Dinghy cruising help

[joeirish]

Any views on light weight sailing dinghies that have been built from kits?

I am considering a 14 ft LOA by 5 ft beam plywood/epoxy clinker dinghy with laminated centre plate. She is gaff rigged with 80 sq feet of sail, but only weighs 170 lbs. I have been advised that I will spend most of my time capsized (and wet!) as she is so light. I plan to sail her two up not single handed but in a very big lake here in Ireland that is more like coastal waters than inland waters.

<hr width=100% size=1>Joe Griffin

 

[snowleopard]

a light dinghy is not inherently unstable after all, a rubber dinghy is pretty light but they are damned hard to turn over.

what affects stability is beam and deadrise. Explanation: the nearer a dinghy is to a flat wide shallow box the more stable it will be. unstable cross-section shapes resemble a triangle or semicircle.

look at the shape of your boat: is the bottom flat or a shallow V? if it is, OK. if it is deep V or deep and rounded it will be tippy.



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[Peppermint]

Re: How good are you.

If you're a confident, experienced dinghy sailor it might be a hoot.

Uffa Fox cruised widely in his Int Canoe but he was a bit exceptional.

It also depends what you mean by cruising. Most planing dinghies don't carry weight well. So loading it with home comforts won't help.

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