Guest 000 Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I had ideas of turning out a few dinghies so templated every part in 3mm MDF to facilitate cutting out. With that in mind, cutting out all the plywood bits took me 3 hours. It would probably take 2 -3 days to cut out from the plans. The instruction book that acompompanied the plans assumes that you have bought the kitset ie all the bits precut but no assembly, and says 40 hours of construction time is needed. A lot of that will be waiting for epoxy to kick off. I used cable ties to hold the planks together whilst the epoxy cured. I wouldn't do that again. Cable ties need a bigger hole which then all need to be filled and sanded. The much smaller hole that the more traditional copper wire would need would be filled by the epoxy primer coat. Save a lot of time. The use of masking tape either side of the fillets would save time sanding away the filler discoloration if you plan on using varnish. So it took a little more than 40 hours to construct, but from what I have learned, quite a bit less should I build another one Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 114 Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 The last kids dinghy I build took about 1 1/2 hours to cut out and sew up to look like a boat , and then it took about 40 hours to finish including paint/ varnish some glass etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clipper 375 Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Yup, a few hours work and i had a dinghy shaped thing. The rest is pretty slow, but 40 sounds about right. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 000 Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 I realise I'm probably making a rod for my own back here, but I would like to varnish or oil the inside of the dinghy. I don't care whether the finish is flat, satin or gloss. Any advice on good long lasting UV resistant products please? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chippie 6 Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Call me cynical but….none? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 000 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Finally finished, pleased but a little heavier than I'd hoped. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MarkMT 68 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Very cool Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 544 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Nice work Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rmiker 15 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Very very nice Chris!! An inspiration to anyone who sees her I am sure Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 114 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Looks magnificent Chris , what sort of weight did you end up with ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 000 Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Thanks all for the nice comments. Designed weight is 35kg. I think she's around 38kgs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 000 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Guess it was bound to happen... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Priceless! Just as well you had your PFD, handheld VHF, flare pack, hacksaw blades and bailer up forward - oh wait . . . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
grant 44 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 The front felll off.....? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 000 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 On a slightly more serious note.. I have spent a couple of hours rowing the dinghy around the harbour here in Whangamata and I really like it. With a bit of effort I can keep up with my wife in her kayak (and she's a sea kayak instructor) so it rows and tracks well. We can both stand up in the dinghy without worrying too much about an unexpected swim - not the same amount of stability as a deflatable but by far the best out of any rigid dinghy I've owned. The photo a couple of posts back was for a bit of fun but also experimenting with assembling and disassembling the boat in the water. It as remarkably easy to do which gives us the option of launching and retrieving the dinghy from the mother ship in light easily handled bits. I had intended to make my fortune by building and selling these dinghies so templated every single part in 3mm MDF but, plans change. So whereas I would like to retain ownership of the construction manual and templates, I would also like to make them available free to anyone who would like to build themselves a nice little tender. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rmiker 15 Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 On a slightly more serious note.. I have spent a couple of hours rowing the dinghy around the harbour here in Whangamata and I really like it. With a bit of effort I can keep up with my wife in her kayak (and she's a sea kayak instructor) so it rows and tracks well. We can both stand up in the dinghy without worrying too much about an unexpected swim - not the same amount of stability as a deflatable but by far the best out of any rigid dinghy I've owned. The photo a couple of posts back was for a bit of fun but also experimenting with assembling and disassembling the boat in the water. It as remarkably easy to do which gives us the option of launching and retrieving the dinghy from the mother ship in light easily handled bits. I had intended to make my fortune by building and selling these dinghies so templated every single part in 3mm MDF but, plans change. So whereas I would like to retain ownership of the construction manual and templates, I would also like to make them available free to anyone who would like to build themselves a nice little tender. Chris... I would love to build one of your tenders. We currently have the 8' deflatable at home for repairs (done) and are using a 7' pram. The reason I haven't switched back is we are looking for a better option and you have it. We are happy to pay our share.. I will pm you my email. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 Am also interested, where are you rm? Am in ak Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neil C 1 Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 Nice work Chris. Did you fiberglass the bottom panel on the inside and /or outside ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 000 Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Sorry, missed the last couple of posts. Erice, templates, plans etc in Whangamata. Noel C, the bottom panel has 10oz cloth/epoxy inside and outside. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nate 2 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Winter project just finished. A tender of sorts... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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