Spindrift Dinghy

Product Description

The Spindrift dinghy is a sailing tender and fun club racer. It is available in four sizes from 9 to 12 feet, including nesting versions that fit more easily on the deck of a yacht. The boat is simple to build, using the stitch-and-glue method, and has a reputation as a rugged and capable dinghy, with over 1300 sold.

Designed by B&B Yacht Designs, the Spindrift dinghy uses their ‘butterfly’ construction technique. The bottom and side panels are laid out flat and joined with finger joints at the bow before the rest of the seams are stitched together to pull the panels into the hull's three-dimensional shape.

Originally designed as a hard-working tender, the Spindrift has had a lot of success in racing. This can make it a good investment for families with junior sailors: while the boat is very suitable for children and learners, it offers the challenge of top end racing once they have some experience.

The Spindrift is designed with the daggerboard slightly off-centre for a strong, continuous keel and to reduce the amount of grit that enters the daggerboard case when the boat is beached.

The standard (non-nesting) layout has full-length side tanks that double as cockpit seats. The tanks provide plenty of buoyancy and reduce the amount of water to be bailed out after a capsize. They can also be used for dry storage, by adding screw-in inspection hatches in the vertical faces.

Nesting Option

A nesting version is available for all sizes of the boat except the 12′ size. This allows the forward section of the boat to be unbolted and stowed inside the aft section, halving the tender's footprint when stowed on the deck of a larger boat.

The main compromise with the nesting version is that there is no room for the side tanks that are standard in the non-nesting version. This means it has less built-in buoyancy and will be less stable when swamped after a capsize. There will also be more water to be bailed out.

Base Kit

The kit includes:

• Pre-cut wooden panels with pre-cut joints and pre-drilled tie holes
• Temporary building cradles
• Daggerboard case and mast step
• Solid wood for gunwales, seat cleats, breasthook, quarter knees and tiller
• Epoxy resin and activator
• Epoxy fillers
• Copper ties
• Woven glass tape
• Free technical support from a competent builder

What else do I need?

Sailing Upgrade

The daggerboard case and mast step are included in the base kit, so the sailing upgrade can be added during the initial build or after a few years rowing. Please note that the base kit (or a completed hull) is needed in addition to the sailing upgrade.

The upgrade includes:

• Sail with one row of reef points and a zippered luff
• Aluminium tubes for the mast
• Solid wood parts to make the boom
• Black plastic mast cap
• CNC cut sapele mast foot
• Woven glass fabric
• Woven glass tape
• Fittings
• Daggerboard blank
• Rudder blank
• Tiller blank
• Tiller extension
• Pintles and gudgeons
• Halyard, main sheet and control lines
• Single-line reefing
• Rigging blocks