Talk me out of building a wooden dink

[Cadence]

A dinghy is only unstable boarding. Step in the middle of the center seat.

[Jdege]

I decided, last summer, to build a stitch-and-glue sailing outrigger canoe.

Inspired by this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os8nmiil4lU&t=34s

So far, I've bought the plans and have cleaned out the space in the basement where I'll build it.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Jdege

I decided, last summer, to build a stitch-and-glue sailing outrigger canoe.

Inspired by this.

So far, I've bought the plans and have cleaned out the space in the basement where I'll build it.

Can you say Everglades Challenge?

[roland stockham]

Main problem I see in small wooden tenders is a tendency to overbuild. Lots of designs are based on a workboat model with heavy scantlings. If you look at canoes wooden ones are usually somewhere between the weight of fiberglass and carbon. The main thing is to use the correct design. Both plywood and cedar strip are very strong and stiff in curved sections but not that good as flat panels. Probably the lightest construction is cold molded ply. Adding side decks also allows weight reduction by avoiding the need for heavy gunwales. A 10ft rowing dingy could well be 50lb or less. I have seen lots of 16ft sea kayaks that are under 20lb.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by _andi_

Be aware that this wooden boats love is quite infectious / addictive. It starts out harmlessly with a teeny tiny dink and some recreational woodworking and wham, you end up sinking a decade or two in the refit of that lovely schooner you got for a bargain from a poor sap who went bankrupt over the boat. And it will bring you down as well. You, your marriage, your retirement fund, everything. Don't do wood! There's no intervention, start with prevention.

Not always. There's a fellow who built a 42' wooden ketch in 1994 who lives up the road from me a piece. Now, with the passage of years, he is no longer able to sail her. I understand that his marriage and retirement fund are doing just fine.

http://hoopersyachts.com/Index.cfm?P...sedboatid=2438

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

We cut to the chase and simply bought the right tender and started enjoying its benefits 5 minutes later.

A wise decision in most cases.

[thinwater]

It sounds like you are singlehanding?

Kayak.

[Jammer]

Kayak? Nah.

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Can you say Everglades Challenge?

I can say anything I want, but if I don't get off my ass and actually start building the thing, it's never going to happen...

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Jdege

I can say anything I want, but if I don't get off my ass and actually start building the thing, it's never going to happen...

If you post your plans & progress on the WoodenBoat forum you'll get a lot of support & some great advice from like minded sailors. I've got a Bauer 10 that I love to sail but I've thought about building a Scamp. Too big for a dinghy but a great little boat.

Here's a blog of a build of one. https://www.christinedemerchant.com/scamp-sailboat.html

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by Jdege

I can say anything I want, but if I don't get off my ass and actually start building the thing, it's never going to happen...

Yep. it's not going to build itself.

[akopac]

Originally Posted by Ryban

I hadn't fully considered the issue with getting aboard from the water. I both dive and snorkel from my current dinghy, and often enough that I would probably miss having this freedom.



Much of the appeal of a wooden dinghy for me is less practical, and more about the charm and the ability to sail it.



Having both would be ideal, but totally not an option. I'm already gutting the boat of needless weight, as it's sitting pretty low in the water.



I think you guys did a good job of talking me out of building a dinghy, and I think I'll save that project for another time, for a bigger boat, or for a land-based lifestyle where I'm allowed to have toys and space.

We sold our inflatable and 16 hp outboard in Panama after building a Danny Green Camaillian. Unbelievable dinghy. Sails better than it rows, rows better than it motors and does 5-6 knots under power of a 3.5 hp outboard. After running over a piling in an estuary in El Salvador I went to fix the inflatable and had to get glue and materials to repair hypalon. REALLY. Try getting that stuff down there and the cost is stupid. A FRP dinghy floats even with a hole and you can stuff anything in a hole for a temporary repair. Once you’ve had one you’ll never go back. Fuel consumption is nothing. We hardly used the motor because it was so fun to sail or row. When you do use the motor you can easily carry it aboard as it’s really light weight. Getting aboard is easy. You go over the transom. No problem. We NEVER had a problem getting a ours. We also had a 50 gallon bladder tank we used to fairy water to our boat that fit perfect in it. I used to drag a line while sailing across the entrances of coves in the Panama Pearles islands and catch all sorts of fish too. Here is the link to our dinghy project in panama.
http://www.mytripjournal.com/travel-...xy-horse-power

[double u]

I found to be a very worthwhile projet building a Wee Lassie stripper canoe (not useful as a dingi, I admit, but VERY satifying to build!)

[W32PAMELA]

Another vote for a Danny Green Chameleon. They are much more stable than the various round bottom dinghies. I've had mine fill with rain water and I can still get in and bail it out. It has 2 sealed flotation chambers in the stern and a large forward storage locker which also provides a lot of flotation when full of water.

This one is 23 years old and going strong.

[W32PAMELA]

I'll give it one more try at attaching a photo of my chameleon