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).
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.
This wasn’t the method I was expecting, though it certainly works. A line drawing of each part with dimensions would have been my preference, along with at least one drawing or picture that provided more detail about how 45 or more pieces fit together.
PUTTING THE PUZZLE TOGETHER
Once the pieces are cut, it’s painting time.
BRUCE DILLAHUNTY
The assembly method did not seem like it would work, but the designer assures you that it will. And guess what? He’s right. You fit the frame together upside down, as if you erected the boat, then tack some narrow strips of PVC cloth across the assembly at the stem, stern and amidships. After that, the width of the craft is set and you can drape the main section of cloth over the boat and fasten it. At that point, you have a boat. The rest is just trim and cosmetics.
I just couldn’t see the problem with letting the cloth extend farther up the sides. Why not let that nice, waterproof fabric protect that cheap, not-so-great plywood? So I extended the PVC cloth about 6 inches farther up the sides than was called for in the plans. I decided to not to trim the cloth, and instead let it extend above the waterline. I figured this would make the cloth-to-wood seal less critical. The downside is that this adds more weight, and an 8-foot wooden boat covered with heavy cloth can be a handful.
I did run a line of glue along the edge of the side panels as specified, and then another at the edge of the cloth. I opted for PL Premium glue, a waterproof, polyurethane-based construction adhesive, rather than silicon. I had it on hand and wanted to use it throughout, even though silicone could be obtained easily. I corresponded with another builder, who said that PL Premium, if dampened with a slight mist of water (lay a bead, then spritz it), stuck very well to the PVC. I set my son to work with a spray bottle wetting the glue as I laid a bead and we put all of the cloth on in about an hour.
DO AS I SAY
But we boat-builder types are independent and always have a thought on how to do things “better.” Not surprisingly, my version had some glitches.
WOODENWIDGETThe dinghy takes a 3.3 HP outboard.
The cloth has a few rough spots where it was hard to get things around the curve. Had I followed the design, this would not be the case. At one point, the floorboards hung down because the bolts I used to fasten them to the rear floor supports were too short. It meant an extra trip to Home Depot for the right-sized bolts.
Some trim pieces along the edges of the cloth, as recommended in the instructions, would look nice. We left them off, although may get around to adding them later.
We tested the craft in our swimming pool. It proved to float quite high on its lines and was surprisingly stable. A friend dressed for the experiment did a good job trying to rock it over, and the dingy wasn't interested. The flexibility of the cloth helps here; you may rock the keel, but the cloth flexes and helps keep things level.
There was a little water inside, but as near as I could tell that was from my intrepid testing crews' bathing suits. They were already wet from swimming prior to launch.
It’s also heavier than I expected. Of course I did run the extra cloth up the sides and well above waterline. My version weighs about 60 pounds. The manufacturer says the 6-foot version should weigh in at about 26 pounds, but that seems light to me. Another builder say his 6-footer weighed 38 pounds. The extra couple of feet on the 8-foot version will itself add some weight.
NICE LITTLE BOAT
WOODENWIDGETA sailing kit is available.Due to outside events, our project stretched way out on the calendar, but I probably spent 20 to 30 hours on the boat. A fair amount of that done with a 6-year-old helper, so you can add or subtract time as you see fit.
We’re slated to go to the lake this summer and I hope to take the dinghy and play more with it. This will give it some time in “real water” and we can see how it performs. Until then, the folding feature makes it great for storage. It stands on end neatly in the corner of my garage, out of the way and taking very little space.
I don't know that it is "finished," but it may be as finished as it gets. It works for me. All-in-all, it is a nice little boat and it was a great father-son project. Having a working dinghy for the "big boat" at the end was just icing on the cake.
Bruce Dillahunty, a first-time boat builder, is currently at work on a V28 designed by Mark Van Abbema. You can read about the project on his Mad Mariner blog (see link below).