The Craft

The nautical world has some colorful, and sometimes quirky, terminology. The boat that I will be building is a dinghy, usually referring to a small rowing boat that is used as a tender or lifeboat to a bigger boat. It can also be called a pram, for its flat bottom. The hull style is called lapstrake, meaning the planks that form it are overlapped. And to add another, it might be called a gunter sloop, which is the type of sail plan I intend to add.

As for details, the overall length will be 11' 7" and a beam of 4' 8". The boat will have a draft of 6" with the centerboard up, and 30" with it down. If I build it correctly, it should weigh about 90 lbs, yet will carry 650 lbs on the water. For propulsion, it can use oars, a spread of 78 square feet of sail, or an outboard motor of up to 4 hp. The boat was designed by John C. Harris in a Norwegian style. I can't wait to get started!