small sailing dinghy?

[Frank Langer]

No, they don't heel over and fill with water. But watching one in our bay, it seemed to experience quite alot of leeway rather than tracking nicely, as if it needed a longer centreboard. A fellow sailor in our marina loves sailing his, but I haven't seen him in it to know if he also experiences leeway. Ours tows great behind our E30+, and I think they are great little boats, but I don't have a sail for ours.

Frank

 

[toddster]

No, they don't heel over and fill with water. But watching one in our bay, it seemed to experience quite alot of leeway rather than tracking nicely, as if it needed a longer centreboard. A fellow sailor in our marina loves sailing his, but I haven't seen him in it to know if he also experiences leeway. Ours tows great behind our E30+, and I think they are great little boats, but I don't have a sail for ours.

Frank

I notice that the factory kit has very little in the way of rigging - the sail just has a pocket sleeve that slips over the mast. Consequently, it can't be reefed or even furled when under way. I wonder if that has something to do with your observation.
Anyway, I have some moral objection to buying a $1000 sail kit for a $100 boat. I have a couple of worn-out jibs and rather than putting them up on CL I could possibly cut the top off of one and hem it to fit the dinghy. It should be easy to make some simple wooden spars and prototype daggerboards and rudders from plywood for experimental purposes.

 

[Christian Williams]

Yes, you could make a standing lug rig as I did for the Eastport pram (back a few messages). Laminated redwood mast from Home Depo 2x4s, pine boom and gaff, centerboard and kick-up rudder from scrap birch ply with epoxy/varnish. And it will look a good deal more handsome than that expensive aluminum and tubing "accessories" kit. Standing lug sail would be very easy to cut from any old crosscut sail. No need to reef--40 square feet isn't much, and you hike out by mavonig your arm a foot to weather. But do you have a centerboard trunk?

 

[Lucky Dog]

We have had students make stitch, glue, grind sailboats based on a Cape Frosty. A great idea that went into production a drove the price up. We built a small pram with sails for under $250, including sailing and rigging. The sails weren't pretty and only lasted a season or two but they were cheep. Think carpet tap and Tyvek.

 

[davisr]

Allow me to brag up the Eastport Pram from Chesapeake Light Craft. It's very light and great fun to sail. Two rowing stations, so you can carry two people ashore.
(There's also a construction time-lapse and a goofy Go-Pro video on my Vimeo site):

http://vimeo.com/50044096

Christian,

I tried to check out your two videos, but I could not get the videos to play. Do you have to have a vimeo account to see them?

Thanks,
Roscoe

 

[Christian Williams]

Sorry about that. If your computer can play any Vimeo (or Youtube) videos, they should play, as it's a public site. If Internet service slow, turn off HD. Also try https://vimeo.com/christianwill/videos

 

[davisr]

Christian,

I just watched your 7 Minute Construction video. That's a fantastic little movie - great background music, and I got to see just how many days and how many steps were involved in the process. Just so others know . . . I actually had to turn on HD to see the video.

At any rate . . . I'm guessing that since I didn't see any sawing on sheets of plywood that you bought the kit version, not just the instructions. Is that right?

How long would you say it took you total to make this boat. It look like maybe two to four weeks might have elapsed in the video.

Thanks,
Roscoe

 

[exoduse35]

Roscoe, Didn't you watch the movie? It only takes 7 minutes... but you have to move realy fast! (I think the speed you move makes you sweat a bunch, so you need several outfits to change into during the process) It is a beautiful craft, I wonder how well the nesting option would fit on my 35-2... gonna have to measure!

 

[Christian Williams]

My notes say I began the project on 6/24 and went sailing on 8/24. More than half the work is varnish and paint, the stitch and glue goes fast and furious.
I built the pram kit, but made the sailing components out of found materials (there are templates for cboard and rudder and mast in the kit plans). I bought the sail from CLC ($350).
Building this boat from plans would take a little longer than from the kit, but not present any more challenge, and wouldn't save all that much money.
Among the things I learned was what a delight a 60-pound boat is, compared even to the fibreglass El Toro I once used as a tender. And I also learned how fragile the Eastport pram is, compared to indestructible glass. Boy is it fun to sail! ( https://vimeo.com/53043788 )