It's looking like it. I had to replace one thwart and the rub rail this spring on our Nutshell 9'6" sailing dinghy. It's the second rub rail. This stuff is typical here on the coast of Maine. I pick it up at Hamilton Marine, our local marine supply. It's pricey! It costs about $150 to go around the dinghy. The last time I did this, seems it was closer to $100. But it's an excellent rubrail for a hard dink and will last longer than a decade under hard use (which we give it).
I built this Nutshell when our children were about 2 and 3. By that time they sailed to the Bahamas with us on a previous 28'er, I had a hunch they wouldn't really 'get' sailing, until they sailed a small boat, themselves. And secretly, although my wife had already sailed from Vermont to the Bahamas, she too would never really feel sailing, until she sailed a small boat, herself.
This proved to be right! Going through old 35mm shots, I found pics of the kids sailing themselves when the Nutshell was about 4 or 5 years old.
No real instruction from me (I'm not real good at that), our son, who sat for a few years in the dinghy sailing, picked up what he needed, just by watching. Here he is in his pajamas sailing away, someplace we have been. We'd just let them go off the rail of our Cape Dory 28, and keep an eye on them. Because the Nutshell is beamy, it's impossible for a kid to capsize this boat.
Our daughter, older but always a bit more cautious than her younger brother, was out at the same time (also in pajamas). She looked to me more for guidance on how to do it. I remember because she was nearly always looking at me as she sailed. Smart. I'd give her hand signals that only the two of us understood. That answered her questions.
And even Mary Ann, who never sailed until our first date years ago, occasionally gets in the Nutshell and delights in sailing the way she wants to.
This year I realized the kids usually paint the dinghy each spring for me. I really appreciated that as I had to fit that task in, myself this season.
The kids are living on their own these days, but they still sail the tender when home. This was MJ just a few years ago sailing in Cuttyhunk Pond. She obviously likes to sail.
So yes, on it's second boat, 25 years old, it looks like a tender for life.
I built this Nutshell when our children were about 2 and 3. By that time they sailed to the Bahamas with us on a previous 28'er, I had a hunch they wouldn't really 'get' sailing, until they sailed a small boat, themselves. And secretly, although my wife had already sailed from Vermont to the Bahamas, she too would never really feel sailing, until she sailed a small boat, herself.
This proved to be right! Going through old 35mm shots, I found pics of the kids sailing themselves when the Nutshell was about 4 or 5 years old.
No real instruction from me (I'm not real good at that), our son, who sat for a few years in the dinghy sailing, picked up what he needed, just by watching. Here he is in his pajamas sailing away, someplace we have been. We'd just let them go off the rail of our Cape Dory 28, and keep an eye on them. Because the Nutshell is beamy, it's impossible for a kid to capsize this boat.
Our daughter, older but always a bit more cautious than her younger brother, was out at the same time (also in pajamas). She looked to me more for guidance on how to do it. I remember because she was nearly always looking at me as she sailed. Smart. I'd give her hand signals that only the two of us understood. That answered her questions.
This year I realized the kids usually paint the dinghy each spring for me. I really appreciated that as I had to fit that task in, myself this season.
The kids are living on their own these days, but they still sail the tender when home. This was MJ just a few years ago sailing in Cuttyhunk Pond. She obviously likes to sail.
So yes, on it's second boat, 25 years old, it looks like a tender for life.
