A Dinghy For Our 19

[Greene]

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

[Greene]

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.



It was nice to be on the water finally, hopefully the next time it will be in our sailboat.

Mike

[Bob23]

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

[Salty19]

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??

[Greene]

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. 

 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

[Salty19]

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.

[Greene]

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.



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.


Mike

[Bob23]

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