Building a Mayfly 12
by Todd Snyder

Building boats. Sailing boats. Building sailboats on a balcony. I was born In up state New York between two of the finger lakes. Pure country; apple orchards, dairy farms, and lots of white tail deer between the lakes, ponds and streams that surrounded our house. We never owned a boat of any kind, but I was never far from the waters edge none the less. 

After 20 years and now on the other the side of the US I decided last year to satisfy my sailboat cravings. I have done the beach cat sailing, windsurfing, dinghy sailing. I have been kitesurfing for the last 3 years. But I wanted a boat not for just me, but for my wife and my (at the time) 2 year old son. It had to get the family involved. I started with the Phil Bolger Brick. Started it on my balcony and finished it on my patio. The boat turned out quite well and sailed better than I had imagined. Now with the confidence of one self- made sailing dinghy under my belt I decided to take a step up and try may hand at something a little bigger. Something that would fit on my balcony.

So I ordered the Mayfly 12 from Jim Michalak . The first part of the building process went very quickly due the brick that I had just finished a month or so ago still freshly in my mind.

Here are pictures of the on going building process. Hope you enjoy.
 


Pieces to my Mayfly 12 cut out. Sides are 1/4 luan and the 3/8 Douglas fir

Pieces put together with bronze ring shanked nails and Pl primium

Bottom and skid are fiberglassed and epoxied

I used Kilz 2 primer and an exterior 100 % acrylic latex semi gloss house paint

Boat turned over and bottom fillets and fiberglassed from the inside

Another shot from the stern

I made a couple of modifications to the original plans

One was the dagger board instead of the leeboard

The other modification was...

the recessed fore and aft decks

Ready for the trip off the balcony

Perched on the railing

Did it land Ok?

I guess so. Nothing broke

Just me, my wife, & son

Rigged and ready

View from the top

The side

Rudder and Cheek

From the transom

Used my brick as a rack

Beached and ready

Getting ready to launch

In the water

It floats!

Wind picked up

Tacks on a dime

Loads easily