We have started to build a little dinghy for our CP19. We enjoy spending long weekends on the boat on our local lakes. Unfortunately there are very few places to dock at on our lakes that are public. There are great places to throw the hook out for the evening which are within rowing distance with a little dinghy. The plan is to make an inexpensive and lightweight rowing dinghy which would allow us to go onto shore for breakfast/dinner/drinks on occasion.
A while back, Newt mentioned a web site with free plans for several styles of easy to build dinghies. I really liked the Portuguese Dinghy on this site and decided to add it to my to-do list. http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/
I started on the project this weekend and this is what I have accomplished so far.
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/dinghy4.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/dinghy5a.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/dinghy3a.jpg)
Next comes the gunwale, fiberglass the bottom, oarlocks, small skeg and finally paint.
It has been a fun little project which should give us a couple years of fun and exercise.
B has already informed me that she will not be rowing. She did volunteer to hold the umbrella though.
Mike
hey mike can you make me a custom camper for my 52? just kidding----as usual a great job and im sure the finished produce will really be something. by the way some of the 52 is now red.
MG:
Thanks for turning us onto that site...I'm inspired to build something from there; don't know what yet. I bought Dynamite Payson's book "How to build the Gliusester Light Dory" which is a Phil Bolger design. But it's nowhere as simple as your dingy. btw... how do you get so much done?
Bob23
Perfect. A miniature Mrs. Paul's Fishing smack.
I like it. The wood is? how thick and the type is and where did such finery come from?
Can you tell I'm thinking about building something?
skip.
The plans are online and Newt was the one who brought it to our attention. He posted the link here last June I believe. I'm a sucker for projects and all it took was one peek at the website to get my wheels turning.
Skip - The wood is limited to 1/4" plywood because of the tight bends required to form the hull. I had to soak the plywood for a while just to get it soft enough to survive the bending. The author recommended using marine or CDX plywood, but as you saw in the website, several have been successfully made with just about any kind of 1/4" ply. The idea behind these little buggers is to keep them simple, light and inexpensive. Proper exterior surface treatment is probably the most important step. Quite a few of the testimonials indicated that they just used a waterproofing sealant followed by a good grade of common household exterior enamel. These won't last for more than a few seasons of sailing, but for a $200 dinghy it seems like a deal. I have used epoxy resin and fiberglass tape on all the joints. I then plan on covering the bottom and sides up to the water line with the same epoxy resin and cloth. Hopefully it will give us a few years of service.
Go to the website and check out the GALLERY for pics of several completed dinghies. Even if you don't plan on making one, it is fun to check out how they turned out. I really like the idea of the lengthwise slat seating. It makes a lot of sense for balancing the weight with 1 or 2 people aboard.
Kick - When we gonna see some pics of this red beast?
Mike
Mike- Once again, another very nice project. Can't wait to see the finished product. Keep it the good work!
Installed the gunwale and the front/rear seat plank supports. The little triangle box up front is supposed to give me a place to mount the bow end seat support, but it looks like it will be a neat little storage box as well. Hmmmmm, maybe if I glass it up on the inside it would make a really good beverage and ice holder.
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/x.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/c.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/v.jpg)
Mike
Errrrrr excuse me Mr. Greene, but you spook, "it would make a really good beverage and ice holder."
Just how far do you think you anchored off shore. Or are you thinking of scouting up the next creek?
skip.
did you mitre the two pieces at the bow? Can you post a close up of the bow? You got me thinking I should build one of these bad boys!
Billy, I'll take a couple close ups tonight when I go out to work on the dinghy. This boat is really designed to be EASY to build. The front or leading edges bow are simply attached to a 1" x 1" (approximately) square piece of wood to form the bow. The small V gap that will remain is filled in with thickened epoxy resin. Once that hardens you lay fiberglass cloth over the joint and resin it up. It is nice to have a sliding compound mitre saw to make some of the braces, etc., but the plans just say to cut the parts square and fill them with epoxy. I have been trying to get most of the pieces cut to the angles of the hull and bottom, but it really isn't necessary. Check out the "Insructables" example. It explains a few more of the building details and has several nice pics. (One of the pics shows the bow set-up.)
http://www.instructables.com/id/Construction-of-Two-Portuguese-Style-Dinghies-Sma/
Mike
Added Pics;
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/13.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/GetAttachmentaspx.jpg)
A couple of questions for you dinghy-ettes.
Where on the bow should I mount the painter hardware? Midway between the water line and the top of the bow?
Stainless steel U-Bolt with backing plate?
Do the oarlocks have to be mounted dead vertical or can they follow the angle of the hull sides?
Mike
We have liquid lakes again!! I need to get moving on my to-do list.
Mike,
Thanks for the pix! You have inspired me (and I'll also be working on a cup (beer) /VHF / Binocular holder as well)!
As far as the painter line... Here is my 2cents (and that is probably all it is worth)
You want it up as far as possible so you can reach it from inside the boat. And to keep water out.
At the same time you want it as low as possible so when you are towing you get the most lift to reduce drag and increase speed and if you ever anchor the dingy (or leave it at a mooring) you want it as low as possible to increase the scope of the rode.
I would go about 1/3 of the way up b/w the waterline and the top of the bow. And use a good sealant. If you are only thinking this boat will last 2 or 3 years I wouldn't bother w/ SS backing. maybe just some SS washers. It seems the boat will be light enough and not necessary. Our 19s only have a very small ss plate and wood blocking. I wouldn't think it would be worth it.
And as far as the oarlocks go, seems you would want the angle of the locks to be perpendicular to the angle of the oars or the angle of the sides (which are probably close to the same). I would not mount them vertical.
And one more thing to consider....a drain plug.
Hey Mike,
Check out this dink......
http://seaweed.thebilge.com/spindrift.htm
I found it on sailfar.net. there is a long discussion on there about dingys.
guy cut his in half to save room.
Billy - Wow! That guy built a real beauty. I'm not looking to make anything that fancy (or expensive) just to use as a simple dinghy. If you were a coastal sailor that nesting feature would certainly help when stowing it aboard.
Finished fiberglassing this weekend. Man I hate working with that stuff. Ready to start painting her this week. Now, what to do about oars?
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/dinghy.jpg)
Mike
Hey! She has no skeg. I hope rowing with those West Marine oars is a well learned art in your Navy.
Check the wake to see if she's rowed straight. skip.
Yup, there is a little skeg on her. Guess I just didn't post any pic's with it visible. I figured it would tow better if it had at least a small skeg.
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/skeg1.jpg)
Mike
Mike:
You mean your'e NOT making your own spoon shaped oars? I am truly disappointed. Geez...you probably have enough scrap lying around to make 'em.
I bought a set of seven footers for my Chesapeake Light Craft Annapolis Wherry, which I sold last year. They were not Shaw and Tenney but similar...Barkely Sound rings a bell. Anyway, what a difference between them and some old WM type standard oars.
I have 9 1/2' old wooden ones for my Alden Ocean Shell...thinking of buying some carbon fiber oars for the up coming rowing season.
C'mon, man, get that band saw hummin'!!!!
bob23
Bob you big bully. Now I have to make the oars myself. Oh well, it is supposed to snow a bunch up here again anyway. I might as well play in the "potting shed".
Since I don't own a bandsaw (Brenda doesn't let me play with sharp toys), I had to look for simple to make oar designs. I found this link; http://www.bateau.com/free/simple_oars.html
They go together pretty quickly and don't cost a dime to make. I've epoxied them together and roughed out the paddle shape. Next I have to round the handle stock and form a hand grip shape. Then a trial fit to decide how much to trim off each end. Finally I'll epoxy about 5" of fiberglass mat to the tips and coat the rest with epoxy as well. I'm not sure if I'll paint them up or stain them before I epoxy them.
Here is what they look like at this stage. You can also see that the dinghy is starting to get "purteed" up with paint.
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/oar1.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/oar.jpg)
Thanks for the guilt trip Bob - maybe I'll truck it out to NJ and race you in your little dinky rowboat. You really think at our age that carbon fiber oars will make any difference? Geez, if we just cut back to one or two Twinkies and Snickers a day we'd gain more rowing speed.
Mike
Getting the painting wrapped up. I've finished the hull bottom, primed the inside and am just laying on a little blue above the water line. I will finish epoxy coating the oars tomorrow and then it won't be long before I'll be able to take it for a test run.
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/d4.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/d2.jpg)
Mike
i knew that you would do a first class job mike. better lock that little guy up good or someone will steal it when you guys are asleep. hey if you get a chance do some measuring on you 19 for me mainly the complete length trailer included and the height when shes on the trailer. although i wont be getting an eclipse or 19 anytime soon im curious to know if it will fit in the garage. gas prices being what they are, the fishing boat might be on the block (although i still love to fish) . again suuuuuuper job on the dink. if you watch the old movie "father goose" you will learn how to letter her.
MG:
Anytime you're ready to race, you c'mon out to NJ. We'll race for beer! Of course, I'll have to use my Alden Ocean Shell to make sure I win...the Walker Bay wouldn't stand a chance!
The boat and oars look great...geez...with all your spare time, you could make each one of us a dink just like yours! Thanks in advance, MG-what a guy!
Bob23
Quote from: kickingbug1 on April 23, 2011, 02:05:18 PM
hey if you get a chance do some measuring on you 19 for me mainly the complete length trailer included and the height when shes on the trailer. although i wont be getting an eclipse or 19 anytime soon im curious to know if it will fit in the garage. gas prices being what they are, the fishing boat might be on the block (although i still love to fish) .
Kick, The boat on the trailer measures approximately 25' without the motor mounted on back. I leave the motor on in the garage so I need about 26'. We made our "Potting Shed" 28' deep to leave 2' in front of the tongue to walk around it. The height is 94" with the mast laying on top of the stern rail and bow pulpit. You can set the mast below these two points to reduce the height to about 90". The width appears to be the beam of the boat unless you have any kind of guide posts on the trailer. I'd say about 90" wide.
Our overhead doors are 9' wide x 8' high and I clear vertically by about 2-3". This does depend upon the hitch height of your tow vehicle. Once the boat is inside the garage and it is cranked up to release the ball, it is actually too tall to roll out of the garage. So not a lot of vertical clearance, but it works just fine. If I were to build B another "Potting Shed" I would go with a 9' high door.
C'mon Kick - spend the money. You can always fish from a 19.
Mike
OOOooooouuuuuuuuu, very pretty!
skip.
Lil Miss B is just about ready for sea trials. Well, at least a quick dunk in our local mud hole called a lake. We'll see if she floats and the leaks are manageable. The oars are roughed out and I want to play with them a little to see if they need to be shortened up or adjusted before I do the final finish on them.
We'll report tomorrow on how she rows.
Mike and B
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/di.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/di3.jpg)
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/di4.jpg)
Very nice dink, Mike. And you even have time to cut the grass! Any idea of total construction costs? Did you use regular a/c plywood or something more fancy-schmancy?
Bob23
Thanks Bob. She is a big-bucks mega-yacht to be sure. The plywood is just a Baltic Birch which has exterior glue $25, eight pieces of mahogany shoe for the gunwale $25, adhesive $12, miscellaneous pine/plywood for braces (free), two 1x4's of clear pine for the seats $10, hardware (oarlocks, screws, u-bolt) $35, 2-part epoxy and glass $150, and primer/paint $44.
You certainly could do it cheaper if you skip the 2-part epoxy. Most of the others who built them just coated the wood with preservative and then used regular exterior house paint on them. That saves almost half the cost of the dinghy, but I wanted to coat the hull with cloth and epoxy to make it last a bit longer.
The oars are just scrap and leftover epoxy, so no cost there.
The weather up here in Wisconsin has been so lousy that B is finally starting to warm up to the idea of selling this big ol' house and moving down to the condo in Orange Beach.
Mike
Quote from: Bob23 on May 08, 2011, 04:56:31 AM
Very nice dink, Mike. And you even have time to cut the grass! Any idea of total construction costs? Did you use regular a/c plywood or something more fancy-schmancy?
Bob23
Hey Bob -This is Brenda. Why are you giving him credit for cutting the grass? Who do you think has been keeping the house running while he has been playing with his dinghy (OK Bob - it's all yours now!). B
Y'know, come to think of it- it looked a little too neat. So great job on the dink, Mike and very nice lawn manicuring by Admiral Brenda Greene! Lets have a round of applause...for Brenda! Mike- you just go on playing with your dinghy. Er, your little boat.
And to think that on the previous post, Mike does not even place the credit where it's due. Man, that is low. They say the damage the epoxy fumes an cause is cumulative and irreversable. Maybe skip the epoxy on the next boat, MIke.
No wonder she wants to move to the condo. you make her cut the grass!!!! Well, so do I. Actually, my wife 1st Admiral Linda enjoys the yard work but just barely tolerates my boating habits.
Bob23
Well at least I named the dinghy after her. Brenda was called Lil Miss B as a youth and the dinghy was little and cute. Seemed like a fit.
Quote from: Bob23 on May 08, 2011, 07:04:47 PM
No wonder she wants to move to the condo. you make her cut the grass!!!! Well, so do I. Actually, my wife 1st Admiral Linda enjoys the yard work but just barely tolerates my boating habits.
Bob23
B enjoys the yard work, loves my boating habit and tolerates me. Sorta the same?
Mike
Very nice indeed!
Does the paint color foreshadow what Puppy Luff II will look like?
Well I thought the color was going to match our 19's future paint job, but I have recently learned that it will now be painted burgundy and be called "Miss B' Haven" Go figure.
Mike
Lil Miss B passed her sea trials today. She car tops easily enough for me to do it by myself. Boarding her was fairly easy. It was stable enough to step carefully off the pier and balance before sitting down. I pushed off and rowed around a little to get a feel for her and it handles very easily. She is so light that it takes very little pull to gain movement and she goes right along. No leaks! The oars I made 6' 9" long as a starting point and I think this length should work just fine. I do think I will put a tether on each oar as they can ride up out of the oarlocks when rubbing against the pier. I don't really want to be trying to row with just one oar.
B came to join me for a ride and with the fore-aft seat we could find a new balance point very easily. I had positioned the oarlocks roughly 12" aft of the seat support as suggested by other builders. I found this worked really well when B was in the boat and I could move forward a little. When rowing alone I found this position to be too close, so I will mount the second set of oarlocks a few inches aft. With two places to set the oars I will be able to row comfortably alone or with B.
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/seatrial.jpg)
It was nice to be on the water finally, hopefully the next time it will be in our sailboat.
Mike
Very nice job, Mike. Maybe with all the free time you have while Brenda is out cutting the grass, you'll design a sail rig for Lil Miss B. Based on what you've shared on this topic, I may try to build on this summer...wait-no, what am I crazy? I'm going sailing!!!!
Bob23
That is one sweet 'lil dinghy you have there! No leaks is a good thing and wow the paint job looks spectacular.
So about what does it weigh??
Salty - She weighs in at 65 lbs. I think I heard the bathroom scale giggle when I put the little dinghy on it. 65 lbs it wee bit less than what the scale is used to when I'm in the room. The oars will add couple more pounds, but overall it is a real lightweight.
Another crappy spring day here in Wisconsin. (http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Icons/Cloud-01-june.gif)
I might as well go out to the garage and put some new brakes on B's Avalon. Is it ever going to be sailing season?
Mike
Greene, sorry to hear about the rain. It has been absolutely miserable here too. Cold and rain almost every day. I think we are something like 9" over average for precipitation already for the year. A few nice days but few and far between.
Back to the dinghy, fantastic work. Light enough to raise over your head and big enough to two. And she floats. Can't ask for much more than that.
We got out for a 3 day sail on Lake Mendota in Madison, WI this last weekend. This gave us a chance to tow and use the new dinghy.
Towing the dinghy went really well as it put almost no strain on the painter at all. I could easily hold on to the painter with one hand and tow it behind the sailboat. It tracked pretty straight even though the little skeg I put on the dinghy really never gets into the water without a person in it. A little adjustment on the length of the painter gets the dinghy towing smoothly. No complaints in the towing department.
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/lmdinghy2.jpg)
Getting into and out of a dinghy this light can be a challenge as they can be tender and also sideslip easily. We found boarding her a little easier for the second person as the first person in can help stabilize it. Once two people are in the dinghy is plenty stable and handles the weight of two people easily. It rows like a little rocket and tracks pretty will for such a short water line.
I made a short video of it being towed behind the sailboat and posted it on Photobucket. It is 31 MB, so if you have a slow connection it will be hard to view. Just click on the picture below.
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/th_100_0025.jpg) (http://s613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/Portuguese%20Dinghy/?action=view¤t=100_0025.mp4)
Mike
Mike:
Great looking dink! It can't be more tender than my Walker Bay 8 which I found a few years ago. Last summer, while working on my mooring, suddenly gravity overcame my common sense and I fell out! It's good to laugh at one's self occasionally!
Thanks for the note about adjusting the painter...should help me in the dink-towing department.
Bob23