I am new to this and looking for some help.
I will be building a Stevenson Wing Dinghy when the weather is better.
Does anybody have any tips, tricks, shortcuts or any advice to make
construction go as smooth as possible?
Hi,
I noticed no one's replied to this thread yet so I wanted to just say Hi. I know that Konrad (posts mostly on the Messing About forum) built a Wing-Dinghy using very light materials. I never heard how that project worked out, but I suspect he and others there might have some comments.
Mike
I didn't build a Wing Dinghy, I built another small Steverson's design, the Triad. The only advice I would give is:
1- If you want it to last and are the type (like me) that frets over the details and wants it near perfect then use good marine plywood, the better grades and types of other materials and don't worry about it taking a bit longer then others think it should. Especially if it is your first boat.
2- If you just want a nice boat and want to get sailing then get local plywoood, other materials and get cutting, gluing and sanding.
3- Strongly consider using epoxy with fillers for all your gluing needs where durability and waterproofing are factors. Don't worry if you haven't used it before. The information about epoxy on this forum is enough to qualify you for an honorary doctorate degree in gluology.
In either case read the plans, read them again and again. After you have identified parts of the plans that you scratch your head over do a search of this forum for posts on the topic of your concern. For example if the concern has to do with bending the plywood in a curve while attaching it to from the transom then search for those terms. Read the posts you will be amazed at now much information the members of this forum offer. If you don't find what you need then post your concern. I have yet to see any member get growly over someone posting a question that has already been answered. That kind of attitude just doesn't seem to exist on here. I am not saying someone won't refer you to a past post just that they won't get on your case for asking.
Sorry if all this was already obvious to you. Hope at least some of it will help.
Thanks for the tips. Knowing my past work, the boat will most likely be a "quick and dirty" build.
I already own a 25' f/g sloop. I am looking for a good single hander and a project to kill some idle time.
Killing 2 birds with 1 stone I guess.
I think/hope you'll find the Wing-Dinghy a nice addition to a slightly larger sailboat and a fun project to build. Even though it might seem a bit odd to want a second sailboat of not-too-different size, the fun of a small sailboat is just so great that it adds to the larger one as well (at least I think so.) There's just something essential and satisfying about minimal machines like Lasers and Sabots and Mini-Cups and Wing-Dinghys; stuff you can just reach out and grab the dock and stop and where you really feel the wind/water interplay so well.
Have fun!