# Low-Buck Dinghies- Lets See 'em!



## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

The Low-buck thread has proven to be a great home for little projects for little money. This is the home for bragging about little boats for little money.
Bought one?
Built one?
Rebuilt one?
The only rules are:
1. Investment under $399*
2. Pics or it didn't happen.

Here's mine:










let's see yours.

*Upon reflection the budget has been increased... still half the cost (or less) of most new dinghies.


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## copacabana (Oct 1, 2007)

That's a nice dinghy BL. What model is it? I'm about to start my Chameleon nesting dinghy- my winter project! I won't qualify for this thread though, as it is sure to cost more than 300 bucks. I've just spent $150 on 3 sheets of 6mm marine ply and I haven't even shopped for resin and cloth yet. What is yours made with and how did you manage to keep it under $300?


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Thanks, copa.
It is a really simple design, and I used cheap materials. It was my first boatbuilding project, and i basically learned as I went along. i enjoyed it, and figured if I got three seasons out of it, it was a success. 
Here's the story, if you're interested:

Dock Six Chronicles: Meet The Fleet, Part Tree: The Birth of "Chirp"

Dock Six Chronicles: Meet The Fleet, Part Tree, Part Too.

Dock Six Chronicles: Meet The Fleet, Part Tree, The Big Finish.


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## copacabana (Oct 1, 2007)

Thanks for the links BL. 

Cheers!


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## Skipper Jer (Aug 26, 2008)

You did that dink for under $300? Wait, you are Canadian right? Canadian dollar is worth 3 times US dollar? So I get to post a $900 dollar dink?

Nice dink, will check out links later. 

Thanks for the info.


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Here's mine. It's just over $300 unless I claim that I already had the epoxy. I think you should raise the limit to $400.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Nice,Thumbs! What does the finished product weigh?


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

72 lbs. I wish it was 50.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Budget raised.


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Thanks.

It could be argued, that since I had half the epoxy left over, that it was under $300.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

there is no such thing as "leftover epoxy" - it is the start of the next project.


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## lajimo (Sep 5, 2011)

Very nice work gentlemen. How long to make these?


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## Jiminri (Aug 26, 2012)

AllThumbs said:


> Here's mine. It's just over $300 unless I claim that I already had the epoxy. I think you should raise the limit to $400.


Allthumbs--great looking dink and thanks for sharing the pics. Is it your design or did you have plans?


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Thanks, built using free plans available here: Mike Waller Yacht Design - Free Boat Plan - Boat Plans, Multihull, Monohull, Catamaran

I can't remember how long it took. A few months working off and on I think.


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## fryewe (Dec 4, 2004)

John Welsford's _Tender Behind design. About 350 USD. My first shot at stitch and glue. Rows well with room for two. Good capacity. Sails one.































_


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## troy2000 (Apr 7, 2013)

This is Blue Rose, the flat bottom canoe my son and I built together right before he went into the Army. It isn't a dink, but it fits the general theme of inexpensive home-made boats. I spent less than $200.00 on it, and the single most expensive item was the paint...

It has 1x12 pine sides (shaved down to 1/2"), a 3/8" plywood bottom, Douglas fir gunwales ripped out of a 2x4, a two-piece stem also of Douglas fir, and frames and transom of scrap oak I had laying around.


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## blutoyz (Oct 28, 2012)

Love the lawn chair...Classic!!!

I don't have any pics but I just grabbed a sumner sailing dindhy for $100 (sans sailing rig of course)

I just wanted a tender to tow


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

Do they have to be DIY? I have an Albacore that I bought, with trailer, for $100, and a Bombard AX3 inflatable that was $250 with a 5HP outboard.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Jimgo, just like their owners, the boats don't have to be DIY, they just have to be cheap.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Nice work, troy.


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## troy2000 (Apr 7, 2013)

blutoyz said:


> Love the lawn chair...Classic!!!
> 
> I don't have any pics but I just grabbed a sumner sailing dindhy for $100 (sans sailing rig of course)
> 
> I just wanted a tender to tow


A better look at the lawn chair; my wife did the painting.





Gratz on the low-cost find. I'll be looking for one to buy or build one myself in a couple of years; I'm getting ready to build a 28' riverboat from plans by Paul Riccelli, better known on boat forums as PAR.

If I build a dinghy instead of buying one, I'll probably wind up going with a pram to get a more burdensome boat for the length.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

This is a good thread.

I've been thinking about building a dinghy. This will be good for ideas.


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## carl762 (Jan 11, 2010)

My friend Larry built this for me 20 years ago from a licensed mold. This is an AquaPod. The company is in Ridgefield Washington, and they're still making them. Very stable boat.










Might tow it behind the sailboat this year. $125.

Hmm, how do I shrink the photo? Sorry about that.


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

I still need to get a picture of my inflatable, but here is the Albacore I picked up on Craigslist last fall for $100, including the trailer.



















She still needs some TLC, but she's coming along nicely.


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

It's a nutshell pram designed by Joel White. Plans from Wooden Boat. I built a mast, boom, gaff, rudder, centerboard, but can't find the pictures. I don't remember what the basic boat cost, but it wasn't much.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Nice inlay work, sabre.


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## PaulinVictoria (Aug 23, 2009)

You can just make it out in the background, doesn't tow well but it's very comfortable.









Back in the real world, I picked up a nice little Zodiac (WM branded but made in France by Zodiac) 2.6m for $300. I sail year-round, no time to mess around building something from scrap wood and sticky stuff


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## ltgoshen (Jan 5, 2009)

PaulinVictoria said:


> You can just make it out in the background, doesn't tow well but it's very comfortable.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well said...


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

My low buck dinghy is a boring Achillies LT-3+ inflatable. It was free with my sailboat. It's actually pretty nice, it rolls up small and is light. It's only meant for small outboards, but in return it fits more people than the more common Zodiac design with a transom pushed forward. However I prefer rigid dinghies.

The dinghy that I actually use is a Dyer Dhow Midget that doesn't qualify for this thread since I paid $600 for it. That got me a sailing kit, two sets of oars, and it's been pretty nicely rebuilt. So it's still pretty low buck and a lot less work than making one. It's fun to sail and rows very nicely. Here is a photo of me sailing it in light air:









Woodworking folks: I need to replace the skeg on my DD Midget. I have some left over Ipe from a decking project, is there any real problem with using this underwater?

Also, I need to add a second set of oar sockets for rowing when there is crew onboard. How do I properly locate these?


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## Michael K (Feb 27, 2006)

Damn, it has been so long since I've uploaded pictures to this site I no longer remember how. And, I cannot find the directions. 

$399 for a dinghy doesn't seem like a noteworthy achievement as I have three for far less: a nice 8' "Dink" acquired for $150, a 9.4 Watertender for $200 with a title, and the latest project that I tried to post an image of - a 12' Pearson Petrel with rig that still requires much work but is solid, for a whopping $2.68 off ebay (it has oarlocks but at 140# I doubt anyone would want it for rowing).


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## MarioG (Sep 6, 2009)

I'm sure I don't need to post a picture, we got our Walker bay 8' for $300 in new condition after our other dinghy was stolen. I then paid $180 for a complete sail kit for it. (used twice)


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

Michael - Just upload the picture to photobucket. Click on the IMG code and copy to your post here.


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## Chartreuse (Apr 13, 2012)

Ive got a 9'6" Larson tender that I have been patching up for about the last month or so. Got it from a fella whose yard it had been sitting in for close to a decade. I traded a bottle of slightly used rum for the piece. It was stored outside, upside down. The skeg had begun to rot, and so had the top of the transom.

I chiseled out the old wood in the skeg.


http://imgur.com/QLhH8Uc


cleaned it, filled it with expanding foam (Not a choice I would repeat)


http://imgur.com/R21DmOA


glassed the bottom. (X3)


http://imgur.com/JsfVOcx


cut out old, rotten top of transom, beveled old and new treated wood.
bondo filled it, Glassed it, (X2, patches..)


http://imgur.com/32SRDLJ




http://imgur.com/fGVlrOi


painted it. (X1.5 spray cans rustoleum)


http://imgur.com/4JEBDEP


Shes a heavy one, so I found these little wheels and got 1' of free 1/2" piping from a plumber friend (thanks joe!). Bolted 6" pipes vertically in the corners of the transom to slip the wheels into, they happened to fit perfectly!


http://imgur.com/7UyPe40




http://imgur.com/6J6GBVf


Im into the project about $100. Evercoat epoxy resin, hardener and cloth being the most costly.

...Ill let you all know when she sinks.


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## Michael K (Feb 27, 2006)

Okay, here it is, a 12' Pearson Petrel completely untouched since my $2.36 purchase several months ago. Whenever I do get to it, costs should be pretty well under $150. We will see.

DSCN8772_zps20c107dc.jpg Photo by Sendtomike | Photobucket



The other boat is taking all my time.

30' X 17' Catamaran Photo by Sendtomike | Photobucket



Hmmm, that didn't work as planned!


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Michael.. I embedded your pics using the IMG code instead of the URL link.

Chartruese,, maybe downsize those pics a bit?? 

Took me awhile to dig these old pics up.. some 26 or more years back a friend and I decided to build our own dinghy, so we started out with making a female mold.. the first hull 'stuck' so it became the plug for a new all glass mold, after which hulls 2 and 3 were built ending the production run. All three boats are still around.

These projects cost more in sweat equity than anything, along with a steep learning curve but our boys learned to row and sail in them. My buddy still has his, we sold ours some time back. Hull #1, about 10 lbs heavier, is still around too. This was my own design, an attempt to split the difference between an Opti and a Sabot...

The first wouldn't have cost more than 400 in materials and we all got our money's worth by the time we were done. (btw this little guy turns 31 in a few weeks )


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

I really like the side benches on those Faster. My Dyer Dhow only has crossways benches and doesn't really leave good room to sit in while sailing. I'm usually sort of lying down under the boom.

Did you make those kick-up rudders, or are they pulled from something else?


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Alex W said:


> I really like the side benches on those Faster. My Dyer Dhow only has crossways benches and doesn't really leave good room to sit in while sailing. I'm usually sort of lying down under the boom.
> 
> Did you make those kick-up rudders, or are they pulled from something else?


We bought the rigs and rudders from a local dinghy manufacturer.. ended up cutting those rigs as shown down a bit, actually. The side benches/flotation tanks were quite deliberate, also the cross seats simply lifted out for sailing We made our own daggerboards. These little boats were great fun and we learned a lot.


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## Lubrdink (Sep 1, 2011)

The E Minor. Bought from my buddy who made it for $100. He had sold his boat and was moving to Texas. Need some clean up but going to give it a whirl this year. He also made the sails.


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## troy2000 (Apr 7, 2013)

Faster said:


> Michael.. I embedded your pics using the IMG code instead of the URL link.
> 
> Chartruese,, maybe downsize those pics a bit??
> 
> ...


A worthy project - and a great picture of the kid.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

troy2000 said:


> A worthy project - and a great picture of the kid.


Thanks Troy... The 'kid', thanks in part, I believe, to his early exposure via this project, now in his 30s owns his own Cat 36. This fact seriously warms my heart.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Jaysus, he started as a 'spos fan and now emulates CD. Faster, did you drop him on his head when he was younger? Repeatedly?


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## smp (Jul 29, 2010)

I'm considering a D5 dinghy because the plans are free and it looks easy to build. That Pippee is looking nice though.


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## Reefpoints (Sep 7, 2011)

I built this folding dinghy (Origami) from the wooden-widget site, about $500


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

Paid $112 for this on Amazon.com. Still haven't used it yet. Bought a motor mount for $17 and a trolling motor for $80. Plan to use it to take our toy poodle to shore while cruising this summer. Use only on protected waters. Planning to convert it from tiller to wheel steering.  :laugher


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

> I'm considering a D5 dinghy because the plans are free and it looks easy to build. That Pippee is looking nice though.


I liked my D5. One thing I was looking for in the plans that I am building now, is for a longitudinal bench. There isn't any way to balance the boat in the D5, or other boats with tranverse benches. OTOH, the D5 rows a lot staighter with a passenger in the back.


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## Skipper Jer (Aug 26, 2008)

A tad off course but has anyone considered using epdm rubber roofing material as
a skin for a foldable dink?


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## troy2000 (Apr 7, 2013)

Barquito said:


> I liked my D5. One thing I was looking for in the plans that I am building now, is for a longitudinal bench. There isn't any way to balance the boat in the D5, or other boats with tranverse benches. OTOH, the D5 rows a lot staighter with a passenger in the back.


'Billy' Atkin and his son John designed some nice little dinks with longitudinal benches and flotation, both prams and pointy boats. The plans are available dirt cheap from John's widow Pat. Who's on my list of favorite people I've done business with, by the way... she's a sweetheart.

Atkin & Co. - Tiny Ripple

Atkin & Co. - Katydidn't & Petey Dink CM

Atkin & Co. - Precious

Atkin & Co. - Rinky-Dink


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

I like Harry Bryant's "ladybug", but I'd be hard pressed to build it cheap.

Harry Bryan Boatbuilding - The Boats


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## troy2000 (Apr 7, 2013)

bljones said:


> I like Harry Bryant's "ladybug", but I'd be hard pressed to build it cheap.
> 
> Harry Bryan Boatbuilding - The Boats


Thanks for the link. The boats shown there are very much in line with my personal tastes.


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