Dinghy completed!

M

matt_unique

New member
I've been chipping away at building a dinghy this winter and finally installed the final trim and hardware. It's finished!

I look forward to the first splash. Here are the pics from the construction. The only remaining step is to have a Fisheries inspector come out for the inspection and to assign a hull id number. (Anything with an engine needs to be registered).

I'm very pleased with how it came out. It's wired with an AGM motorcycle battery to run the small bilge on a float. I used Okume plywood for the hull, sides, and transom. I used S2S Fir for the stem, seats, and frames.

I will be running this with my 3.3 HP engine and oars for backup of course. I plan to keep it in the water and use it run back and forth to my mooring. For ship to shore at other locations I will continue to carry my inflatable on the roof.

The building method I used was "screw and glue". I have built two other dinghy's in the past via the "stitch and glue" method. It's a fun little winter project that will be practical to use. It's dramatically cheaper to go to West Marine and spend $400 on a plastic dinghy but of course a hand-made boat will look nicer and offer a sense of accomplishment. Materials in total are pretty close to $1000 and chipping away at it will take you a few months.
 
Captain Matt;

That is a wonderful job. I'm really impressed by the craftsmanship and finish you did.

Do you plan to tow it behind Napoleon or is it just for rowing?

Boris
 
journey on":34bfy9ng said:
Captain Matt;

That is a wonderful job. I'm really impressed by the craftsmanship and finish you did.

Do you plan to tow it behind Napoleon or is it just for rowing?

Boris
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Thanks for the kind words Boris!

I may tow it if I need a dinghy at a nearby island but it will mostly be used to power back and forth between the dock and my mooring. For longer cruises on Napoleon I would carry my inflatable dinghy on the roof.
 
Matt!! people like you make me sick sick sick :amgry :amgry It just not fair! You do such beautiful work and I am so clumsy. Wah. Did you work from plans or your own design? Lovely thing.
 
Ha ha - modest space is a great way to describe it! Several times I would be carrying something and trip and land against the wall. Funny stuff...yes I should have done a more thorough job of clearing out space.

Thanks for the kind replies.

During a weekend at Woods Hole on Napoleon last summer we came across a boat building workshop. I spoke to the builders and they explained their current project was a "screw and glue" design. I really liked the lines and decided I wanted to build something similar. I researched providers of 'screw and glue' small boat plans and found a guy in Maine that sold them. Prior to this one I used stitch and glue plans to make pram's.
 
Captains Cat":208s1j0a said:
Very nice Matt. Looks like a professional job in all respects! Let us know if it floats... :shock: :lol:


Charlie
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Ha ha! I'm looking for a volunteer for the first splash - a former Navy Captain would do a great job I'm sure :lol:
 
Looks Good! Thanks for taking the time to take and post photos.
We've built a couple stitch & glue kayaks but know nothing about modern screw & glue construction. If (when) you build another boat which method do you 'spose you'll use?
Does the fella that sold you the plans have a website?
Thank's in advance.

Steve & Adrienne
 
Speaking of "first splashes", I have an invitation to the Launching of ARLINGTON LPD 24 at the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula MS that I cannot use. If any brats local to that area would like to go, PM or e-mail me and I'll see if I can't get it to you.

Matt, you don't want me, I helped launch the Titanic... :shock:

Charlie
 
The finished product looks fantastic (now just keep up that varnish!). Maybe make cover?.

As I told Matt my father made a dinghy which was similar about 1934. He sold his boat about 1979, and that dinghy went with it, still in good condition. He had put copper sheathing over the edge at the chine initially, later he took that off, and laid fiberglass tape over the chine area. It had been used regularly in the interum as a shore dinghy, mostly at Catalina Island.
 
Doryman":1eb945wl said:
Now that you have done both stitch & glue and screw & glue, which do you like more and why?

Warren
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I have to say I prefer screw and glue. The basic difference was screw and glue required beveling and stitch and glue required epoxy paste filet's. If you have a basic table saw the beveling would be a snap. I have only hand tools and had to measure out angles (or eyeball) and probably had to do a bit more sanding to get the correct angles so everything fit nice and clean.

Stitch and glue requires tons more epoxy resin to make the paste for the seams. Screw and glue requires stainless steel screws and the sizes required are not available at Home Depot for example.

The plans I used called for bending of the chine boards. When looking at the curvature from stem to stern you would think it is impossible to bend the roughly 8' piece of fur that far without snapping it in half. I had to push the dinghy shell against the wall to brace it so I could place enough force to make the bend. I mean you are pushing with a lot of might to make this bend. The plans did not call for steaming. I used a rubber mallet to tap it in as I went along as well. The chines are one of my favorite pieces though and I wanted to call attention to the nice bend and shape and stained the top portion to retain the natural wood.
 
Chester":p7d4i96o said:
Looks Good! Thanks for taking the time to take and post photos.
We've built a couple stitch & glue kayaks but know nothing about modern screw & glue construction. If (when) you build another boat which method do you 'spose you'll use?
Does the fella that sold you the plans have a website?
Thank's in advance.

Steve & Adrienne
Click to expand...

I purchased the plans from a place I was referred to called: http://www.shoestringshipyard.com/

I will say I did not care for the owner Paul, he was super rude when I contacted him to get important data missing from the plans. I would not do business with him again.

For the stitch and glue dinghy's I used a great placed called http://www.bateau.com/ The owner Jacques was always incredibly helpful.

I wish Bateau offered screw and glue plans. The next time I build I will use screw and glue though.

Once I figured out the missing data/dimensions it was really a great project.
 
Chester":970e6v9h said:
What did you use on the gunwales? It appears to mimic rope but looks solid in the pictures.

Steve & Adrienne
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I found the rope looking rubrail in the interior trim section at Hope Depot. I stained it to match the seats and other natural wood pieces. It takes time to get the stain into every crevice but looks nice when completed. The resemblance to rope is just what caught my eye!
 
One comment about fasteners: silicone bronze is the fastener of choice in screws in wooden boat construction--but copper (hard) ring nails are also often used as fasteners in this type of boat construction.
 
capt. mattie my boy,
outstanding job.
you would make norm abram proud. i'm sure you and your family will have many hours of fun aboard your new vessel.
congrats and best regards
pat

ps: didn't get back to you regarding a radar system as our son presented us with a c-80 for our christmas gift. we were very surprised and wished he hadn't done that but happy none the less.
 
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