Plastic kits?

[kilarney]

I'm interested in building a sailing dinghy. I am particularly interested in a stitch and glue kit that comes with pre-cut parts. My one hesitation is the upkeep of a wooden boat, even if the hull is fiberglassed.

Are there any companies that sell boat kits for boats that have little or no wooden pieces? I'm guessing the answer is no, but I'm holding out hope. If there are such kits, are they much more difficult than a standard wooden kit?

Also, I have found that Chesapeake Light Craft sells kits with pre-cut plywood. Are there any other companies that do this? Since I'm a newbie, I'd like to go with pre-cut for my first project.

[sailingdog]

A stitch and glue plywood dinghy isn't really any more maintenance than any other fiberglass dinghy...if the fiberglass gets damaged, you have to repair it. It is hard to make a small dinghy kit that is affordable and user buildable out of materials other than plywood and fiberglass. Also, most other materials would make even a small dinghy much heavier than a plywood stitch-and-glue design. Few materials have the strength, rigidity and versatility of plywood.

Most "plastic" dinghies are made of a single piece. Most of the plastics used in plastic dinghies are relatively difficult to work with by hand, don't accept glues or epoxies very well and aren't the best materials to use with mechanical fasteners either.

CLC is probably your best bet if you want to make a small boat.

[kilarney]

Maybe I'm just naive. With a stitch and glue kit, I assumed that the hull is fiberglassed, but the interior is not. If all surfaces are fiberglassed, that would definitely lessen maintenance.