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ThomasO
09-06-2003, 06:28 PM
The June/July, 1990 issue of Boat Journal (now defunct, I think) had an article, "Building Lark--the 4-hour, $25 Dory". The designer was Ken Brown. He no longer lives at the address given in Michigan. It looked like a good kid's project, but I can't find the plans or the designer. Can anyone help me? Or do you know of a comparable design(inexpensive, easy-to-build, kid's project)?
NormMessinger
09-06-2003, 06:56 PM
The One-Sheet Skiff, perhaps.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/herbert.mcleod/skiff.htm
Keith Wilson
09-07-2003, 01:35 AM
Phil Bolger's Teal IMHO would be ideal. Two sheets of 3/8 or 1/4 plywood, rows nicely, sails if you want, very kid-friendly scale, but doesn't feel "tippy". Two large adults is an overload, but one and a child, or several smaller kids is fine. It's dead simple to build - I built one in a very leisurely week of evenings - and doesn't use lots of toxic goop. It even looks nice. You can get plans from Dynamite Payson (http://www.instantboats.com/teal.htm) , or there are complete plans in Payson's book "Instant Boats".

http://www.alaska.net/~mzeiger/Images/Building_the_Teal.JPG

http://www.alaska.net/~mzeiger/Images/christening.JPG
Kermit
09-08-2003, 01:46 PM
I think I probably still have plans and patterns for Lark somewhere. When I was still teaching--now retired--I built Lark with my students twice. It was a good project, but in the end I realized three things: 1) it required some twiddling to get things to go together right, and B) it didn't teach the kids everything I wanted them to learn, third: it's 9' long and requires a scarph of some type to make the sides long enough. I moved to other designs.

I talked to Mr. Brown on the phone about the boat before ordering plans. He was retired then, and although I would hope otherwise, he may no longer be with us.

The above two recommendations are good ones. Do you want it to sail, or just give the kids a chance to get on the water in a boat of their own buiding and learn to row?

Consider Blackberry:

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/designs/blackberry/index.htm

[ 09-08-2003, 01:56 PM: Message edited by: Kermit ]