racing dinghy

[dave budlong]

OK ladies and gentlemen, here it is. What is the best (ease of use, building, fastest)PLYWOOD built dinghy that I could build for racing in the Thursday night races here in town. Races are handicapped so it really is wide open.

[rbgarr]

Assuming you're fit, weigh less than 180 lbs. and sailing solo, I'd suggest an OK Dinghy.

[Wayne Jeffers]

Dave,

There are lots of plywood racing dinghies. Tell us more about your needs. What crew size (number and total weight), how athletic does the crew want to be, what kind of water (how deep or shallow), what are the normal sailing conditions (typical wind and wave conditions), with or without trapeze or spinnaker?

No one boat is ideal for all conditions. If you can tell us more of the particulars about your needs, the folks here can do a better job of suggesting a good fit.

Wayne

[garland reese]

Well, I dont't know if it qualifies for the handicap rules of your Thur. races, but it sure looks easy to build, since it uses off the shelf masts and spars and fittings. It should also be very fast and exciting to sail, and I bet no one else will show up with one.......... www.selway-fisher.com (http://www.selway-fisher.com) Look at the the canoes pages, then go to the sailing canoes page, then have a look at the JC10 IC sail trainer.

Wayne has some fine suggestions there. More information will help these very knowledgeable folks here to better help you.
Good luck,
Garland


[This message has been edited by garland reese (edited 12-17-2001).]

[Nicholas Carey]

Originally posted by dave budlong:
What is the best (ease of use, building, fastest)PLYWOOD built dinghy that I could build for racing in the Thursday night races here in town. Races are handicapped so it really is wide open.

Check out the International Sailing Canoe or an International 110.

[dave budlong]

This is Dave again with more info, first of all crew size 2 at 185 lbs a piece. Second the races are on Puget Sound in one of the many Inlets, thirdly the legs are windward leeward and not very long so spinnaker is frowned upon and probably would not offer much help. I am willing to sail it by myself with no crew if its the right boat. So far my list is SNIPE, BLUEJAY, or MINICUP from stevensons, but I just want to make sure I don't miss out on the chance to review a possible canidate.

[garland reese]

It is not a plywood design, but check out the Delta V from www.nwmarinedesign.com (http://www.nwmarinedesign.com)
It is a cool looking 14 footer. Has a pretty good following in NZ.

[Wayne Jeffers]

Dave,

Snipe is one good choice. I think Bluejay is a little small for a crew totaling 370 pounds. I'm not familiar with Minicup.

For plywood, non-spinnaker boats, I suggest you also give consideration to Windmill. It is lighter and has better Portsmouth ratings than Snipe. It is an open boat, includes built-in flotation tanks, and excels in heavier air. In the Windmill class, plywood boats are equally competitive with fiberglass boats. Its biggest drawback is that it has a very long daggerboard, so is not well-suited to shallow water – doesn't appear to be an issue for you.

The Windmill class has a nice web site at http://www.windmillclass.org/

Wayne

[Ben Fuller]

Snipes and Blue Jays are seriously slower than a Windwill, which is probably your best choice in a hiking boat. If you want a little more excitement, the Fireball was designed as an easy build high performance boat and is.

[johnw]

Try a Geary 18. They have about the same Portsmouth number as a Lightning, don't fly a spinaker, are flat bottomed so easy to build, and have a strong class association in your area, which helps the boat retain value.

[plimsol]

Dave,

[plimsol]

Dave,
Go with the Geary 18. There is an active class in Puget Sound. This has distict advantages over building an orphan class. The class gives you a chance to improve your skills by sailing with like types and being involved with a fleet.
In addition, you would be keeping a local design alive, with a long history in the Northwest.

[Todd Schliemann]

Dave, Nobody will touch you in one of these. You'd have to cold mold though. Also getting a handicap rating would be interesting.

International Sailing Canoe

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid28/p63d36118913a202aeac4eefa8f53a955/fe10fb5b.jpg.orig.jpg

[Tom Lathrop]

Todd,

Big question is: Where do you put the other 185lb guy?

[Todd Schliemann]

On the committee boat arguing for your handicap, where else?

[bainbridgeisland]

I love sailing International Canoes but there is only room for one.

Have you considered a Star boat? I never really understood them until I crewed a few races in English Bay British Columbia. In 4 to 10 knots of wind they are wonderful boats. The boat I crewed aboard was a 30-year-old cedar boat but from the outside you would swear it was the fairest fiberglass boat you had ever seen.

Stars have a long history in Puget Sound. They really sail well in the prevailing conditions we have. Two 185 pound crew are a bit light for many Star venues but would be OK in Puget Sound on most days.

[Paul Heyse]

Dave,

Take a look at the Arch Davis Ace 14. It is a plywood/epoxy fractional rigged sloop that would race/daysail with a crew of two in moderate winds or one in lighter winds. The build looks pretty straight forward and it's a nice looking little boat.

I have been looking at it as a possible future project since I made a set of sails for one earlier this year. A spinnaker is an option but the boat looks like it would be a quick little racer on Puget Sound in a no flying sails race. It would be a great boat for most summer conditions around the sound.

I used to live in Seattle for 25 years and raced all over the sound. I now live on the coast near Grays Harbor.

Paul

[bob goeckel]

if you don't mind a partially completed boat there's a wayfarer in the ads in ohio here:
www.angelfire.com/de/whiffle/index2.html (http://www.angelfire.com/de/whiffle/index2.html) or search canadian wayfarer assoc.

[This message has been edited by bob goeckel (edited 12-21-2001).]

[dave budlong]

I absolutley love Star boats, but they are to big for the limited space I have to build in. I have to build this boat myself and with that in mind, working in a 12'x19' shop. I built my own telescope (10") and I enjoy it much more than the one I bought (8"). It is more than just because its bigger though, its a passage to the heavens that I made. I figure I will probably feel similairly towards any boat I build( unless I sink it, in that case I will locate the nearest motorboat and curse her skipper for no reason what so ever, but blame the whole thing on him) I do like that ACE 14 it looks to be in the thread of what I am looking for