just about everthing in between and got the same effect. I suspect this squatting is due to the rocker of the hull (the design feature that makes it row well). This is probably a blessing in disguise because towing a dinghy behind a larger vessel that is under sail is a practice I'm not comfortable with. First, it takes a performance toll on the sailing vessel which I don't find acceptable, and second it can become a problem when conditions deteriorate. Here's the good news...

3) Stowage on deck - excellent. With a few modifications to the design, it is easy to make the dinghy so it can be taken apart and assembled while in the water. Once apart, it's manageable to just pull the halves up on deck separately, and stow the dinghy in its nested configuration. It took me 17 minutes from the moment I started thinking about stowing the dinghy to the moment I put the last knot in the lashings. I figure this time can be decreased substantially with a little practice and a well thought out system for lashing to the deck. To launch, I hang each part over the lifelines and drop them in separately. Then I put it together in the water. It is a surprisingly straightforward operation, and for me a preferred alternative to towing.

4) Stability - very good. I can stand up on the middle seat of the dinghy, grab a shroud for balance, and easily board the mother vessel without a ladder. Fully loaded with two people and a week's worth of cruising gear it feels safe and stable.

5) Nesting - excellent. Here's where this dinghy really shines. When nested on the foredeck it's barely noticable. And there is still enough room to safely manouver on the foredeck. For me there was another important benefit of nesting - without the nesting feature, I wouldn't have been able to get the dinghy out of the basement after it was built. ;-)

http://www.roundthecorner.com/fb11/ondeck1.jpg

http://www.roundthecorner.com/fb11/ondeck2.jpg

[Rachel]

The eye on my FK is about 2/3 the way down the stem, 8-10" above the waterline. Generally, you need the eye quite far down to pull the bow up, as was said earlier.

Tim,

Thanks for the FK towing-eye info and photo. It looks to be in about the same place as one of mine (the lower one), so I'll choose that location to beef up. The original is just a small eye with a single bolt - it is forged, but still has an awfully small footprint with just the one fastener.

I've purchased a U-bolt similar to yours which I'll install - I haven't really poked around inside the bow compartment (anticipating a bit of difficulty here...), but I've also bought a replacement for the (cracked) round deck plate, so I'll take advantage of the wee bit larger hole when I have the old one out. Perhaps fiberglassing in backing is overkill; I may just go with some sort of fitted backing block held in place by the fasteners.

At any rate, it's good to have the info and know that I'm putting it in the right place - the Trinka's different hull shape must have something to do with Bingham's high-eye recommendation.

--- Rachel

[bcooke]

Okay, follow up on the nutshell.

They row very easy like a scull.
They track straight like a whitehall.
They spin on their axis like one of those aluminum saucers we used as kids to go sledding on.
They tow like they are on rails.

Obviously, I am pretty happy with mine.

My old aluminum skiff isn't though. When I turned my head it immediately smacked the side of the nutshell a couple of times and knocked some paint off. The first chastisement didn't take apparently so the next time I turned away it smacked into the Triton a couple of times and scarred up the hull. Good thing I still have "Paint Hull" on the project list. From now on the aluminum skiff is banished to the dinghy dock where it sits in the mud every low tide.

-Britton

[A30_John]

Britton,

Do you have any photos of your nutshell? :-D

I can wait to hear how your "nestingization" of the nutshell goes. It's giving me ideas for my project this coming winter...

[jhenson]

John,

Your observations are most appreciated! I 'm inclined to try a nesting dinghy based on you comments. I enjoyed seeing your pictures as well, especially the on deck stowage ones.

I was wondering if you might comment on constructing the mechanism that joins the two halves together, and how you modified the plans to make it easier to join them. Also, what kind of plywood did you use when building the boat?

Your dinghy looks great!

Joe

[bcooke]

Britton,

Do you have any photos of your nutshell?

Well, yes, but I have no way of posting them at the moment. I can't find a computer that I can upload my photos into. If I can get a private internet connection again I will put a few photos up.

Making a nutshell nest shouldn't be too hard but I need to look at how the fixed forward and aft thwarts will interfere with each other. The actual project should be pretty easy. Just make two transoms in the middle of the boat using one of the station molds or center frame drawing as a pattern. Install the two transoms next to each other and then saw the hull between them. A couple of bolts connecting the new transoms and you are done. A nesting dinghy is really just two boats bolted together after all.

Some of the other dinghy designs look nicer but when a pointed bow is put in they become necessarily bigger (and heavier) boats. The pram is great because you can get the same handling and load carrying capability out of a smaller boat. That is why I went with the nutshell.

-Britton

[A30_John]

Joe,

The method for joining the halves varies a lot depending on what dinghy you're building. On the type I built, the designer specified two sets of bolts, one along the bottom of the transoms and another along the sides. Neoprene washers keep the water out. In addition, the middle seat adds strength by clamping the two halves together.

I wasn't happy with holes below the waterline because I wanted to be able to launch/retrieve the dinghy in halves and this means putting it together in the water - not a good thing with holes below the waterline. So I made tapered plugs and glassed them on the front half of the dinghy and made corresponding holes for them to slide into in the rear half. The plugs keep everything in position while pulling the halves of the boat together and installing the bolts and seat. The details of the plugs will depend on the type of dinghy being built, the tolerances of your particular dinghy when nested etc. Note, if assembly on dry land or on the deck of your boat is possible, then the plugs are unnecessary. You can just use bolts.

There is a commercially available nesting dinghy that uses fancy connectors.

http://www.niccollslite.net/page3.html

They are very nice looking dinghies.

I built my dinghy out of 1/4'' marine ply (Okume) with one layer of glass cloth inside and out for additional abrasion resistance. The cloth isn't specified by the designer and the dinghy definitely weighs more as a result. But I'm glad I did it.

Good luck with your decision/building project. BTW, there's an article entitled Looking for a Better Way in Good Old Boat Magazine, September/October 2003 about a guy that made a real nice nesting dinghy out of wood strips and epoxy.

Britton, the above link might give you an idea of what needs to be done to your rear thwart if you make your nutshell into a nesting dinghy. Whatever you have in the front should be ok. When I think of the damage you'd have to do to your dinghy to get it to nest, it might be better to build a new one from scratch with nesting in mind. Especially if you did a nice job of your current dinghy. :-) Have fun. Those nutshell dinghies are awesome!

[bcooke]

When I think of the damage you'd have to do to your dinghy to get it to nest, it might be better to build a new one from scratch with nesting in mind.

You are probably right. I have too many things on my mind and not enough brain cells to cover it all. With a little more thought I would realize the rediculousness of my nesting idea. Living with the nutshell on the foredeck is probably a saner approach.

Especially if you did a nice job of your current dinghy.

Well, let's leave it at an "adequate" job on the current dingy. I got rushed in the end and I really didn't have the talent to begin with :-)

Have fun. Those nutshell dinghies are awesome!

You are right there. Easily the best dinghy I have ever owned or operated. It does hurt a bit every time I have to drag it up on the rocky beach though. I really want to jump out in waist deep water and flip it over my head and carry it ashore so as not to scratch the bottom.

-Britton

[Tom Young]

Taken two years ago. I built it when our kids were babies, we had outgrown an 8' plywood pram that we had dragged to the Bahamas and back, twice.

This is the 9'6" version and it has been an amazing workhorse with alot of displacement when loaded. It has pulled huge loads when needed, safely but when really overloaded it becomes a chore to row.

With a couple of adults and gear, it glides effortlessly under oar or sail.

It's taught 2 kids and a spouse what if feels like to sail(big boats can't do that as well), it's never turned over and very safe for kids. We have begun to outgrow it though as our family of 4 has become near adults.

I built it out of fir plywood and pine with the plans. It's sprung two seams over the years, been dragged miles over granite and it really needs a full stripping and refinish but it's still strong.

While I admit it's breaking the rules, we have never had this or the 8' pram(tender to our 28' Cape Dory) on deck. Only a couple of times did this practice become a problem and was corrected by extending the painter in following seas. Prams seem to survive the worst conditions on a long painter as their bows don't dig into the waves.

[CharlieJ]

Way late on this discussion but-

I've built several CLC boats for customers, including the Eastport Pram. Whether they look like "Tab A into slot B" depends on the builder- the kits just have precut parts, nicely precut by the way. HOW those parts get put together is what makes a real boat or a piece of junk.

For myself, for our 21 foot sloop I built a B and B Yacht designs Minipaw. She's 6'6" and was the largest boat I could take onto the foredeck of the sloop should I really need to do so. Never have had to- During our recent trip to Florida and return we towed the mini some 1600 miles, including in some snotty stuff in Mississippi Sound- NEVER had a problem. BUT- the Mini is strictly a rowing boat- no way to put a sail on her.

I have by the way, had over 450 pounds of payload in ours and still had over 6 inches of freeboard.

Now- for our NEXT dinghy, I intend to build a BandB Spindrift 10N- the nesting version. You can assemble it while afloat, and it nests in 4.5 feet. Should fit fine on our foredeck IF we need it there. The BIG advantage and the reason I'll go away from the Mini, is that the S10 can be rowed, powered and sailed, and in conversations with Graham, I understand she sails EXTREMELY well. In fact, that design is his own personal favorite (he doesn't use the nesting version though)

Here's a shot of our MiniPaw in the living room - Laura was trying to varnish the rubrails and the wind was playing havoc with her varnish so she brought the boat into the living room to varnish it. Gotta love a lady like that!!!

[jhenson]

Charlie,

I now have the plans to the Spindrift 10N. I looks like a pretty neat design and a lot of fun to build. I don't forsee starting it until the weather gets cold around here with the amount of work ahead of me on my Triton.

Joe

[CharlieJ]

lol- yeah well- I want to order the plans for this winter but I've got a customers Core Sound 17 in the shop to finish plus I HAVE to build a shop at my house this fall. The people I share a building with are both 65 and closing the sailboat shop in the front half. I'm almost that age myself and I don't want to carry the whole place myself, so a shop at the house is MANDATORY.

Once that's done though, I can see a 10 taking shape here.

Of course, we've also got a CLC design 18 foot sharpie, cat ketch, that Laura wants me to change into a trimaran like the Seapearl tris- so maybe THAT gets done first- depends on how much pressure she exerts don'cha'know?

Ah - so many boats, so little time *grin*