Vanilla Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 I am looking to build one to carry 2 adults and a dog, total 340 lb, 380 with outboard. Will be rowed and motored, sail will only be an option. 8' to 9.5' long, stable to get in from the water. This will be a tender to a 35 feet cruising sailboat, to be cary on davits. We live on the boat full time during the cruising season, 5 to 6 months in the Bahamas. My existing to be retired dinghy, is an inflatable AVON 9.5 soft bottom, so I am guessing around 7.5 feet of usable length inside. I use it, at a minimum, twice a day to get the dog to shore. Also to cary groceries, to go spear fishing, to go snorkeling, to explore. Most of the time I beach it or anchor in 10 to 20 ft of water. I have a 2013 Yamaha 4hp 2 stoke outboard, 36 lb. Catspaw 8 or Spindrift 9.5 ? Sylvain s/v Vanilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 I built a Catspaw 9 nesting dink about 15 years ago, still going strong! We chose the nesting version and carry it on the coach top of our Orion. We have the sailing rig but never used it as much as we thought we would, nut it goes fine with our tiny Nissan 2 stroke. If you build one of Graham's designs I am sure you will be happy with it, just don't try to "beef" it up. I am guilty of that on 2Paws and it is a little heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter HK Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 In general pram dinghies offer the best load carrying/stability for length. The spindrift would be a better sailer but if you are going to motor/row then the catspaw would be a better choice...lighter & shorter. Coming from an inflatable however you might appreciate the catspaw 9- same weight as the spindrift but better load carrying and probably better suited to the 4hp motor. Any hard dinghy will less stable (in terms of initial stability) than your avon (for standing in to lift up the dog for example) so the bigger catspaw would again be a better choice from this point of view. Always compromises. Cheers Peter HK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanilla Posted March 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 Catspaw 9 is spec at 70 to 80 lbs, can it be easily achieved or is it a target for expert builders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 My guess is you would be happier / better served by a larger boat. If you have used an inflatable, most likely you have motored everywhere in the past, and will likely do so in the future? Mostly motor, some rowing and probably no sailing? If so.......... http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/jessy.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 You said, " stable to get in from the water." A big difference with a hard dinghy is it is much less stable for climbing in from the water. Some do it from the stern. Consider offsetting the motor to provide more room to climb aboard. Another method is to rig a float (fender?) to the top of your boarding ladder to support your weight when climbing aboard. I like the Spindrift design partly because I think it tows easier but since you're using davits and probably need to watch the length so it doesn't get hit by waves when you're heeled, I'd recommend the Catspaw 8 or 9. The 9 would have significantly stability and capacity. Yes, the weights indicated are achievable. Don't overbuild. The boat is strong enough as designed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 I used a nesting Spindrift 9 as tender for years. It tows better than just about anything, definitely better than a pram. It rows better than a pram. I bet it motors better than a pram. I sailed it in port often, I liked sailing around harbors to look at other boats. My wife would join me on the best days. In calm water I have rowed it with 4 adults and some stuff, at least 700 lbs.. A pram will give you a little more load capacity per foot. I was sold on building a pram until I found the B&B site and the Spindrift plans. I haven't looked back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanilla Posted March 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 CATSPAW 8: not much details on the catspaw page. Does the plans come with different layouts? I would like 2 rowing seating positions and 2 sets of rowlocks. Are the to scale 1:1 when I receive it? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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