The Fairlight Sailing Canoe
Canoe Specifications:
Loa 4.06m (13' - 4")
Beam 1.05m (3' - 6")
Dry Weight (approx.) 45kg (89lbs)
Height fwd 0.575m (1' - 10.7")
Height aft 0.480m (1' - 7")
Height Amidships 0.415m (1' - 4.3")
Crew 3 or 4 adults
Basic Materials Required:
3 Sheets of 4mm Plywood
1 Sheet of 6mm Plywood
6 kg/ltr Epoxy Pack plus Fillet (glue) Additive
Fibreglass Tape
This is a unique boat in ability - paddle, row, motor or sail it!!
A lightweight boat for its size - being far lighter than a similar fibreglass or plastic canoe.
You can choose to build the paddling & rowing, motor or the sailing version, the choice is yours. The paddling & rowing version has no hole for the rudder/engine and no dagger board case. The motor version has the addition of the hole for the engine and a suggested battery position. The full sailing version has the hole for the rudder, the mast support and dagger board case added.
She was designed originally for a family holiday where two wanted to be able to paddle, one wanted to row, my wife wanted to use our electric motor and my daughter and I wanted to sail. I had to find a way of making it do all four! Plus, it had to be transported on our roof rack so dry weight had to be kept to under 50kg. The Fairlight Sailing Canoe was the result.
Performance wise, while one adult can paddle this boat, it is far easier and moves better with two - one forward, one aft. Rowing her was easy and she moved along nicely without too much effort. We only had an old 12v electric outboard with 24lbs thrust to test her with but this proved to be ample. It was a pleasant glide down the canal and she was responsive when it came to turning and manoeuvring. She performed well even with the small sail and the dagger board case didn't get in the way. The tiller configuration took some getting used to but it worked well. All in all, a great all round boat.
If you require a different size/style of canoe/dinghy, plans, kits and custom builds for many of our other designs are also available. Please contact us for advice.
Free UK delivery
PLEASE NOTE.
In the case of any strike action by Royal Mail, we will use other options to get your order to you.
We've been doing what we do for 35 years now designing and building small boats plus producing DIY plans and quality kits allowing you to build your own boat.
We don't just leave you to get on with it either. We are available by email/text/phone/even WhatsApp to assist you if you get stuck or help you with customising your boat with your own ideas.
Whatever you are looking for, DIY canoe building plans, DIY dinghy building plans, build materials or perhaps some chandlery for your boat, we can help by either supplying it or pointing you in the right direction.
We can help and advise you with your own project too and even cut it for you.
A lightweight plywood dinghy or canoe makes for an easier and cheaper, boating experience.
In the 8' to 10' range of boats, fibre glass dinghies, moulded plastic canoes and inflatables are all heavy and/or cumbersome. They require trailers to move them about on land and larger powered outboard motors to move them on the water. Some canoes can be carried on a roof rack but are heavy to lift up there and carry to the water.
Our plywood dinghies and canoes are designed to be lightweight, sometimes half the weight. A 10', 12' or 14' plywood canoe can be easily carried on a roof rack and can often be put up there solo as can an 8' dinghy. 10' dinghies and larger canoes will probably need two to move them about more because of size than weight.
Being lightweight, crew distribution is important to keep the boat balanced. They only need small, lightweight outboard motors which also helps to keep costs down.