Best rowing tender/dinghy with passenger.
- Thread starter Jangles13
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pjwalsh
New member
I have had good luck with Phil Bolger's "Elegant Punt". The design is in his book. Very simple to build using lumberyard materials and it rows well with two people and will carry three in a pinch. The longitudinal thwart is a genius feature.
ProaSailor
dreaming my life away...
The "longitudinal thwart" got me curious... apparently that feature is not always used. The boat looks simple to build, though I don't understand why the frames (at bow and transom) and chine stringers are external instead of inside the boat?
pjwalsh
New member
The bottom stringers and external chine logs absorb the punishment of being dragged on the beach or bottom better than the plywood. I built one for my last boat and it worked out really well. Built it out of 1/4 AC plywood and painted it with latex e terior housepaint and it lasted about 10 years.
ProaSailor
dreaming my life away...
The external frame at the bow, in particular, just doesn't look right at all to me. If latex house paint (without fiberglass?) lasted ten years, you must not be dragging it on the beach very much?
pjwalsh
New member
I used it heavily for the first 4 or 5 years then when my daughter was born used the boat and dinghy less. The two bottom stringers were strips of 1" pressure treated yellow pine. They took all the abuse of landing. The boat finally died when the AC plywood started getting punky.
pjwalsh
New member
I used two sheets of AC plywood and ripped the chine, sheer clamp, bottom stringers, and cleats out of two 1 x 6 x 8 PT decking planks. Fastened it with ss screws and 3m 5200. I think I had to scrounge a little more plywood for the thwart.
Rasputin22
Rasputin22
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A much nicer proportioned Bolger/Payson rowing effort was the NYMPH. I built one and it looked far to short and dumpy with too much rocker but it could hold my 10 lb ice block, jerry jug of water, wife and 6 year old daughter and still row well through the liveabord anchorage. I had doubts about the lengthwise 'motorcycle seat' but that let you alway get your fore and aft trim right with any load.
pjwalsh
New member
That is a good looking dinghy too! Gotta say that the elegant Punt actually is pretty good looking too, and the additional load carrying ability is very useful.
A dyer Dow has been my tender for the last 19 years. However as yourelf I wanted something lighter and faster.
I designed and built a similar shape 9.5 foot ply and epoxy dinghy, using stitch and glue method. Easy and fun backyard project. The outcome is a rigid 80 pounds boat that rows like a dream, surpassed all my expectations. It's 4 years old, it's kept outdoors and the only maintenance is oil the hardwood twice a year. The hardwood came from an old window cill.
I first used 8 ft oars but quickly changed to 6 footers.
If you have amateur carpenter skills and room you could do it easily over few weekends for less than a thousand dollars.
I designed and built a similar shape 9.5 foot ply and epoxy dinghy, using stitch and glue method. Easy and fun backyard project. The outcome is a rigid 80 pounds boat that rows like a dream, surpassed all my expectations. It's 4 years old, it's kept outdoors and the only maintenance is oil the hardwood twice a year. The hardwood came from an old window cill.
I first used 8 ft oars but quickly changed to 6 footers.
If you have amateur carpenter skills and room you could do it easily over few weekends for less than a thousand dollars.
Great function, great looks, goes together surprisingly quickly and will provide some pride of ownership... I've built two of their older designs and really like this one:
As for a simple home build, another vote for the Elegant Punt. This one had a skeg added along with a front wheel to help get across the tidal flats ala Harry Bryan‘s Ladybug. A portion of the longitudinal seat was omitted to permit stepping into the middle of the boat. Carries two adults, a dog and limited gear. Rows and sculls well.
Buzzook
New member
Have you considered the B&B Spindrift 10'?
https://bandbyachtdesigns.com/s10https://bandbyachtdesigns.com/s10
Another option, out of left field, is Mark Gumprecht's 10' version of his Glider (12') and L'il Nip (8') catamaran dinghy. There is a link to download a PDF of the 10' version on the Lil Nip page here. Apparently the cats row REALLY well, and have the added stability of two hulls, and can be pushed right up onto beach or dock to provide a stable bow to step down onto. Worth contemplating...
https://duckworks.com/lil-nip-plans/
https://bandbyachtdesigns.com/s10https://bandbyachtdesigns.com/s10
Another option, out of left field, is Mark Gumprecht's 10' version of his Glider (12') and L'il Nip (8') catamaran dinghy. There is a link to download a PDF of the 10' version on the Lil Nip page here. Apparently the cats row REALLY well, and have the added stability of two hulls, and can be pushed right up onto beach or dock to provide a stable bow to step down onto. Worth contemplating...
https://duckworks.com/lil-nip-plans/
olaf hart
Super Anarchist
The Nymph and Elegant Punt are even better if you make the beam 4' instead of 3'6".
Its an easy job, just widen the bottom, fore and aft transoms by 6".
Phil designed a 4'6" version of the Nymph, called the Reubens Nymph, but its too wide to row easily.
I called my version the Boticelli Nymph...
Its an easy job, just widen the bottom, fore and aft transoms by 6".
Phil designed a 4'6" version of the Nymph, called the Reubens Nymph, but its too wide to row easily.
I called my version the Boticelli Nymph...
olaf hart
Super Anarchist
the external chines and frames make it an easy build, i could make one in a day not counting the painting..
Rasputin22
Rasputin22
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Yeah, I saw that Rueben's Nymph and agree that the increased beam was too much over Bolger's version. Seems that Phil Bolger had the proportions right and the hull picks up stability quickly with the chamfer between the vertical side panels and the relatively narrow flat bottom. The amazing thing is that design never drags any with the generous rocker corners in the water at any load.
In fact I am not sure Phil actually designed the Ruben. Seems like some folks thought the Nymph was too narrow and unstable when stepping into from the mothership but that was mostly because of the full length longitudinal seat which kept one from stepping onto the centerline of the bottom panel. I guess I didn't notice that because I was a windsurfing semi pro at that time. The Ruben was simply just widening the bottom panel 1' which seems excessive and made the boat 'sticky' to the water or too much wetted surface for a give displacement and hampered the rowing performance and feel. Someone the let the design pendulum swing back the other way by only adding 6" to the width of the bottom panel which seems to have been a good compromise and is known as a 'half ruben' like at the Subway sandwich shop.
Looking at the photo I posted here, I seem to remember using two shallower skegs at the width of the lower chine on the bottom panel which made the boat more stable when boarding on the beach and easier to drag up the beach. But then I never had a rudder hung from the transom. The twin skeg is far better for a rowing tender.
In fact I am not sure Phil actually designed the Ruben. Seems like some folks thought the Nymph was too narrow and unstable when stepping into from the mothership but that was mostly because of the full length longitudinal seat which kept one from stepping onto the centerline of the bottom panel. I guess I didn't notice that because I was a windsurfing semi pro at that time. The Ruben was simply just widening the bottom panel 1' which seems excessive and made the boat 'sticky' to the water or too much wetted surface for a give displacement and hampered the rowing performance and feel. Someone the let the design pendulum swing back the other way by only adding 6" to the width of the bottom panel which seems to have been a good compromise and is known as a 'half ruben' like at the Subway sandwich shop.
Looking at the photo I posted here, I seem to remember using two shallower skegs at the width of the lower chine on the bottom panel which made the boat more stable when boarding on the beach and easier to drag up the beach. But then I never had a rudder hung from the transom. The twin skeg is far better for a rowing tender.
Steam Flyer
Sophisticated Yet Humble
This opens up an amazing world of possibilities. How about a Rembrandt Nymph? Renoir?
Dali?
SabreCruiser
New member
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With deep pockets, you might be able to buy an Offshore Cruising Tender OC270. I got dingy envy after seeing an OCT at the Annapolis sailboat show and ended up building a Paul Fisher Surf 9 pram. It rows really well.
Rasputin22
Rasputin22
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You don't want to build a Dali Nymph...
Randall
New member
My 2 cents,
My first dinghy kept dumping me out much to the delight of my spouse!! When I ask an old time boat builder( Stu Smith) ,his comment was "the faster they throw you out the better they row?"
many decades later, I got a fiberglass Whitehall skiff. Looked great, Stable....but when second old time boat builder (Michael Jones) saw it. He lifted one end and said, " Get rid of it way to heavy to be useful"
and now several decades later, found my current dinghy, Joel White ( EB White's son) Nutshell pram 10'.
Attached are photos , one for show but look carefully at the second one. There are 4 big boys in her, Michael Jones rowing. Rows well but what do I know
Good luck!!
My first dinghy kept dumping me out much to the delight of my spouse!! When I ask an old time boat builder( Stu Smith) ,his comment was "the faster they throw you out the better they row?"
many decades later, I got a fiberglass Whitehall skiff. Looked great, Stable....but when second old time boat builder (Michael Jones) saw it. He lifted one end and said, " Get rid of it way to heavy to be useful"
and now several decades later, found my current dinghy, Joel White ( EB White's son) Nutshell pram 10'.
Attached are photos , one for show but look carefully at the second one. There are 4 big boys in her, Michael Jones rowing. Rows well but what do I know
Good luck!!
