Martin Scannall has built this smart example of Will Stirling’s 9ft dinghy. Here’s what he has to say about it:
‘What a joy the dinghy is. It rows like a dream, straight as an arrow and nearly as fast, is stable, can carry four adults with ease and tows well too. I have sent you a shot of her on a local beach, where rather than drive I rowed half a mile or so to a party, just for the pleasure of the thing.’
You can’t say that for many 9ft dinghies. For more information about the Stirling & Son 9ft dinghy plans, click here.
Martin has also been towing the dinghy behind his sailing cruiser Sauntress (I hope this is the correct boat – the Classic Boat link that comes up in Googleseems to be infected by something nasty at the moment so please be careful), and so keeps two long warps on the quarters of his boat.
‘The warps slipped over when I was not looking. As a result I had an unintended lesson in the effectiveness of towing warps in a following sea, which was remarkable.
‘They virtually stopped the yacht so we had to heave to to retrieve the warp, which turned out to be no easy matter. Lesson learned.’
It’s worth knowing for the rest of us, I’d guess.
I gather Sauntress is now 100 years old – and the photo below shows her with a new square sail.
