The 'Aluminum Dinghy' - Tender to "Tamara"Principal dimensions: L.O.A. 3.44 m (11' 3"), Beam 1.42 m (4' 8"), Sail area: 5.15 m2 (55 sqft). She has a fully enclosed forepeak buoyancy compartment and polyethylene foam blocks under the aft seat and the side decks. I designed and built this dinghy in 1983. Originally I had meant to build a nesting dinghy in plywood. Then, during the planning stage, I heard very positive reports about the benefits of an aluminum tender for long distance cruising. It sounded good enough to change my mind, but I felt it was not practical to build a nesting dinghy in aluminum. However, I found that by placing the dinghy at an angle on the foredeck I could carry the full-size dink on deck and still have access to the anchor winch. |
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If this little trick does not work for you, check out my nesting dinghy designs Sinbad, Piccolo and
Nexus.
The aluminum dinghy has proven itself over and over during our circumnavigation. The toughness of the aluminum construction was a major asset. There was no need to worry about landing on any beach, or coming alongside strange docks. She has phenomenal carrying capacity. Once during our stay in the Caribbean, we went to a beach party and gave a lift to two couples from other cruising yachts in addition to our family of three. Naturally we all had picnic equipment, coolers etc. along. Still, we chugged across the lagoon with a safe amount of freeboard and as most of us sat on the side decks it was not too cramped either. For some more pics: Pictures taken during the circumnavigation of the 'Tamara'. Aludink is being built: Hamish Laird builds Aludink for his SY 'SEAL'. Hamish Laird takes "Amazon" to the Antarctic: Pics of 'Amazon' sailing in the Antarctic Construction: TIG welded aluminum sheet, 2,5 mm / 0.1" thick, 5052 H-34 marine grade aluminum. This made it a little heavy, but gives the boat stability. We carry a 15 HP Yamaha long-shaft outboard on the transom. To lift the motor off one person has to stand right at the transom. The extra weight of the dinghy helps to make this a safe operation. The dinghy is of single chine design - this was the main reason why it was no problem to change the construction material. There is also no reason why one should not revert to building this boat in plywood, using the epoxy stitch and glue method (taped seam). I am happy to advise on details. The two forward halves of the boat were cut from one 8' x 4' sheet. This is made possible as topside and bottom panels run parallel where they meet along the chine near the stem. The panels only separate some distance away from the stem. Keeping the panels joined at that point saves welding. Anyhow, the panels virtually meet in a butt joint, which is not easy to do in situ in thin sheet (This was my first time welding aluminum and therefore a bonus). The only butt joints to be welded were the extensions to the topside and bottom panels, which were welded on a backing plate, flat on the floor. The transom is 4.5mm / 0.177" thick. |
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We tested the boat with a second hand suit of sails from a Mirror
dinghy. However, for the circumnavigation we needed a handy, small rig
as we planned this dinghy to also fulfill a life-boat function. Having
tested junk-rigs previously it was an easy matter to re-cut a sail for
this dinghy. A sprit sail would have been just as good, but the junk sail was to hand. The mast is free-standing. It just pops into a hole in the foreward thwart and slots into a "T" section base. The mast is in two parts. An internal sleeve locks the two parts together. Separated, mast and sails stow inside the dinghy ready for urgent use in a lifeboat mode. See sail plan at right. |
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A centerboard became possible as she is not a take-apart dinghy anymore. This has the advantage that it is always part of the boat and
cannot get lost. A lifting rudder makes sense for sailing in shallow
inlets, lagoons etc. Her quarters are not as full as a racing dinghy's, so she rows easily - this is important in a yacht's tender. Quite often one does not want to bother with rigging up the outboard for a short trip. |
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Although we used a 15 HP motor, the boat is quite happy with much less
power. The extra power is nice to have when using the dinghy as a 'tug',
towing the yacht.
We had cause to do this when our main engine gave us trouble on the trip. By towing alongside with the 15 HP motor one has good control and can cope with wind and waves. Any longshaft outboard from 3.3 HP up to 9.9 HP will make an acceptable power plant. |
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Plan Prices also read my Ordering Guide |
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Plans for this dinghy and building instructions assume that you have
access to TIG welding equipment and either you or a friend are
experienced welders. Fabricating in aluminum is quite easy as all the cutting of panels can be done by jigsaw (saber-saw). Welding equipment can be hired for the project. I built the complete aluminum hull at a friends factory over the Christmas holidays. |
Plans for this dinghy consist of two A0 (44"x33")sheets and one A1 (33"x22") sheet and building instructions This set of plans is suitable for lofting all your own panels, bulkheads and all other parts. Plan costs: €35 (+/-US$45) - which entitles you to the building of one boat.
In addition to the regular plans you can obtain full-size patterns for €30 (+/-US$42) plus shipping charges (international). |
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For further information or for ordering of plans, contact me by email: Winfried at WaveDancer-Yacht Design