Nelson Sailing Dinghy

[sailboatshark]

Hi! I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of the Nelson Sailing Dinghy? It is a cat boat, it is a monohull, and it has a pointed bow not a pram bow. I just bought it this past summer and I really love it! It is wide enough for me and one of my parents and a dog. It is 8ft. long. I swear I have heard the name before, but I have searched everywhere and I haven''t found anything! I was wondering if anyone knew of it? Could it of came with a Cruising Boat? I know that the guy I got it from had a Catalina Sailboat I think! Anyways if any of you have any info, I would like to know about the history of it, if there is any at all! Thanks! Sailboatshark!

[Jimq]

I have a Nelson sailing skiff that is 11ft. It''s lapstrake fiberglss, no wood. They were built in western Washington by Nelson Plastics, no longer in buisness. They are good little boats.

[mrviento]

I was in my parent's Nelson 11 today. It was purchesed new from Nelson here in Seattle in 1971. Great little sailer - I have never seen another one though...

[Phalanx]

I purchased a Nelson sailing dinghy in August, 1966. It is 8' stem to stern and 4' port to starboard, with a retractable centerboard and fold-up rudder. It has flotation chambers in the bow, mid-ship seat and stern seat. I never worried about having our children play and sail it because it is unsinkable -- they could swamp it but never sink it. They could climb back in, bail it out and sail away. When not using the sail we rowed it or powered it with a 3.5 Mercury outboard and also a small battery-powered trolling motor. We used it for a tender to our 26' Sabercraft cruiser -- carried it on the stern transom. We still have it and use it with pleasure! We sailed from our waterfront home on Lake Washington and around Puget Sound and the Canadian San Juan Islands. --Capt. C. David Jones, The Marilynne II, Rainier Yacht Club, Seattle, WA. PS. Later we moved to Chesapeake Bay and used our Nelson sailing dinghy as a tender for our SeaRay cruiser, The Sanddollar, Watergate Yacht Club, Annapolis, MD.

[goshohmighty]

I recently started restoration onn an 8' nelson dinghy that had the drop down keel slot covered over. I opened it back up and found the original keel intact and in working order. I am having to guess what the fold down rudder looked like as that blade is missing from its holder. The gunnel
on the port side has some breaks through the channel so I'm tucking a schedule 40 plastic pipe up under there to stiffen and support. The 15/8" OD worked great and I will secure it with silicone caulk.
I can make a handle for the drop down keel with a little inginuity, but cold use some input really, on how the original keel was maneuvered up and down...kept in place.

[rolyat]

Hello - This thread is the only mention of Nelson Plastics boats I have found on the web.

I just acquired a Nelson Plastics 11' sailing skiff. This little boat is really worn with subsequent damage over old repairs. Nonetheless, the hull (All I got) is basically sound enough for an entertaining rebuild. There is no rig or rudder, there is a stuck horrible thin FRP centerboard in a dubious CB case of FRP. The lines are very appealing, and it looks like the original plug was a pretty traditional lapstrake skiff.

I see a little response in this thread about these 8 and 11 foot Seattle boats. Does anybody have any knowledge about the rig? I can design and fabricate something appropriate, maybe standing lug or Gunter, but I wonder what was there in the 1970's, how many sf, etc..
Thanks Roly

[Selenaserval]

Could someone please send me pics of an 8' Nelson sailing dinghy with rigging, sail and rudder? I'm buying one, and the mast, rudder, and boom are missing... so I'll need to know what to find for the boat... and will need to make the rudder part that goes in the water. Thanks so much for any assistance.