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Started:
Completed:
Type: 8'-0" x 4'-2"
Sailing Dinghy
Location: New Hampshire
Built By: Denis Desharnais
Link to the Sandpiper Page
in the Design Catalog |
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About two years ago, I decided it would be a great
father and son project to build a small sailboat. My
son learned how to sail in summer camp and he really
enjoyed it. I thought having a "real world" project
might pry him away from his computer for a while and
show him what building something with your own hands
was all about. I had your plans for Sandpiper, which
was originally to be a towing dinghy for my larger
boat. The boat looks so attractive, however, Keith
and I decided that it would make a great little
sailboat.
We worked on the boat
on and off for about 2 years. He found much of the
work tedious, especially the sanding part, and I
think most of the time he would really have
preferred to be doing something else. With my
guidance and coaxing, however, he continued to work
on the project until it was finished. I have to say
I'm very proud of him! I watched his skills evolve
from nonexistent as a 13 year old at the start of
the project, to quite respectable for a 15 year old
at the end of the project. He can now build, sand,
paint and fasten with the best of us. Once the boat
was launched, he happily admitted that it was worth
all the hours of hard work he put into it. |
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The boat took much longer
than anticipated, which is a phenomena that many
aspiring boat builders seem to experience when they
actually take on a project. I also made some
modifications to the original design to better suit
its purpose, such as a centerboard and trunk,
instead of a leeboard, bulkheads and enclosed bow to
add more floatation. This all resulted in
considerably more work.
I have attached some
pictures of Keith's boat "Never Ending", sailing on
a local lake in New Hampshire. The boat performed
even better than we had hoped! It is very stable and
dry and rides extremely well for such a small boat.
I was surprised at how fast it went in a moderate
breeze and she handles perfectly. Keith could have
stayed out there all day, but it was getting a bit
cold so I dragged him back to shore to warm up.
Denis Desharnais
Contact Denis
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