Nudeink (new dink, get it?) was
my first stitch and glue design (more on that later). I needed
a new dinghy for our boat (1993 Gemini 3200 catamaran) as the
dink we had - a Chaisson dory tender from John Gardner's book
on dorys - was at the end of her service life. I had built her
in 1994, and we towed her from Massachusetts to Florida and always
found her to be seaworthy, a dream to row and quite easy (resistance-wise)
to tow. But being in the dory class (narrow bottom), and never
being filled with cod like her ancestors, she was eternally tippy.
She was also a bit lacking in interior volume, which was an issue
when carrying groceries, water, bicycles, etc. to or from an
anchored boat. So I sold her for $50 and designed Nudeink.
This dink is 11' long, and because
I gave her a flat bow transom, her interior space is that of
a somewhat bigger boat. (I long ago discovered that a dinghy
with a pointed bow is not easy to board or to disembark from
at a crowded dinghy dock, when you can barely get your bow up
to the dock.) To provide this interior space and to make her
much more stable required greater beam... the price of this,
of course, being more towing resistance and the need for longer
oars. For increased seaworthiness I gave her a slight amount
of deadrise and a little rocker. To reduce resistance I made
sure that her bow and transom were clear of the water with one
person rowing. She rows very well, although using the prototype
disclosed a small issue with seat height and oarlock location
- fixed in the plan revisions (below). My little Evinrude 4hp
outboard (35 lbs) moves her along smartly and, in truth, is about
as big a weight as you should put on the transom. When not towing
her, we haul her aboard our catamaran using only the halyard
winch on the mast - no problems there. Overall, I'm very pleased
with the boat. She's going to fill our requirements admirably.
For cruising to the Bahamas, I think I'll make her unsinkable
(hopefully) by tying a couple of pool noodles together and mounting
such a pair on each side.
Go here
for some comments on stitch and glue, and to see some construction
photos. Click here
to get plans.
