Cheapest 2 person sailing boat

If and its a big if, a GIS could be built for US$1000 then the extra few hundred dollars spent would be well worth it. Good looking, fast and with something else not considered- resale value. So the overall cost of ownership will be less.

Construction of 6 boats would be very quick with a cnc router, the rigs are simple but could be modified further to suit your purposes with marconi sails and windsurfer masts? The costs per boat will be better with bulk buying although I cant see a thousand going very far on any boat!

 

If all you want is cheap, use the insulation with a thin veneer.
If you want something that lasts even a short while and sails ok then forget about this idea.

 

even cheaper, build with all "found" materials, like drift wood:



or you can gets some tools and mill your own lumber from the wood that washes up on the beach, make your hull, use left over house paint and a blue tarp sails and can actully have a pretty decent boat. However it is really nice to just buy lumber rather than making it from raw logs.

 

Takes less time also.
However, sometimes you can get some lumber from house construction. I do suggest you ask if you can take scraps rather than removing walls or roofs.
You may need to learn to scarf - a lot.

 

This was my previous attempt at building a cheap dinghy.
I suppose it cost around $300 in today's money, but that was back in 1998.
Put it in the water yesterday after a LOOOONG hiatus, and had a fantastic sail until my lightweight inwale ( which also helps to carry the shroud chainplate) failed during a strong gust.
Stick into the drink, with all the sails.
Lucky we could recover, and the girls thought it was great fun.
So all the thought which has gone into this thread was not for nought, as I have to re-do a lot of stuff now, and I really want to simplify that sliding gunter into something that my "midshipmen" can handle with more confidence.
Will keep updating this thread, and thanks for all the responses so far.

 

Fighting with the attachment, I will try again....

 

Anyone mention the "Windmill" class.

They were designed BE (before epoxy), for amateur construction.

Anything with a two man crew is going to require a a considerable amount of sail area to get it to move. The all up displacement is going to be around 600 lbs (273 kg).

You might be able to shave a few pounds off the boat by going with lighter construction. But lighter construction often comes at the cost of lower safety factors and more expensive construction.

Wood is stronger when it is dry. The best way to keep it dry is epoxy saturation.

Limiting the sail construction material is probably the best first step towards affordability.

An unstayed mast limits rig choices. It pretty much eliminates a jib for anything but light air sailing. Tri-stay arrangements can be quick to set up, if the fore stay uses a dead eye, rather than a turn buckle. The loose end of the dead eye line can end at a deck cleat.

Just thinking aloud.