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Relative size of Spindrift 11 vs 12


dwg2116

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I want to build a Spindrift as a dinghy for my boat.   I want the fun of sailing and rowing,  and I will carry a second dinghy for planing. 

Having already purchased plans for the 12, I am now getting cold feet and thinking that maybe the 11 or even 10 is a better choice. 

 

  Where I intend to carry it, on the hardtop, inside the frame of the tower, there is definitely room for a 10 or 11,  probably a 12, but I just don't know, until I actually try to wrestle a 12 foot boat through the monkey bars, I just can't say for sure that 12 will fit.     

 

Several years ago, I visited Graham to actually look at a Spindrift 12, trying to decide if I wanted to go that big, in answer to my question, Graham told me, rather wisely, "12 is more than 11, and when it gets choppy, everyone would like a little more boat."  (or words to that effect).    Makes sense, so I bought the 12 plans and decided that I will just find a way to carry it.   As I get older, the less size and weight of the smaller boats are now more appealing.

 

Question for the Spindrift 10 and 11 owners, have you ever regretted not going for the 12, or has your boat always met your needs? 

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My 11 hasn't got wet yet, but a part of me wishes I had gone for the 10. By the time I'd finished building it, it just felt enormous. I am using it to replace a 3.1m RIB and now that I've seen the 11 in the flesh I realise how much bigger it will be than my old dinghy. No space lost to tubes, transom right at the back.

 

On paper it's very easy to go up a size. It's the same number of sheets of ply, the extra weight is marginal, I can't imagine there is any appreciable difference in build time or cost.

 

When making the decision, be wary of other people's experiences. I was swayed by a blog from a couple (Matt and Amy, Sailing Florence) who said their 9 was a bit small. Since we also have a child sailing with us, I decided it would be prudent to go up not one but two sizes. I later discovered that Matt and Amy are both much, much taller than we are! So the 10 might have been fine.

 

I'll report back in a couple of weeks when I finally launch... and when I first try to stow it on deck... 

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