Dinghy Design

[Roger Long]

The thread on building a dinghy reminded me that I have a nearly finished set of plans for a 3 sheet stitch and glue dinghy forgotten on my computer. I drew these up back when the boat was still shrink wrapped in Detroit and I was here restlessly trying to find boat related projects without a boat.

We planned to keep the boat on a mooring off a beach at that point so the design is aimed towards maximum utility getting in and out over the bow without stepping in Maine's cold waters. Thus the flat bottom and twin skegs. Two flotation compartments. It was also designed to fit on the foredeck of our 32 footer even though being a bit on the large side at 9 feet. We found a used dinghy at a great price and I forgot all about this project.

It's not drawn as a sailing dinghy but should sail reasonably well if the gear were added. If anyone is interested in this boat, let me know. The patterns are all laid out although there are no dimensions or labels for the finishing details. The plans are just sitting there on my hard drive.

 

[sailingandsuch]

Interesting, why dont you just build it for fun!

 

[Tim R.]

Interesting, why dont you just build it for fun!

Someone has a little too much time on his hands ;-)

 

[Roger Long]

Interesting, why dont you just build it for fun!

Because I have a perfectly good dinghy and I'm doing this stuff for fun:

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/09Winter.htm

 

[Hermit Scott]

You work at a design firm don't you Roger? I would build a dinghy, but I want to build an 8' trihull or cat design. I saw a Boston Whaler dinghy that was about 10' that was just like what i want but was a couple of feet too long. I want to be able to put it on the fordeck. If you ever see any plans that are for an 8' please let me know.
By the way how would you recommend using the plans you have to build a boat with out the life size templates?

 

[Roger Long]

You work at a design firm don't you Roger?

I am the design firm although "firm" is a pretty grand word for a computer on a desk

By the way how would you recommend using the plans you have to build a boat with out the life size templates?

There are completed dimensioned layout drawings for drawing the parts directly on the plywood. No full size patterns.

 

[Ross]

You are in very good company Roger, this is the link to the Payson Nymph. You could have designed it when Bolger did.

 

[Franklin]

I know I'm still floating from the SB but huh? What ya talking about Ross? Roger put perfectly good desgins for a hard dinhgy out here for us and so far as been given the short end. Pay some respects why don't ya. What else do you get for free?

 

[Hermit Scott]

I guess I could use the grid paper method, then draw corosponding grids on the plywood and get it pretty close that way. Can I scale these plans to 8' with out any serious consequence Roger?
I hope no one thought I was giving Roger ANY grief. I am seriously considering building it.
So what limits the horse power on these things, the length or the transom strength? OR if you put too heavy of a motor does it just flip over backwards? lol

 

[Roger Long]

Can I scale these plans to 8' with out any serious consequence Roger?

At the time of designing this dinghy, I had a largeish wife and two very tall for their age boys to get back and forth from a distant mooring. I was therefore trying to get as much capacity as I could into a boat that would fit on the foredeck. An eight foot version would have considerably less carrying capacity and stability but would be comparable to many dinghies out there both in plan and manufactured form. If you are handy with a calculator or a spreadsheet, you could easily scale her down while laying out the patterns.

This dinghy was never intended to have a motor and has the quick turn up run that makes for good towing and easy rowing. Similar dinghies are often used with small motors but I don't know how she would do if you tried to get planing speeds under power.

I've put the complete set of plans as they exist up on my web server. No guarantees about anything except that she's similar to a lot of other boats out there. It's not a finished design but there is enough information there for most people capable of building such a boat to complete her.

Plans are intended to print on 11 x 17 paper but are also usable on 8 1/2 x 11. If you print plan number 6 on card stock, you can cut it out, fold it up, and make the model shown in the original post.

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/images/D-134-1.pdf

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/images/D-134-1.pdfhttp://www.rogerlongboats.com/images/D-134-2.pdf

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/images/D-134-3.pdf

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/images/D-134-4.pdf

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/images/D-134-5.pdf

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/images/D-134-6.pdf

 

[Ross]

I know I'm still floating from the SB but huh? What ya talking about Ross? Roger put perfectly good desgins for a hard dinhgy out here for us and so far as been given the short end. Pay some respects why don't ya. What else do you get for free?

Franklin, I never intended anything but praise. If you compare the two indepentantly developed designs you will see remarkable similarities. Nymph has been a very successful design and the plans are sold. The Long boat is certainly an improvement on Nymph for capacity.

 

[sailingdog]

Roger—

LOL. Thanks for posting the PDF files. I'm going to make the models out of a plastic that my friend's printing company uses for covers all the time....and give one to each of my nephews for their birthdays...

 

[Roger Long]

You are in very good company Roger, this is the link to the Payson Nymph. You could have designed it when Bolger did.

They are indeed similar but the Nymph is, well, a nymph. Beautiful but much smaller. If you want a small dinghy, I can't see a good reason not to build the Nymph and have the advantage of a much more complete plans set unless you like the looks of the more flared sides on mine.

If you want a small dinghy, I have plans for one more elegant than either of these at 8 feet. I gave up on the design when I realized that two adults and an active child wouldn't fit in it. It should be about the same capacity of the Nymph though.

Here is a picture comparing the Nymph and my design with the scale adjusted to show the size difference.

 

[Hermit Scott]

If you don't mind will you post the plans for that 8'er? I'd love to see it. I rowed around in what I believe to be an 8' fiberglass dinghy. It seemed stable enough for me. Are they more stable than kayaks? The kayak design we use is very flat and wide on the bottom but is much faster than a narrower deeper design I owned before. I guess I would like to have a dinghy that is more flat than V'ed on the bottom.

 

[Roger Long]

If you don't mind will you post the plans for that 8'er? I'd love to see it.

Here are some pictures of the 8 footer. I abandoned the project before laying out the patterns with dimensions. She was designed to be the absolute minimum size I thought I could get away with so as to leave as much room on the foredeck as possible but I decided I was overdoing it. She would be OK for a couple of light and agile adults but that description stopped applying to me a couple decades ago.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Does anyone design dinghys so the transom will nest onto the forward hatch area, or am I looking too much into this?

 

[Ross]

They are indeed similar but the Nymph is, well, a nymph. Beautiful but much smaller. If you want a small dinghy, I can't see a good reason not to build the Nymph and have the advantage of a much more complete plans set unless you like the looks of the more flared sides on mine.

If you want a small dinghy, I have plans for one more elegant than either of these at 8 feet. I gave up on the design when I realized that two adults and an active child wouldn't fit in it. It should be about the same capacity of the Nymph though.

Here is a picture comparing the Nymph and my design with the scale adjusted to show the size difference.

Roger, I built Nymph and Nancy refuses to set foot in it. Your design may have a life in the upper chesapeake before long. I was looking at a Gardner pram but it is designed as steamed frame lapstrake construction. White cedar over white oak copper fastened. I really want a painted plywood boat of simple construction. I think that Nymph is a grand little one man boat but that is what it can only be.

 

[Will Sail For Food!]

I don't mean to steal Roger's thunder, but there are places on the web to get the plans you seek for free, with dimensions.

 

[Ross]

I don't mean to steal Roger's thunder, but there are places on the web to get the plans you seek for free, with dimensions.

Roger's plans are free with dimensions.

 

[Brian D]

So Roger, if one attempts to build said dinghy, will the architect provide tech support? LOL

Nice design. I have a few plans tucked away and I will add this one to them. Just have to get motivated and build.