Dinghys for CD25?

[Jim Hollister]

I'm wanting to build a plywood dinghy (tender) for my CD 25 ('74). I'm curious what do others use (length? beam?) Do any store on deck for cruises vs. tow behind?

Thanks for your replies.



jjhollister@excel.net

[Capt. Mike]

I'm wanting to build a plywood dinghy (tender) for my CD 25 ('74). I'm curious what do others use (length? beam?) Do any store on deck for cruises vs. tow behind?

Thanks for your replies.

The stowability of a dingy is extremely important for extended passages. If you can only tow a dingy, then you can expect to lose it unless you stay within shelter waters. one of the deadly nightmares of crew members involves wresling a tender to the deck during a raging gale. I feel much safer have my tender secured on deck, I always know where it is. I have been sailing twice with at least four experienced sailor, where we have awoken and find the dingy to have defected under the cover of darkness. Both times the dingy's were recovered, once thanks to the National Park Board. I do not know how others may feel about a dingy that behaves like its name; drives me crazy. I am extremely sensitive to sharp irregular sounds like the molesting irritation of a wild dingy.
On Breeze (CD 22D), I have installed dingy chocks port and starboard of mast step to secure tender's stern to the deck. The tender's bow is secured to port bow cleat which seats the tender against the chocks. Additonal lines from stantion to stantion further secures the boat. Breeze's foredeck could only accommodate a dingy 6'6". The tender is secured favoring port. The jib stows between tender and netting and crew passage is on starboard side. The tender in this position allows access to the hawser and starboard bow cleat without moving it. Anchoring is still possible without untying the tender. The anchor is usually stored in the aft lazarette when the tender is on deck. I designed a pramed bowed hard chine vessel that works excellently and it is easy to build. A dingy shorted than 6' becomes extremely unstable. Don't ever believe a tender this size could be used as a lifeboat. The position of the thrwart is dependent on the primary user. A tall individual may have to eliminate the stern bouyancy tank, so to allow enough leg room and still maintain the vessel trim alone and with crew. This size dingy could accomodate two adults and two children on a calm sea. To increase stability of a small boat is most successfully accomplished by increasing beam rather than length, especially at the transom. The wider the dingy the less deck space- a compromise exists btween size and maintaining usuable deck space. Write me personally, if interested in additional information on designs. Many easy lessons; Capt. Mike




mattngly@concentric.net

[D. Stump, Hanalei]

Jim,
I've just completed a 7'9" pram for Hanalei. The pram is white oak framed with 1/4" marine fir plywood sides and bottom and 1/2" bow and stern. The bottom is one piece, cold moulded, which eliminates a leak line directly down the keel of the boat. A two hp Mariner outboard powers her smartly. I've built this dink about 5 times over the last 25 years, from plans I got from American Plywood Association years ago. This time the dink came out almost perfect, as I had the old one in the backyard that allowed me to take critical angles directly off the old boat. I used 3M5200 to bed all joints, so she should never leak. Also, I used West System epoxy to coat all plywood panels before I cut out the planking. I did this to avoid "grain checking" that is common with fir plywood when it is painted. So, when finished, she came out as smooth as a babie's butt! The finished dink weighs 80#! If adjusted properly, she will ride the crest of the quarter wave all day long as happy as a duck and seems to cause very little drag. Hanalei is a CD-30, and I have never tried stowing the dink on deck, not too much room on the fore deck with the self tending stays'l, and I don't think it would fit on the cabin top. Most of our sailing is coastal, so I'm not worried about loosing the dink offshore. The final cost of the dink was right around $600 and I spent a little over 200 hours building her. You might be able to build one quicker, but I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist! Finally, I prefer a hard dink to an inflatable. Inflatables don't tow well, cause a lot of drag, and just don't, to me, look like they "belong" with a Cape Dory.

Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30