Duck Punts sailing last year
John Milgate’s wonderful Duck Punt design looks like tremendous fun to me, and I was pleased the other day to discover that plans to build these little boats are now available from Dylan Winter’s Keep Turning Left website.
I’d include some built in bouyancy and you wouldn’t see me out in a boat like this without a lifejacket, but the way they slip through the water with their tiny 35sqft recycled Optimist sails is an inspiration.
Dylan thinks one of these little flat-bottomed sailing canoes derived from boats used by wildfowlers will make a great platform for filming, which I guess they may be if you’re skilled enough to hold a sheet, steer with a paddle and aim and aim a camera at the same time.
Good luck to him and I hope he ties on his camera securely – I fear I’d be in the water in a moment if I concentrated on something that demanding while sailing one of these tiddly little canoes. Distractions such as cameras aside, though, one of these boats would be a wonderful escape in sheltered waters, particularly on a summer’s evening after a long day’s work.
I tip my hat to Bill Serjeant and his weblog Bill’s Log – for that’s where I learned that Dylan had posted the Duck Punt plans. Thanks Bill!