Guest Gerry Posted December 31, 2002 Report Share Posted December 31, 2002 I need a larger dinghy for daysailer use with my wife and 7 year old. I built a D4 8' dinghy, but it's time to move up in size and hopefully performance. Can these Spindrifts be built from AC exterior grade plywood? My D4 was built dirt cheap with ACX, is beautiful, and has fared very well. I will be using this for occasional sailing on a large lake that is pretty easygoing. We're not racers, and the boat will not live in the water. I do not have a source for marine ply anywhere close to me. Regarding mast construction....I built the mast and sprit for my little dinghy. Can I do that here, too? I would like to build a decent boat cheaply, not a cheap boat cheaply. Thanks, Gerry my job cannon1324@mchsi.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Graham Byrnes Posted December 31, 2002 Report Share Posted December 31, 2002 I think a Spindrift would make an excellent family boat especially the S12 as it's performance is not as effected by carrying extra crew. Spindrifts have been built from all kinds of plywood but we try to encourage people to anti up for marine ply. Usually the extra cost increases the value many-fold, not to mention the pleasure of working with good ply. 1/4" AC ply has 3 plies and 1/4" Okume marine has 5 plies which makes the Okume ply stiffer across the panel. You can compensate by adding bottom stringers on AC ply boats to bring up the bottom stiffness. You need to try to keep the football shape repairs out of the bow bottom as we have seen them peel out after the boat is folded. The thing that I hate most of all with any fir plywood is the fact that regardless of how you seal the wood (short of fiberglassing) it will check (cracks along the grain). Fir built boats usually come out a little heavier than Okume boats. As you have experience with an AC ply boat and you can accept the above, you can make a boat that will sail beautifully. It is our contention that a boat is something that should "last" for a 100 years - not three or four. It should be an heirloom - or at least an investment...you should have a profit should you decide to sell it. Remember, the most valuable thing you will put into any boat is your labor and your love - you should honor that. Marine plywood is no longer a rare commodity and can be obtained anywhere in the country, although not at your "local" builders supply. One of the things we supply with our plans is a source for materials. We offer the 800 number for a major importer who will in send you to your closest outlet - from whence the plywood can be shiped or picked up. Also, you will probably find information on this site, from other builders as to access and desirability. Just as a quick point: our own WORKING tender (catspaw) is now about 22 years + - and is still perfect - and still working hard - it lives outside....how many AC boats would we have had to build in this time to replace it???? Bad economics. As we said, the boat will sail well, regardless of the material - albeit the AC route is heavier - but you owe YOURSELF the honor of good materials. Just some ideas to chew on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greg Luckett Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 Graham, After speaking with your wife yesterday I called Harbor Sales and asked about an outlet close to me. The lady I spoke with did not have a clue about what I was asking. She says they only have one outlet and that shipping full size panels would be expensive and from Maryland. I too have built small boats with the ext. grade plywood, and with good success, but then I also fiberglassed the entire hull. I would much rather build with marine grade, but am having a difficult time locating any within 100 miles of me. Perhaps you could help me with this? Thanks and Happy New Year, Greg Luckett luckettg@qtm.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Graham Byrnes Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 Yes, fiberglassing the whole boat will cost more than good plywood, not to mention the work and extra weight. Plywood & Door's midwest outlet should be near you their address is 6335 W. Joliet Rd., Countryside IL 60525 Tel. 708-738-7224. and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greg Luckett Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 Graham, WOW, that was a quick and nice reponse. It is 113 miles one way to that location, but the shipping has got to be better than the ones I have been finding on the East or West Coast. I will call them Thursday. Would you happen to know any others that also might be closer? I am in Saint Joseph, MI, which is in southwest Michigan. In any case, the one you already provided is a big help...THANKYOU!! I am trying to recall; is your wife, Carla? She has been so good about advising me and I really do appreciate her willingness to do so. Was Harbor Sales the one I was supposed to call for the nearest outlet? Perhaps the girl I spoke with there simply does not know about what I was asking? Holiday help? Anyway, if they do have other outlets I would appreciate knowing of them. Thankyou, Greg Luckett luckettg@qtm.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe Nelson Oregon CS20 #3 Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 I had my 15 sheets of plywood crated and shipped 300 miles for under a hundred bucks. I picked it up at the terminal in my town. Thats a lot cheaper than having it delivered to a residence or most businesses. The only bad thing about buying out of town is having to buy all your plywood at one time to get decent shipping rates. joe_nelson22@hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Burritt Posted January 2, 2003 Report Share Posted January 2, 2003 The Illinois location is the closest to you. Next nearest is in Union, NJ. Their web site is below. http://www.pdusa.com/ jbncb@coastalnet.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Dunn Posted January 4, 2003 Report Share Posted January 4, 2003 I built a Spindrift 10 out of cheap fir ply. She was my first boat and I was bulding her as a practice boat. I covered her with fiberglass to avoid the checking problem. I have a nice boat. She is probably 30 pounds heavier than she should be and I spent more money with the fiberglassing than if I had purchased good okoume plywood. I had some problems stitching with the fir plywood. My Core Sound 20 (#36) is under construction. Like Joe, I got my plywood from Edensaw. I opted for the 1/4" okoume and 3/8" marine fir for the bottom sheets. The okoume is light and a joy to work with compared to the fir. I am in Colorado so it cost me a few bucks more for shipping from Seattle than Joe. I got off the phone with Edensaw on a Monday and my plywood was in Denver for me to pick up at the trucking terminal Thursday. I bought an extra sheet of 1/4". One more sheet adds little to the shipping. I figured the $40 was worth it. I kinda wish I had bought 4 more sheets to rebuild my S10 so it would be lighter and prettier. Good luck with your project. terryplay@msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MarkW Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 I built mine out of $8 exterior Lauan. I looked fairly carefully through the piles for sheets with decent thickness exterior plies, and no voids visible at the edges. I did a dishwasher/boil test on the wood before starting the project. As far as I can tell, it all worked out fine -- I had no problems with the ply during construction or since then (we've used the boat three or four summers now). Ended up looking pretty good even finshed bright inside (that was my lauan Spindrift on the Messing about calendar): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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