Bolger Tortoise

  • 22 Jul 2014 01:33
    Reply # 3049997 on 3049472
    Gary King wrote:

    How would you rate Danny Green's "Chameleon", Annie?  We will eventually need to replace the current dink, crumbling away as it is. I'm thinking the Chameleon could be the one.


    I didn't choose to include the Chameleon design in Voyaging on a Small Income, but Danny thought it a lot better that Two-bits and didn't want me to push that one.  I'm not so sure.  I think it is definitely a better boat, but am not so sure it's a better tender.  Two-bits was, if my memory serves, both smaller and lighter and, I believe, less complicated to build. I've seen one or two, but don't really have personal experience of one.

    These days I'm not really that keen on any dinghy that needs assembling: human nature (or more accurately, my nature), being what it is, I will put off going ashore if I need to assemble my tender and, even more to the point, will be tempted to tow it when I should haul it on board.

  • 21 Jul 2014 20:50
    Reply # 3049835 on 3049472
    Deleted user
    Gary King wrote:

    How would you rate Danny Green's "Chameleon", Annie?  We will eventually need to replace the current dink, crumbling away as it is. I'm thinking the Chameleon could be the one.

    The Chameleon is a very popular nesting dinghy design. Should you decide to build one I have a complete unused set of building plans including full size patterns which I would be happy to sell for half price. I was going to build the dinghy for our offshore trip last year but in the end did not have time for that project and have now decided to stay with our inflatable plus the new superlight nymph type dinghy I am finishing off.

    David

    Last modified: 21 Jul 2014 22:29 | Deleted user
  • 21 Jul 2014 12:29
    Reply # 3049472 on 3036245
    Deleted user

    How would you rate Danny Green's "Chameleon", Annie?  We will eventually need to replace the current dink, crumbling away as it is. I'm thinking the Chameleon could be the one.

  • 21 Jul 2014 12:13
    Reply # 3049468 on 3036245

    It just doesn't look safe to me.

  • 21 Jul 2014 06:32
    Reply # 3049399 on 3048126
    Chris Gallienne wrote:

    I like the look of this one - at 1.7m loa it's small enough to fit on most boats' decks, with 390 litres of built-in buoyancy it could double as a liferaft, and by the look of it would be ideal for a junk rig.

    Probably not croc-proof, though.

    DIY Portland Pudgy?


    I thought it looked great - until he built in the buoyancy and decked it over.  Personally, I'd rather sit in a dinghy than on it.  I suspect that it would be difficult to row, too.  But leave out the buoyancy ... :-)
  • 19 Jul 2014 11:19
    Reply # 3048812 on 3036245
    Deleted user

    I spent a year working and travelling in the Kimberley in the late 1970`s----   Isaw a dory with the transom AND outboard savaged by a big salty----   a 303 was the only answer and that only put them off  a bit!! TONY &SALLY

  • 18 Jul 2014 13:14
    Reply # 3048126 on 3048073
    Deleted user
    Chris Gallienne wrote:

    I like the look of this one - at 1.7m loa it's small enough to fit on most boats' decks, with 390 litres of built-in buoyancy it could double as a liferaft, and by the look of it would be ideal for a junk rig.

    Probably not croc-proof, though.

    DIY Portland Pudgy?

    Ah.. maybe in some protected waters, otherwise, that thing scares me..
  • 18 Jul 2014 13:12
    Reply # 3048125 on 3047970
    Deleted user
    Annie Hill wrote:
    Gary King wrote:When a croc decides he is bigger than you, or your dinghy, thats it. You're lunch. We may bite the bullet and buy an outboard for the dink just for that reason.

    Why not have two rowing positions?  Then you could easily outpace the croc and failing that, one person could hit it on the nose with the oar while the other rowed :-).  Vigorously.
    Looks like the current dink is a failure as a rower. Two knots max with two onboard. The transoms drag and redistributing the weight means water coming over the bow in a chop.  Someone rescued us recently with a tow when we were hit with a 1 to 2 knot cross current while attempting the one mile row back to the boat. A Nymph (and probably a Tortoise) wouldn't give us this grief. Since we can't build a new one, we've ordered a 3hp OB. Sad really, with an efficient rower we wouldnt need to do this. Now need to figure out where to stow it.

    Yeah, croc "persuading" has been carried out by cruisers up here. But some of them are huge, ever since they became a "protected species" a couple decades ago. What a terrible idea that was.  We'll have to watch it, there are some stories up here..

  • 18 Jul 2014 10:00
    Reply # 3048073 on 3036245
    Deleted user

    I like the look of this one - at 1.7m loa it's small enough to fit on most boats' decks, with 390 litres of built-in buoyancy it could double as a liferaft, and by the look of it would be ideal for a junk rig.

    Probably not croc-proof, though.

    DIY Portland Pudgy?

    Last modified: 18 Jul 2014 10:00 | Deleted user
  • 18 Jul 2014 05:09
    Reply # 3047970 on 3047485
    Gary King wrote:When a croc decides he is bigger than you, or your dinghy, thats it. You're lunch. We may bite the bullet and buy an outboard for the dink just for that reason.

    Why not have two rowing positions?  Then you could easily outpace the croc and failing that, one person could hit it on the nose with the oar while the other rowed :-).  Vigorously.
       " ...there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in junk-rigged boats" 
                                                               - the Chinese Water Rat

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