# Where to find a good cheap nesting Dinghy?



## bmacfarquhar (Jan 12, 2010)

I have been googling around for a nesting dinghy and only seem to come up with plans to build your own. Does anyone sell a small nesting dinghy that can be stored on deck of a small cruiser? I think inflateables seem like a bad idea would prefer a rigid with padding...

Probably 8 feet when built max and light enough for one person to handle.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

The NN10 is a good one..but longer than 8'..


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## bmacfarquhar (Jan 12, 2010)

I saw that one (the NN10) but its way overpriced when a typical glass dinghy with oars can be found for $400. 2.5k is a lot of profit and not a good value in my book.

Probably be cheaper to install davits considering the price difference.

Any others?

What about sawing a regular $300 glass dinghy in half and putting in bulkheads that can be screwed togethor with some sort of thumbscrews? 

Probably just need some plywood and glass tabbing - I suppose it might not nest though the parts may not fit inside one another.

Anyone out there build plywood nesting dinghies for a bargain? There are many plans out there but I don't have a workshop or the tools to do it otherwise it would be a fun project...


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Not really sure where you're getting a price of $300 for a fiberglass dinghy... but, yes, you could probably install two bulkheads and then saw the dinghy apart.



bmacfarquhar said:


> I saw that one (the NN10) but its way overpriced when a typical glass dinghy with oars can be found for $400. 2.5k is a lot of profit and not a good value in my book.
> 
> Probably be cheaper to install davits considering the price difference.
> 
> ...


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

bmac,you won't want to hear this, but I notice a recurring theme throughout all of your posts.
You are cheap.
You are lazy.
You are unskilled.
If you want to own a sailboat, you can get by with two out of three.
Which trait do you plan to change?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

LOL... brutal, but I can't disagree with it.



bljones said:


> bmac,you won't want to hear this, but I notice a recurring theme throughout all of your posts.
> You are cheap.
> You are lazy.
> You are unskilled.
> ...


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## Cal28 (Jul 6, 2009)

You might consider a used Porta-bote ..
purchased a 8.5 ft with Minn Kota trolling motor in excellent condition for $400 ... and it works well for us ...


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

bljones
I was thinking the same thing - agree 100%

By the way the Portabote is a good choice as it is very durable and its been said it is so ugly nobody will steal it. 
Porta-Bote Folding Boat Makes Inflatables Obsolete Also Portaboat


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## bmacfarquhar (Jan 12, 2010)

bljones - Well I wont disagree that I am new to the world of sailing and am trying to keep costs to a minimum but I found I've wasted a lot of time and money in past pursuits with the wrong gear/ ideas and had I just gone with cheap and simple I'd have saved a tremendous amount of effort. Most often the simplest path of least resistance is the best. I don't have skills in boat building or sailing yet but I don't have a boat yet and am very much still in an urban environment dreaming - a kayaker/ cyclist who wants to escape and sail indefinitely till I have my fill. However I want to do it asap and have nothing holding me back except perhaps spending too much money at the outset especially on the wrong things. 

Cal 28 I am looking into the porta-bote thanks for the idea.

I was hoping someone made an 8' glass dinghy that can be taken apart for say less then 8 bills or so - I'm sure such a product would not be unreasonable if mass produced.

Also, bljones: I see no point in slinging insults around I am trying to save shopping time by asking experienced people who have spent countless hours pondering and lusting after junk whats good. The point of a forum is to draw on other people's experience, skills and hard work. If I think 2.5k is a rip off that says little about skill and work ethic. I have seen several hard dinghies advertised with oars in the $3-400 range on many classified websites. If you don't want to read my posts I encourage you to skip them. Or is it that you are invested in the NN10 and were offended by my opinion?


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## bmacfarquhar (Jan 12, 2010)

Am also quite suprised by the overwhelming verdict that I am lazy, unskilled and inexperienced I would have thought sailors would be friendly people who enjoy helping people get started. 

I haven't seen anyone bother to post something like that on a forum before but I haven't spent much time on forums - some people love to fight and argue and waste time. Seeming cheap, lazy and unskilled arises from trying to cut through the BS and make the right choices the first time around. Experience comes from lack of judgement, and judgement comes from experience. I am not considered lazy but I am not comfortable opening up on a public forum - if you have a problem with my posts send me a personal message and we can discuss your issues in private or if I am offending most of the regular posters I'll just stop. Looking back on all the money and time I've wasted in my life I think if you look hard enough you can find the solution you want at the price you want to pay.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Bmacfarquhar, I said you wouldn't want to hear it. I am sorry you feel insulted, but I stand by my statement.

Perhaps you do not understand how you come across.

You ask a question.
You receive an answer.
Consistently, you dismiss the answer with an absurd statement like this:
"I saw that one (the NN10) but its way overpriced when a typical glass dinghy with oars can be found for $400. 2.5k is a lot of profit and not a good value in my book."
Why is it absurd?
1. You compare the price of a NEW nesting dinghy to a USED one piece dinghy. 
2. Show me 3 ads for hard dinghies complete with oars for $400.
3. You have never built a dinghy, bought the materials, calculated the labour, but you know the NN10 is "way overpriced" and they are making a "$2.5k profit"
Look back at your previous absurd statements about Atomic 4 engines, diesel engines, and you can see where I am coming from. Quit stating your uninformed and ill-informed opinions as facts.

You want a NEW nesting dinghy for under 8 bills? You have to build it.
How do I know that? Been there, done that, went through this exercise a year ago.

http://www.anything-sailing.com/hard-dinghy-low-buck-style-t144.html

And don't whine at me about not having the tools or the space. You are going to NEED to acquire the tools to do repair on your big boat anyway, and the tools might cost you $250 maximum. Brand new. From a store and everything. You don't need much space, either. You could do it in the living room of an apartment, any space big enough to contain a sheet or two of 4x8 plywood. 
Building a dinghy will also give you the skillset you need for repairs on the big boat and the confidence to do it.

I PASSED on building a nesting dinghy. Why? Because if i haven't got room on my boat to store a full sized dinghy, i don't have room to assemble a nesting dinghy. I also realized assembling it on the water, at a mooring, hanging from the swim ladder was going to be an exercise in frustration at best, and damned near impossible in any sort of swell.

You say:
"if you look hard enough you can find the solution you want at the price you want to pay."
You keep focusing on "price" without the knowledge to know what the right price is, or the understanding that "price" and "value" are not synonymous.

You say:
"Experience comes from lack of judgement, and judgement comes from experience." You are right.
You can learn from our experience, yet when you reject our experience, you show a lack of judgment.

This is my opinion. You can agree, disagree, take from it what you will. I'm not trying to insult you, I am trying to educate you.


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

Man, i'm glad I haven't had to take lumps from BL... 

I think you're on the right track bmac, FWIW i've found that if you want to save money in the sailing arena - you have to be willing to do it yourself. Because nothing is cheap when it comes to sailing. I too have looked at dingies and have been blown away by cost. I'll be damned if i'm spending what I paid for my boat on a dingy. Therefore when I get my project car out of the garage - I will be building a dingy... Can't wait


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

I don't know if you're cheap, lazy, and inexperienced, but let's do a little work on those table manners, huh? .......kidding

Anyway...I'd suggest examining why a nesting dinghy is needed. Assuming cost is a driving factor in your decision, you're more likely to find low cost in a one-piece dinghy. An 8' dinghy is fine on a 30 footer. The nesting aspect sounds like additional hassle. You can tow an 8', and you can stow it on deck as needed. If you have a nesting dinghy, it'll be heavier to get out of the water and on the deck, and then you have to take it apart, at sea, and wrestle two pieces. And deal with the hardware. And don't forget the oars and maybe a motor. Keep it simple. Time spent modifying a dinghy to nest seems like time better spent elsewhere on your boat IMHO.


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## funjohnson (Aug 20, 2008)

BlJones,

Where do you live? I have a nesting dinghy I built last year that I will be willing to let go for around $1000. It even comes with folding oars!

By the way, it cost me around $1500 and a little over 110 hours to build this one(I learned a lot). If you use the right wood, paint, and epoxy, it will cost a lot!


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Nice job!
Why are you selling it?


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

That's a killer dinghy! What plans did you use?


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## bmacfarquhar (Jan 12, 2010)

I think it is pretty obviously implied without needing to be explicitly stated that everything written on a forum is an opinion - its redundant and inefficient to say that before everything you write down. It seems obnoxious to read a post where its IMHO xxxx... IMHO xxxx.... If I wanted to qualify my statements as facts I'd list more evidence or proof. I am not sure what the need for constantly restating the obvious is - I can be wrong and often am but I take everything I read with a grain of salt and read a lot of opinions before I become threatened by a single persons idea. I don't mean to come across dismissive but I was looking for a cheap dinghy and 2.5k in kit form is not my idea of cheap.

That is a very nice looking nesting dinghy you built.

I was thinking I might be able to squeeze an 8 footer onto the boat but wanted to keep as much deck space free as possible. I'd also like to try to squeeze a kayak and a bike on the boat - will dismantle the bike in a bike bag and keep it below and may get a shorter kayak or a folding kayak.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

I would highly recommend Feathercraft folding kayaks. No affiliation but I have paddled two 300 mile Baja trips with one. Not a budget product though.


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## nickmerc (Nov 2, 2008)

If you are looking at building a dinghy I suggest looking at Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC). They have plans and kits for stitch and glue kayaks, dinghies and other small water craft. Chesapeake Light Craft: Boat Plans, Boat Kit, Kayak Kit, Canoe Kit, Sailboat Kit, Rowboat Kit, Paddleboard Kit, Boat Plan, Boat Kits, Kayak Kits, Canoe Kits, Sailboat Kits, Rowboat Kits, Paddleboard Kits, Boatbuilding Supplies, Boat Gear and Accessor
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## bmacfarquhar (Jan 12, 2010)

Nickmerc - the passagemaker dinghy they have a kit for would be my dream dinghy - it is gorgeous to look at and has a lot of character. I suppose I see a dinghy as a cheap beater bicycle - I imagine it could be something easily stolen and a component that may need frequent replacing and as such shouldn't be so nice. I dont want it to stand out or draw attention - uglier the better... That said if I found a used passagemaker I'd jump on it though its still fairly large when nested. They look great under sail also - if I wanted a boat to tool around on and wasn't planning a big boat I'd just get one of those.

Mitiempo - good tip I had a feathercraft for a while in Chicago and a folbot before that but the rocky river I paddle now calls for hardshells. Feathercraft is the best when it comes to folders. Somehow I'm not sure building one on deck would be much fun either. I'm thinking a shorter hard plastic quasi disposable one that I could tuck away somewhere (currently my shortest boat is 15' might need to go to 12 - would be for exploring in calm anchorages and working out not for extended touring).

Also Bljones I am humbled by my research and admit I have much to learn - I have changed my mind about the Atomic 4 and after listening to and smelling a few 1 or 2 cylinder diesels am thinking it might be more my style... Many of my opinions are first impressions culled from other opinions. I have however read many things that affirm my engineless silence dream though as reality sets in I think I might have to get further away from civilization before realizing it.


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Keep your eyes on Craigslist and ebay. Eventually everything is for sale, cheaply if you look long enough. Don't be too quick to dismiss inflatables. While I row my tender (most inflatables are strictly for outboards), I recently bought an inexpensive inflatable kayak. It performs pretty well. Modern inflatables are tough boats. If I could find a good inflatable rowboat, it would answer some questions. 
Unless you are crossing oceans, you generally tow your dinghy.


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## funjohnson (Aug 20, 2008)

It's a Spindrift 9n nesting dinghy... here are the plans:

spindrift

I'm selling it because we are trying to move away from Michigan and go south (need the space and money). It was built strictly for the experience of learning fiberglass skills and other boat owner needs.

I have an inflatable that works better for our needs.

I also have a Walker Bay 8 fiberglass (or plastic?) for sale if you live close to Michigan.


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

Cool B&B! My Dad is currently building his Belhaven 19.


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## trecksail (Dec 2, 2004)

*I have a nesting dinghy*

Been sitting around quite a while and could probably use a nice paint job, but I'd let er go for $500. I'm in Southeast Wisconsin. Let me know if your'e interested and I'll get you some pics.


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