sailing dinghy questions

[lewisboats]

So much depends on the quality of the sail manufacture, the age of the sail, the material and how stretched it is, the rigging setup, the amount of tension, the shape the sail takes at various angles of attack, etc that the centroid is like a hand grenade...close enough.

[ajlewie]

Try building the 3.8m dinghy by radoslaw werszko at dinghy.pl. We built one that only took me & my bro to assemble the parts in 4 days.2 days glassing. though it took me 3days to loft then cut the 30+ parts/panels...it can carry 3 persons. Total no. of plywood used..2pcs of 9mm x 4x8 and four pcs. 5mm...its easy to build as we don`t have much carpentry skills...

[ancient kayaker]

There's a capacity difference between motoring and sailing a small boat. Ryan wants to sail.

With a motor all of you can arrange yourselves comfortably and stay put. Capacity is set by the need to keep the water out in whatever conditions are prevalent at the time. 3 in a fat 8 ft boat in calm conditions? Sure.

When you're sailing you need space to move around. A well organized crew of 2 can do that in a properly designed small boat but the third guy will get in their way. With guys, capacity limit of a small sailboat is determined by when a fight starts over who trod on whom*. In addition to cockpit space you will need additional freeboard to keep the water out when the boat heels. 3 in a fat 8 ft boat in calm conditions? Maybe; bind the 2 you don't need and toss 'em someplace where they won't get in the way, great for ballast. Sure it can be done with a small sail ....

* This would work better with an all-girl crew, since the most useless would just have a hissy fit and get out of the way of the other(s) ...

[flying_violin]

The 3.8 m dinghy looks like an excellent choice at this point. School got a little busy lately, which has caused us to focus on classes rather than boating. However, a few breaks are on the horizon, so your replies came at an opportune time.

However, I was wondering if floatation chambers should be added under the seats and under the covered decking in the front. Would that help with righting the boat when it capsizes?

[lewisboats]

yes but you might be better with flotation bags...they collapse and are stored easily yet can be tucked in some fairly small places or tied wherever needed.

[flying_violin]

Visiting family during the holidays, I ordered some parts to get us started on the 3.8m dinghy. I also scrounged up enough stuff to build a 1/16 scale model of the boat, with working rigging (although it is a pain to setup!). I think it looks alright, so we should be able to start construction soon!

However, here is where I need the expert opinion of people I have never met: I am thinking that a horizontally hinged tiller would be better than the fixed one in the plans. That way the tiller handle can move up and down as you need. The Satellite I have sailed was setup like that, and I found it quite pleasant. What are your opinions?

[ajlewie]

Im no expert with the tiller, if you prefer a hinged tiller,go for it, i too am contemplating on changing my tiller like that what you want. fix is good too,you can transfer to sides without hassle,liftable tiller arm were suppose to ease your way when transferring to other side so you wont step up or duck below the tiller. just make sure the hinge or device that you put will not jam to the rope located inside the space between the tiller and rudder stock cheek.

I agree with lewisboat, flotation bags are better under the seats for added flotation...making chamber under the seats will make working on the cleats fittings, chainplates very hard,you will not have access anymore...

good to hear you'll start the build soon!its nice also you'll be making a model first,there you will find some of the discrepancies on the plan..i encountered them during the build,you'll discover them soon and are easily remedied and fixxed.

i also emailed the designer,so happy he included my boat pics build in his website..such a nice guy!cant wait to see yours posted there too..

some pics during our initial test sail:3 adults on board on a nearby pond...

[ancient kayaker]

The tiller on my row/sail boat is hinged so it can move vertically. It is premanently attached to the rudder post and the whole thing lifts out for storage and transportation. I altered the design slightly so it can rest on the bottom of the boat where I can put a foot on it, adding directional stability for rowing. Without the rudder my flat-bottomed skegless boat is difficult to keep on course with my limited rowing skills.

I installed floatation tanks under the side decks and omitted the transom tank and seat to make it easy for my boat-challenged missus to get in and out at the beach, so nothing gets in the way of the tiller arm.

[flying_violin]

I successfully made it back to school this week, and with a boat model. But as I was flying back and I also play the violin, the instrument got to ride with me, and the boat was very carefully packed away in my luggage. Unfortunately, TSA got a hold of my bag, and after opening everything, just threw all my stuff back in haphazardly and stepped on the top to close the top! Fortunately, the damage was minimal and easily fixed, as I built the model such that it could be de-rigged. I'll take some pictures and post them later.

So now we are off to go buy some wood! Woo-hoo!

[GTO]

Holds three (depending on the what size each of the three happens to be!)
Sails great!

Well, with the real sails up. The blue tarp is my homemade storm sail I was trying out. It happens to be a cut-down mainsail that the wife and I made for the experience.