| Design by Bill Weller - USA |
New... a high quality
DIY folding sail dinghy. What's more, you can build
it your way. Bill Weller has produced plans in easy
to navigate HTML format that give step-by-step instructions
plus customizing options along the way. There are
over twenty pages of instructions and dozens of photographs
and diagrams to help even a novice builder.
The boat has options for the
sail of your choice - or none at all
Mr Weller started this project about six years ago
and and finally has plans ready to sell. The availability
of PVC laminated cloth was key to making it work.
The name Flapdoodle Dinghy was given to it by his
80 year old mother.
Designed after 6 years of research and testing
to be as simple, rugged, and painless as possible.
- The classic hull shape leaves hardly a
ripple at 5-6 knots with a 400 pound test
load.
- Triple hinges on the folding panels; metal,
and rugged PVC cloth laminated to Dacron.
- The PVC fabric is readily available in
any color including metallic and glow-in the
dark.
- Unique positive locking system joins the
transom, skeg, and rear seat into a solid
unit.
- Solid center seat for strength and ease
of construction.
- The dagger board is tilted to the rear to
prevent scooping water under power.
- Convenient, inexpensive wheeled skeg.
- No special tools required.
- No need to built a form to shape the hull.
- No special things to order.
- Folds to about 4" thick.
- Length 7'10", Depth 16 1/2", Beam
47"
- Light enough to carry the folded part under
one arm.
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six years of skillful planning went into the design
The dinghy is mostly composed of hardwood plywood,
but has some hardwood pieces. It folds down flat about
the size of a surfboard and the main body can be carried
under one arm. Open, it becomes a rigid 7'10"
x 4 foot beam dinghy of classic proportions. It could
be built for about $300; much less if desired by using
the construction options.
Flapdoodle is modular. Repair or modify it
later if you wish.
- Daggerboard a building option.
- Change the seat or deck width, or shape.
- Choose full-featured, or simple and lighter
weight.
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Slides easily into a mini van thanks to the skeg wheel
with plenty
of room to spare. Stores easily in the garage or even
a closet.
Ideal for apartment dwellers.
Plans are in a 2.4 megabyte set of zipped
files in HTML format that are sent by e-mail
and contain:
- Very detailed instructions in 21 easy to
follow chapters.
- Links guide you through the building options.
- 195 how-to photos and drawings
- Construction hints
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Bill has a background as an Engineering Technician
specializing in design of automated manufacturing
equipment.
For more information or to purchase plans go to:
https://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/flapdoodle/
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