rodjr Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 been looking at lots of plans lately and having a hard time deciding. my wife and i live on an island in well protected waters of puget sound. we want a 9' boat that can safely zip us around the shorelines of our island. the goal is 9' as we can fit it in my toyota, and my shed. im thinking maybee a new 2.5 hp suzuki, no sailing. we just want to throw a small light boat, lightweight motor and a couple life jackets in the truck, drive 3mi to the beach and GO! summer water conditions here are much like a big lake, but im a little concerned about lack of freeboard and such in such a small boat. also will a 9'er with 2 aboard make 6-8 mph? just like to here thoughts on this design for my purpose. thanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkisting Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 the goal is 9' as we can fit it in my toyota, and my shed. Have you seen the nesting boats that break into two or three pieces but fit together quickly? This would permit you to have more room, in an 11' or 12' boat, that would still break down to the size you need for storage. Just another option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 I built a Spindrift 9 and it is nesting. With Garry's nesting hardware it is extremely easy to put together in the water. You might want to consider the 11 footer nesting version if a little more room is desirable. But if 9 feet is enough I think you will find that with a 2-2.5 hp outboard it is exactly what you are looking for. I think you should rig it to sail, but that is the sailor in me giving you the business Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 The 9 footer will probably do what you want. I have great respect for the hard chine planing design used for the Spindrifts. With your limited space, the 9 footer will be light and easy to handle. But my experience is with the 11 footer that I built. I recommend you consider the 11 foot nesting design. Each half would be even easier to handle than one 9 footer. Take a look at some of the photos on my site at the link below. Also, there are a couple ideas to make it easy to transport. (I don't recommend the storage compartments I added in the middle because of the additional weight.) My link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYFOY Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 I will ad my vote to Garry's suggestion to look at a Spindrift nesting dinghy. I am currently building an 11 foot model, having chosen it because my criteria were similar to yours: I want a sound, capable small boat for my wife and I, that we can store under the bed cap of our pickup truck and thus take with us on our travels (we tow a travel trailer.) While I will equip it for sailing, mostly we will use it with a 2hp Honda outboard. Another advantage: Nested, it should store upright in a compact space in our garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.