Hi Annie

There are lots of excellent folding dinghies about, but I would like to give you the benefit of my experience, or lack of it. Over the years I have bought 3 Sea Hopper dinghies, basically because I think they are excellent little boats. There are a number of copies out there, like the Barquito, and after quite a bit of work I’m sure you would be happy with their performance. When assembled, which is relative easy, they are just like a normal ply dinghy, but --. 

My experience is – I bought a brand new 10 foot model which someone had won in a competition and had never used. It was just smaller than a Mirror Dinghy, but was just far too big to be practical. It hung in the garage for years and was eventually sold without getting wet, for a small profit. I then found the 7 foot version very cheap, but badly mistreated and in need of major repair. I repaired it and tried it in the River Thames. It leaked a little through the pin holes but rowed well, one up. With two on board the stern went down and the bow up and I was glad it was flat water. I didn’t try 3 up as the third person present said she thought it looked dangerous. Wise girl. I then bought a new surplus 8 foot model, at a very good price, and have hung it in the garage ever since. Whatever you get it must be possible for the oarsman to slide back or forward to trim level of all possible passenger numbers.

The net result is that I have a 7 and an 8 foot pair, and 5 grandchildren who should have 2 little sailing dinghies next year with simple standing lug rigs, when they are old enough, but for Joan and myself I’m afraid the Avon Redstarts (2 off) are fine. They row well in harbours for me, both my daughters and son in laws, but Joan only goes round in circles. The grand kids can’t cope either.

Might I be so bold as to make a suggestion for you Annie. Look long and hard at the assembling of these folding boats and the number of loose seats and bits to be accommodated and not lost. Think about the effort of working them from the deck to the water and back. There is one old design which I feel has great promise that has virtually disappeared, though I met one a couple of years ago and was very impressed. The Prout Puffin was a mini Mirror Dinghy with collapsible sides, and probably the forerunner of the RIB. Look at -  http://www.shorebase.co.uk/boating/sailing/puffin/puffin.asp - 

I’m not suggesting you get an actual Puffin, but if you took the bottom few inches of a ply dinghy and put a deck on it and then collapsible sides and a gunwale you would have a flat floating platform like a mini- Minisail or windsurfer that you could launch fairly easily and erect the sides when on the water to make more seaworthy. It might lie on deck and let you see over. 

This is just a thought, but I offer it as a discussion topic.

Re- the Origami dinghy, Gerry in Winchester built one and used it to get out to Ivory Gull in the Hamble for a while, but - . Apparently he was 2 up and somehow distorted it diagonally and shipped some water. To cut a long story short he reckoned they were lucky to be rescued from a mooring buoy some time later. I was thinking of building one but when I spoke to him he said he had destroyed his and sent it to the skip as he thought it to be lethal. The interesting thing is that it is a copy of the old Prout folder design, the same firm who took on the Puffin (and large cruising cats).

Cheers,

Slieve.