Long story, but I haven't been able to find a build-it-yourself dinghy that the youngsters can go out racing in. That is, that doesn't cost the earth, or have some snooty class association that says 'if you diy, it has to be ply'. If you want a grp hull, you have to go to Joe Bloggs (who incidentally is related to the class designer ) and pay out over £3k, for something I can build from scratch for £900!!!!!!

We're in the process of designing a 14ft dinghy, to be built out of ply or foam sandwich/grp.

We reckon we can get it on the water for under £1600. New, all up!!! DIY.

I'll be willing to publish plans and build methods free, if there are enough willing takers.

Only costs would be when registering for a class association for racing, to get a number, and measuring. One time costs, and less than £100 all up.

All up weight with a simple trailer would be less than 250kg's. Tow it behind the Locost.

We could have regular meets in summer, seaside or lakes. Locost cars, Locost dinghies, bbq and lotsa beers. Good fun all round!

Cheers,
Syd.

[Edited on 17/2/07 by Syd Bridge]

Great minds..different tack!

I am trying to fit a jetski pump and 1905cc PSA diesel into a fletcher 11'. I got the boat off ebay for £52.25!

Locost or what

Only problem is there's a lot of competition in that area, lots of cheap stitch-and-glue designs for little sailing and motor dinghies out there. Lots of free ones too, ex-magazine specials etc. Most are fairly low tech so you if you could design something a bit lighter/better with the same ease of construction then you could be onto something.
Planning to make a three man stitch-and-glue speedboat "some day" myself, something with side facing seats behind the front row, place for two rods and a bait (beer) cooler.

Have you had a look at the plans on here?

http://www.selway-fisher.com/

been thinking about getting me sea legs (well canal but doesnt sound as good!)

anyone know of any free plans for a boat (read canadian/ dingy sort of floatable craft)????

like the idea of a locost sailing club

quite like the look of this for my fishing boat. I'll never get around to it though, it was that or the locost and the locost won.
http://www.boatplans.dk/mo-speed.asp

Boat plans from a fibreglass supplier so you should probably be in with a chance of more discount Syd. Here's another that I found in there with some stitch and tape designs. There are some using tiewraps instead of the old copper wire for stitching, cutting edge technology.

[Edited on 17/2/07 by Peteff]

Not sure if its what you want ??

but when i was 16, i built a Mirror, a very basic 2 person sailing craft, that went on the roof rack of my Fathers car, somwhere ive got the plans, probabley in his loft !!
From memory the all up cost was £60 in 1976, and that included sails, rope cleats etc, and most of the budjet went on varnish

I had some great times in that boat, and now and then think "why not I will build another"
and then reallarity sets in, and i realise ive got to many hobbies allready

my boat was vandalized, set on fire, and i am 99 % certain by whom !!

looks like boating locosters look to the water for some inspiration around this time of year - good on yeh...

locosting is cool

Have seen a couple of really nice looking plans for an aluminium speedboat. I'd love to learn to weld aly and have a crack at it. Think i'd have to fill the bilge with closed cell foam just in case i discovered how crap my welding is in the middle of the bristol channel.

Like i said, it's never happening. But hey ho, speculation is free.

I have wondered if there could be some way of building a Locost type aluminium dinghy.

Any plans about?

I have some boat plans on a cd. I am sure there are some on there for an aluminium boat. u2u me if they would be of interest.

My favourite starting place for free plans.....

http://home.clara.net/gmatkin/design.htm

Before jumping in with a big boat try your hand at single sheeters. Made from a single sheet of plywood, hence the name. total buget for the last one I built £50 all in. Ideal for kids and brave adults. Try this for starters......

http://www3.sympatico.ca/herbert.mcleod/skiff.htm

mirror dingies are great little sailers, i have had loads of fun over the years in these and recomend them, if you keep an eye out on ebay and your local ads papers you can get a second hand ply one supprisingly cheap, i once bought three of them ready to sail for £150!
They're very easy to rig and sail as well as repair too.

Yep, I "learnt" to sail (very badly i hasten to add, but my mum is an instructor and ex fireball and flying dutchman racer) in a mirror, great little things.

I think Syd's point is that:

a) you can't buy the kit anymore as far as I know

and

b) its ply, and he'd like to push things forward to a more modern design.

Certainly sounds like a good idea to me.

You hit the nail square on the head, Nat.

The aim is to build with 'glass over foam, and make it look modern. Any build info would relate to this. Stitch and glue is like 2CV, and belongs to the beard and sandals brigade.

The design, however, would also be buildable from ply sheets. (Conical development it's called. )

The older boats are all underpowered, look a little 'ordinary', and not aimed at 'the larger gent'. You've gotta be a skinny little 10 stoner to get any performance out of them. The design crew weight for these is 102kg's one-up, and 160kg's two up. You could take mum and the littlies day sailing in it even!

My 15 yr old is 6'2", and 13 1/2 stone. Loves his sailing madly, but just can't find a sensible class of boat to race at the dinghy club. (Other than the offshore ocean ones he sails on already.)

Laser and RS boats have managed to kill dinghy racing for the average man, with ridiculous costs. That's why we're going through this exercise. It just seemed like a good idea for anyone who has built a car, and wants another project.

The 'apre sail' I was part of in my youth is still imprinted in my (now feeble) brain. But it was all good fun. I see it as a good way of getting a bunch of like minded people together.

Cars, boats, bbq, and beers. What else do you need? I s'pose a girlie with the same interests would help.

I'll put some screen shots up when we get the initial lines done in Rhino and analysed in Maxsurf.

If nothing else, we'll build two of 'em, and race in club handicap locally. All good fun !

Cheers,
Syd.





[Edited on 19/2/07 by Syd Bridge]

At the moment I am too wrapped up with car stuff to get involved in something else, but after the current grasser is done and I have built my next tow car (should be a fairly short project) then I'll be looking for something different, and with my mum and dad having a house and boat storage near Brancaster in North Norfolk, and with them now having their main place a mile from Rutland water, and having sold their dingies (they are saying they are too old for it now at 60 and 63, I say Pah!! ) , I'm very tempted, and I think my girlfriend could well be interested as well.