Dinghy's, tenders, shore boats come in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes, and the on going "best dinghy" argument is far from complete in my limited mind.
But right now now I'm wondering if the pointy end of a dinghy is really needed. I mean the part that is normally above water.
So here's the question, when comparing a 8' pointed dinghy to a 8' blunt nosed dinghy (some call them prams, others punts) do they both have the same load capacity? rowing, sailing ability? I think if you take a 8' flat nosed dinghy and add back what it would take to make a decent pointed end you would in essence then have a 9.5' (give or take some inches) pointed dinghy. Am I missing something here?
If I'm correct, it means a flat nosed dinghy of a given length may actually be a bigger boat (other issues and factors being equal) than a pointy dinghy of the same length overall. Right!
I think carried to extremes this line of thinking means a rectangle boat is bigger, followed by a square boat as being the best shape for big loads. So a barge may be the shape it is for good reason.
So this brings me full circle back to my earlier thought, is the pointy end of a dinghy really needed, or does it just make it a smaller boat?
I'm am really looking forward to summer.
I think you're right. A blunt nosed boat may have more floation than a pointy of same length. Depends on hull shape too (wetted area). Think of what a barge looks like, flat bottom and square. It's been designed to carry the most load possible. I have a 7'x 3' wide Sportyak 2. Weighs only 45 lbs and carries 300. 2 people basically. hard to row but has oar locks. can put a motor on too.
ReplyDelete