Dinghy Kits

[AA3NK]

One day, soon I hope, spring will come to New England and when it does I might need to get to my boat or from it, via water. After looking at inflatables and the various manufactured tenders and such the thought of building a pram or tender is becoming more appealing and viable.

Have some of you all purchased a pre-cut kit to construct a dink? There is an outfit in Annapolis with a slick looking advertisement for a pram but it sure seems to be pricey for what it is and what you get.

If you have some recommendations on obtaining plans or kits with pre cut ready to assemble deals, please share them.

I don't suppose that the tender needs to be a sailor, a simple oar lock rig will get lot done but a small outboard, under 6 HP, would be nicer.

Thanks,
Bob in Rockport

[sailingdog]

Hey Bob-

I'm up your neck of the woods all the time—if you're in Rockport, MA.

I would look on craigslist, as they've had a few Walker Bay 8's on there recently... and for fairly good prices... same with small outboards.

Building a stitch and glue dinghy is really quite easy, and there are many places with plans for one that is made from a single 4'x8" sheet of marine plywood. A good place to look for this type of information is Small Craft Advisor magazine... which often reviews stitch and glue type plans.

If you have access to a good jig saw, table saw and drill, and have a modicum of ability at using them, I see no real reason you should neeed to get the pre-cut kits, which they do charge a considerable premium for.

[AA3NK]

Thanks for leads, I had been thinking of getting plans and building from scratch. I am in Rockport, MA and there are lots of places around Cape Ann for playing around in a dinghy.

My tools are all on my farm in Arkansas and I will be heading over there next week do some fix up work before putting the place up for sale whereafter I will be able to commence building a little something or another.

On a different topic, on clear days the skyline of Boston is pretty visible from Gloucester, how many miles would you estimate between there and Rockport?

Bob in Rockport, MA

[sailingdog]

Bob-

From Halibut Point Reservation to the Boston's Inner Harbor is about 30.5 miles as the crow flies...

Most of the plans for the stitch and glue use either one or two sheets of 1/4" marine plywood, and then fiberglass and epoxy over them, then paint. This makes a very light and very solid rowing dinghy. You can modify most of the plans to make a nesting dinghy from them, with a little work.