Thread: Dingy

Instantly recognisable as Bolger's "Cartopper".
Read what THE MAN has to say about his design from "Boats With An Open Mind" (BWAOM)
Includes later drawing of tent & photos under sail (sprit rig)

cheers
AJ

I have the book with the plans and offsets. Thinking about making one. Think it's
good utility skiff? Looks to be pretty rugged little boat. And not too hard to build.
coogs

OK, I just like the boat.

Yep, the Bolger "Cartopper".

Always had a soft spot for this hull. I have sailed one and I think they are quite tricky to sail. They tend to lose a lot of way when tacking and can stall head to wind very easily. Then they are quite stable head to wind and a little bit tricky to get underway again. You have to allow the head of the boat to fall well off the breeze before tightening the sail again.

At the time Bolger was being very influenced by Dhows and other vessels that split the lateral plane between something up the bow end (in this case a small centreboard well forward) and a large rudder.

The advantage of the original setup is that middle of the boat is particularly clear of obstructions. But a dhow has a great deal of weight to help it tack and usually a lateen rig (on a dhow) has the centre of effort much further back than the balance lug or sprit here.

When you get the cartopper going they are fine and behave like the nice little boat they are.

With a conventional centreboard it would be a great improvement.

Best wishes
MIK

So the centerboard is all wrong? Too small?

Originally Posted by coogzilla

So the centerboard is all wrong? Too small?

Maybe not "wrong". Just different.

Requires a change in the way you think about steering. A bit like the difference between driving a front-steering car and a rear-steering fork-lift.

By installing a larger board in a conventional location & moving the rig aft a bit,
Cartopper would handle like any other small boat. But then you'd lose the room
midships.

Choose your poison !!

Exactly right AJ,

I need to re-emphasize just how sweet the hull is and the way the hull panels fit together!

Michael

BTW there are some choices about how the boat goes together too.

The Plans do really talk about going the very cheapest method and there is some virtue in that. Alternatively you can move it into being a higher quaility project that will look a lot nicer and last a lot longer.

But at the same time it makes it cost more.

Michael

Thanks guys. Make it improved? That sounds pretty good. Why would it cost more
and I think I could build it maybee, without messing it up too bad.

Why would it cost more

You use lesser grade material to make it cheaper, then cover it with
paint..

To make a "Classic Beauty" you need better material and then
you finish it to show off the wood and joints.

It is the same with most wood projects, you don't paint teak and
mohageny!

Coogs,

The methods are not hard at all. You have done a nice job with other stuff anyhow.

This thread will go through one of the alternatives for construction ...
Building the Eureka canoe with epoxy fillets on the inside and glass tape on the outside.

The building proceeds about the same as the original plan ... cut the panels, hold them together temporarily, add your joining material to hold the panels together and then add the solid timber gunwales etc. But materials and actual methods are changed.

Have a look at all the details for these steps in the eureka plans. Also ... if you are interested you could consider a spaced gunwale as per the Eureka ... most people like them ... but only do it if yo u like the look!

A nice wood coloured filleting compound (add wood sandings from a sander to colour the normal filleting mix - NOT sawdust) will help too.

MIK