Forget model airplanes. My 6-year-old son and I built a boat.

It wasn’t a big boat, but a year ago, while trying to choose plans for a cruising boat we plan to build, I decided to do it as a trial run. Dane, then 6 years old, and I launched into the build of an Origami Dinghy, a neat little design for a folding boat of plywood and heavy cloth that can be easily knocked down and stored "flat."BRUCE DILLAHUNTYThe Origami Dinghy was launched in a pool, skippered by the builder and held up wonderfully.

My goal for the project was simple: I wanted a good introduction to boat building, a chance to brush up my woodworking skills and a fun hands-on project with my son. So we ordered plans.

I picked the 8-foot version, thinking that would be the best for a family boat (a 6-foot version is also available). It was a choice that had repercussions later, when it came time to choose plans for the larger boat. Eight feet is more boat than you think. The Origami’s weight and size when transporting it by hand were larger than envisioned.

Offered by a company called WoodenWidget, the hull is versatile and can be rowed, mounted with a 3.3 HP outboard or even sailed, if a sailing kit is installed. Plans for the 6-foot version cost about $50 and plans for the 8-foot version were about $60. The overall cost of the boat, depending on quality of plywood and cloth, is in the $200-$300 range.

FYNE BOAT KITSThe Origami Dinghy is unique in that it folds flat for storage (above). It unfolds to become a boat that can be rowed, sailed or driven by motor (below).

Another company, Fyne Boat Kits, sells a kit with pre-cut parts, but my plan was to make my own cuts and modifications. As I've told many people, my aim was a "farm boat finish” – a grade below the commonly-known “workboat finish.” Note that others have built from this design and created some real works of art. This can be a nice looking boat. But that just wasn’t my top priority.

Here, I’ll add a disclaimer. I'm sure the boat would be great as designed. By all means, build the dingy according to the instructions! We deviated in several ways, the result of me playing around (surely the type of behavior that is a designer's nightmare). This is not recommended.

But I was pleased with the end result.

The Origami Dinghy design uses PVC cloth, that heavy, tarp-like stuff you see on the side of some 18 wheelers, for the bottom of the hull. This provides a flexible surface for collapsing the boat. The hull’s side panels are made from plywood. An interior framework to keep the sides in place and provide a place to sit is also formed from plywood, with a couple of additional pieces made out of lumber. A few sections of generic piano hinge from the local home improvement store – marine grade hardware would be a better choice for long-term use – and a few nuts and bolts and you have a boat.

My main deviation was in the quality of supplies we used to build the boat. The plans call for _-inch, marine-grade plywood, but I used lumberyard grade supplies. Most of this wood was not appropriate for building a boat, but we knew this would not see water all that often. We wanted a good learning experience without spending a lot. The cost of ply and hardware was probably halved by buying bargain materials (although the largest cost wound up being the PVC cloth).

I can always build another one out of better stock if and when this one gives up the ghost.

CUT ON THE DOTTED LINES

The plans were more in the mode of an "instruction manual" than line drawings. You are told to take a piece of wood 500mm x 300mm, measure 30mm (yes, millimeters) from the lower left corner and make a mark. Then, measure from the upper right corner and make a mark, and play connect the dots. You then cut on the lines you have drawn. Pictures are provided of each part in its finished form so you know what is supposed to look like.