MiniPaw

[Charlie Jones]

Back on the forums as Charlie Jones. Tehani name is gone.

Back in Jan I started building a new MiniPaw ( my second). Had a long hiatus due to a couple boat deliveries, and some work on other peoples boats, but--

Yesterday I got it to the "paint the first coat" stage. I made a few small mods (ok'd by Graham) to give me some dry storage along with floatation tanks. You can see the openings for the deck plates in the bow and under the stern seat

Picture as of yesterday. Hoping to float it within the next week.

Edited-

Well, I'm apparently doing something wrong but it will not upload a pic for me, so here's a link to a post on TSBB with the pics-

http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/trailersailor/index.cgi/read/866359

[Hirilonde]

I built one for a customer who uses it as a tender to a Marshall 18.  The Minipaw has to be the best teeny tender there is.  How many tenders can be carried over your shoulder like a canoe or kayak yet still row reasonably well, tow well while cruising and carry a load?   Most mods to Graham's designs I have seen are negatives IMO, but adding flotation was probably a good idea.  Especially when a tender is loaded with stuff including expensive things being carried out to the mooring or anchorage.

 

I used interdeck in the bilge/sole, but was afraid using it on the seats would sand the bottom of my shorts.

 

Looks good Charlie.

[Charlie Jones]

Thanks.I've had Interdeck on my cockpit seats on both bigger boats, with no problems. It just doesn't seem to be that aggressive even on bare legs, yet gives very good non skid characteristics.This is my second Mini. The mods added minimal weight (2 4mm bulkheads and about a foot of extra bow seat), and give me two dry places to stow stuff. Graham had no problems with them. I do make it a practice to run things like that by him before I do them-grin.

[Hirilonde]

I used it on the cockpit seats of my Renegade.  But then I don't row my Renegade 

[Charlie Jones]

Grin- there is that!

[Charlie Jones]

All painted outside. Last coat of paint today, then nonskid

Still just ignores anything I try to post a picture, so again, here's a link to a TSBB post-

http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/trailersailor/index.cgi/read/866807

[Charlie Jones]

Mini Paw is finished. Here's the link to pics, And Hirilonde I decided to not non skid the seats.

http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/trailersailor/index.cgi/read/867502

[Hirilonde]

Looks great!

 And Hirilonde I decided to not non skid the seats.

You can always add it later if you find the seats too slippery.  I don't on my Spindrift, but if you do.............

 

I used a hole in the bow instead of a towing eye.  I didn't want any hardware on the hull to bang into things, especially Hirilondë.

 

edit:  Hmm, with a pram you may want to keep the painter attachment low for towing, so maybe a hole is not a good idea.

[Garry]

I agree with the hole in the bow instead of a towing eye. Just push the towing line through the hole and tie a stopper knot in the end. I've had it on two dinghys with no problems. There is no rubbing that can cause chafe. And like Hirilondë says, there's no hardware to damage anything.

 

Garry

[Charlie Jones]

The MiniPaw is finished, and was splashed yesterday.Write up found here-http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/trailersailor/index.cgi/read/867671

[Hirilonde]

[Charlie Jones]

Thanks-it just ignores me when I try to do a pic

[Charlie Jones]

An addendum after using the boat for several trips-

 

I wound up using a loop of line through the bow, with the line wrapped to prevent chafe. I then used a double sheet bend to secure the painter to the loop. You folks were right MUCH less to mar other boats.

 

Funny thing about those oars- I was gonna buy some, then remembered I had an old one in the shop rafters, so figured I'd just copy that. Looked in the rafters and I had TWO oars up there, just alike, and sized exactly right for the Mini. So I sanded and painted them and they work great.

 

LOVE it when things happen like that-Grin

 

Oh - and the MiniPaw is every bit as good as the first one, and the dry stowage additions worked great. Here's how it traveled on a 3300 mile trip this May, June, July to Florida

[Hirilonde]

Funny thing about those oars- I was gonna buy some, then remembered I had an old one in the shop rafters, so figured I'd just copy that. Looked in the rafters and I had TWO oars up there, just alike, and sized exactly right for the Mini. So I sanded and painted them and they work great.

 

LOVE it when things happen like that-Grin

My dinghy oars were acquired in a very similar way.  I was going to make my own very snazy ones down the road, but thought more of it over time.  Probably the most stolen item from people cruising are dinghy oars.  Either left in the dinghy tied off the stern at anchor or more likely at the dinghy dock while ashore.  So not having the prettiest oars at the dock can be a very good thing.  And when your not so pretty yet very functional oars come about as you describe, well, what more need be said about that?