Craftsmanship

Creating a cold-moulded dinghy

Project brief

In the mid 2000’s I wanted to design and build a product in a completely analog way, so I spent some time learning how to construct classic boats.

I studied at the Lyme Regis Boatbuilding Academy.

Learning new production methods

I studied the principles of joinery for wooden boat construction, but also the modern methods of GRP and FRP manufacure, such as laying up and vacuum-bagging.

Hands and eyes-on

There was no CAD software, lidar scanner or photogrammetry, 3d printers or CNC machines – just manual lines drawing and fairing by eye.

2 step hull construction

I built a mould for a 12 foot classic “cod boat” from 20mm spruce beams cut into the pre-shaped bulkhead forms.

The hull was then laid over, made from laminated 2mm mahogany strip in a cold-molded structure, 3 layers sandwiched by epoxy.

The keel and rubbing strakes were made from oak.

Fit-out

I fitted out the boat inside and varnished everything. The hull exterior was West System epoxied then painted.

The lifting daggerboard was made from ply coated with fibre-glass, epoxied and then painted.

Brasswork for spars, cleats, and rowlocks were either custom cast or purchased from classic boat enthusiast suppliers.

Spars, sails & rigging

I drew the spar arrangement, the rigging and a new sail plan with a jib, since the original cod boat design had only a mainsail.

Sails were then made locally for me by Kemp Sails.

The mission was finally complete!

On the water

The dinghy sails energetically and always draws admiring comments whenever she is out on the water.

She was sailed at Muddiford and Langstone before being sold to a new owner in Shoreham in 2023, still going strong nearly 20 years after construction.