Wood boat plans, tender

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bshillam

Member
I am just about done with my Dory build and thought I would pull from our vast base of knowledge and experience. I am looking for a cold molded, ply-epoxy plan. Several key features I am looking for,
1 light weight. Either light enough to be nested or held via davit.
2 large enough for two adults, occasionally three. 600 lbs capacity minimum
3 prefer power but able to row
4 no laps, easy build
I am thinking of building these as spec with custom colors. Not looking to make a killing, just enough to cover cost, plus a few shillings in my pocket. I would only be building as my time permits out of the garage or work shop. Thoughts?

Something similar to
http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=GV11
 
I built a 9ft Spindrift nesting dinghy a few years ago. Build info is here:

http://seaweed.thebilge.com/spindrift

The design is from B&B yacht designs. (http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/) They are a great outfit. The Spindrift plans come in 8-12ft and they can be built standard or nesting. They have lot of other designs. The "butterfly" method is REALLY easy.

Total weight of the 9N was about 80lbs if I remember right.

I think B&B are also now selling CNC cut kits for some of the designs. Worth a phone call to Graham for a chat
 
That Sprindrift 9 folding dinghy is certainly nice looking!

I would decide what type of boat you want. A go fast boat, or a practical dingy? We had RIB's on our bigger boats, but they were heavy--(12 1/2 foot RIB would carry 4 plus SCUBA gear or dogs--but required a 25 hp--with only 2 people a 15 hp would suffice. We carried both motors aboard)

For a slow cruising boat, a fast runabout is a very nice luxury, we used regularly. However on the C Dory, we tend to go fast on the bigger boat--and slow in the dinghy. We have owned several hard dinghys--and usually wanted them to be slow boats. (Sabot--a pram rowed or sailed, 2 hp motor max)--A 10 foot round chine early fiberglass boat with 4 hp and we still own a 9 foot Fatty Knees (never had a motor on it, but sail and 8 foot oars)--but it weighs 125 lbs!. I also owned a 6 foot and 8 foot flat bottom sharpie type of dinghy which my father and I made many years ago. The first 6 footer weight was only about 50 lbs, and was easily carried turtle style on your back. there was no thwart, just a very light 1/8" plywood sided and walled, floor board, which was about 2" thick and rested on frames. I made a centerboard well and sailing rig for the 8 footer, but it was also rowed. Neither of these were intended for motors.

The garvey is basically a flat bottomed punt--or square ended boat. The one you linked to has a bit of variable dead rise forward and will be fairly good in chop. But as the waves kick up, the boat will be a bit less seaworthy than a traditional bowed boat. Bateau.com also has a 10 foot Garvey which might be a better size; a bit lighter, and could be slightly modified to be a better boat for what you want. You could also make the Garvey in two pieces--but it will be heavier, and I would be reluctant to push it as hard with a motor.

I have really liked the stitch and glue construction. It is fast and easy. It also makes for a lighter boat. We did a 16 foot canoe, which weighed about 30 lbs (3mm high quality plywood, covered with glass). I have also owned fast boats 14 to 15 foot runabouts where the bottom was 1/4" ply and the sides were thinner--with a layer of glass, that can keep the weight down, and still have the strength necessary. A lot is in the engineering of the boat design.

Glen L also has a power Skiff in 12 & 14 feet stitch and glue--sort like a Hobie power skiff in its lines. That is a boat I like. You could make the 12 as a two part boat which nested, and a bit lighter than they plans call for. They take a 15 hp, but 5 to 8 will plane with a couple of people aboard.

If you were to put a clamp of nice varnished mahogany around the gunnel, it would be a beautiful skiff.
 
Chuckpacific":1s9uysen said:
Plus the sad fact about all inflatables is that sooner or later they all leak....maybe not much but enough that you need to constantly refill.
Click to expand...

That depends. We had both Achillies and Avon Hypalon boats which did not leak air in the periods we had them inflated--often 6 months at a time in daily use, with 15 to 25 hp outboards and full loads.

If you leave a PVC boat out in the sun, and over inflate it, or make a dumb mistake like I did recently with my Hobie Mirage i 9--they will leak.
 
After doing more research, no on the nesting. Looking for a less complicated build = time. I agree, a traditional bow not like a pram would probably suit my next build(s).
 
I have built (3) 8' dinghies. They are great winter projects! I used the Bateau D4 plans (now called D5) for the first two which were stitch and glue. My most recent build was from Shoestring Shipyard called the Seabug and this was using the 'screw and glue' build method. While I had a much better customer service experience with Bateau I much prefer screw and glue construction. I have some pics of my second D4 in page 1 of my album and then an album within page 4 of the Seabug.

All 3 boats could carry all the gear you need, were easy to row, and tracked nicely with my 3.3 HP engine. I prefer an inflatable to sit atop Napoleon for trips but otherwise I prefer a rigid dinghy.

Good luck with your research and build.
 
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