SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Low-Buck Dinghies- Lets See 'em!

14K views 48 replies 25 participants last post by  troy2000 
#1 · (Edited)
The Low-buck thread has proven to be a great home for little projects for little money. This is the home for bragging about little boats for little money.
Bought one?
Built one?
Rebuilt one?
The only rules are:
1. Investment under $399*
2. Pics or it didn't happen.

Here's mine:



let's see yours.

*Upon reflection the budget has been increased... still half the cost (or less) of most new dinghies.
 
See less See more
1
#30 ·
Damn, it has been so long since I've uploaded pictures to this site I no longer remember how. And, I cannot find the directions.

$399 for a dinghy doesn't seem like a noteworthy achievement as I have three for far less: a nice 8' "Dink" acquired for $150, a 9.4 Watertender for $200 with a title, and the latest project that I tried to post an image of - a 12' Pearson Petrel with rig that still requires much work but is solid, for a whopping $2.68 off ebay (it has oarlocks but at 140# I doubt anyone would want it for rowing).
 
#31 ·
I'm sure I don't need to post a picture, we got our Walker bay 8' for $300 in new condition after our other dinghy was stolen. I then paid $180 for a complete sail kit for it. (used twice)
 
#33 · (Edited)
Ive got a 9'6" Larson tender that I have been patching up for about the last month or so. Got it from a fella whose yard it had been sitting in for close to a decade. I traded a bottle of slightly used rum for the piece. It was stored outside, upside down. The skeg had begun to rot, and so had the top of the transom.

I chiseled out the old wood in the skeg.


cleaned it, filled it with expanding foam (Not a choice I would repeat)


glassed the bottom. (X3)


cut out old, rotten top of transom, beveled old and new treated wood.
bondo filled it, Glassed it, (X2, patches..)



painted it. (X1.5 spray cans rustoleum)


Shes a heavy one, so I found these little wheels and got 1' of free 1/2" piping from a plumber friend (thanks joe!). Bolted 6" pipes vertically in the corners of the transom to slip the wheels into, they happened to fit perfectly!



Im into the project about $100. Evercoat epoxy resin, hardener and cloth being the most costly.

...Ill let you all know when she sinks.
 
#35 · (Edited)
Michael.. I embedded your pics using the IMG code instead of the URL link.

Chartruese,, maybe downsize those pics a bit?? ;)

Took me awhile to dig these old pics up.. some 26 or more years back a friend and I decided to build our own dinghy, so we started out with making a female mold.. the first hull 'stuck' so it became the plug for a new all glass mold, after which hulls 2 and 3 were built ending the production run. All three boats are still around.

These projects cost more in sweat equity than anything, along with a steep learning curve but our boys learned to row and sail in them. My buddy still has his, we sold ours some time back. Hull #1, about 10 lbs heavier, is still around too. This was my own design, an attempt to split the difference between an Opti and a Sabot...

The first wouldn't have cost more than 400 in materials and we all got our money's worth by the time we were done. (btw this little guy turns 31 in a few weeks :eek:)



 
  • Like
Reactions: jimgo
#39 ·
Michael.. I embedded your pics using the IMG code instead of the URL link.

Chartruese,, maybe downsize those pics a bit?? ;)

Took me awhile to dig these old pics up.. some 26 or more years back a friend and I decided to build our own dinghy, so we started out with making a female mold.. the first hull 'stuck' so it became the plug for a new all glass mold, after which hulls 2 and 3 were built ending the production run. All three boats are still around.

These projects cost more in sweat equity than anything, along with a steep learning curve but our boys learned to row and sail in them. My buddy still has his, we sold ours some time back. Hull #1, about 10 lbs heavier, is still around too. This was my own design, an attempt to split the difference between an Opti and a Sabot...

The first wouldn't have cost more than 400 in materials and we all got our money's worth by the time we were done. (btw this little guy turns 31 in a few weeks :eek:)

A worthy project - and a great picture of the kid.
 
#36 ·
I really like the side benches on those Faster. My Dyer Dhow only has crossways benches and doesn't really leave good room to sit in while sailing. I'm usually sort of lying down under the boom.

Did you make those kick-up rudders, or are they pulled from something else?
 
#37 ·
We bought the rigs and rudders from a local dinghy manufacturer.. ended up cutting those rigs as shown down a bit, actually. The side benches/flotation tanks were quite deliberate, also the cross seats simply lifted out for sailing We made our own daggerboards. These little boats were great fun and we learned a lot.
 
#38 ·
The E Minor. Bought from my buddy who made it for $100. He had sold his boat and was moving to Texas. Need some clean up but going to give it a whirl this year. He also made the sails.



 
#44 · (Edited)
Paid $112 for this on Amazon.com. Still haven't used it yet. Bought a motor mount for $17 and a trolling motor for $80. Plan to use it to take our toy poodle to shore while cruising this summer. Use only on protected waters. Planning to convert it from tiller to wheel steering. :p :laugher

 
#45 ·
I'm considering a D5 dinghy because the plans are free and it looks easy to build. That Pippee is looking nice though.
I liked my D5. One thing I was looking for in the plans that I am building now, is for a longitudinal bench. There isn't any way to balance the boat in the D5, or other boats with tranverse benches. OTOH, the D5 rows a lot staighter with a passenger in the back.
 
#47 ·
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top