SABOTINA
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an 8' sail/row plywood pram
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Build in
PLYWOOD
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Characteristics
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Length overall
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7'10"
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Beam
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3'11"
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Weight (Standard)
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65-70 lbs.
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Weight (Stitch-&-Glue)
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50-60 lbs.
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Sail area (Max)
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38 sq.ft.
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CATEGORY: Dinghies & Day Sailers
CONSTRUCTION: Sheet plywood planking
Available in STANDARD VERSION or STITCH & GLUE
VERSION
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This V-bottom dinghy is akin to the renown Sabot, using the
identical rig and rudder, and fitted with a daggerboard for
the Sail Version. It’s also similar in form and
dimensions to the popular El Toro class. SABOTINA
makes a great ship-to-shore dinghy with or without the sail
rig. You can build either our STANDARD VERSION or our
STITCH-&-GLUE VERSION.
The STANDARD VERSION is built upside down over the two
transoms (ends) and 3 temporary formers that don’t stay
in the boat. Longitudinal wood backing members back up the
hull edges and junctions, and receive the planking
fastenings. Many people prefer this type of construction
since it’s a good introduction to typical wood
boatbuilding operations involved on bigger boats, hones
one’s skills, and therefore provides great training. Yet
our basic construction as perfected by Ken Hankinson in
actual boatbuilding classroom situations is much simplified
over past types. And our available FULL SIZE PATTERNS
option for the hull-forming members speed the process for
the inexperienced builder.
But for even faster, simpler construction, others prefer our
"STITCH-&-GLUE" version. This includes
FULL SIZE PATTERNS for ALL panel and structural
members of the boat, and results in the lightest weight boat.
Hull fastenings are virtually eliminated, as are the backing
members at panel joints. Seats are integral with the
structure, and form closed-in flotation compartments.
Whichever SABOTINA you pick, you can save hundreds of
$$$ over the cost of ready-made dinghies. They’re both
fun & easy, and ideal starter boats.
What Makes a Good Pram
Prams should tow, row, and sail well. Yet many don’t,
even costly production boats and some from competitors. Hull
shape is the key. For directional control when rowing,
towing, or sailing, a v-bottom chined hull is best.
Flat-bottomed prams can’t do all three functions well,
and those of round or multi-chined form are less stable and
harder to build.
For least drag and best speed, prams need enough profile
"rocker" so ends can lift. There must be
just-the-right fullness in these ends (especially the bow) so
it won’t push up a wall of water underway.
Buoyancy must be sufficient for stability and load carrying.
Yet too many prams have ends too broad or deep - you can tell
them by their bow waves piling up ahead while turbulence
gathers aft due to drag from a too-wide stern. This drag
makes headway and directional control difficult under sail or
oar, and such boats may swamp when towed.
SABOTINA meets all these demands well. It’s based
on the most proven dinghy hull of all time (same as Sabots,
El Toro’s, and others), with thousands in use world
wide. We’ve refined the details so building is fast and
easy, even for beginners.
About Sabotina's Mast and Boom
The wood mast we detail is superior and costs next to nothing
compared to one in aluminum. It’s stiffer, stronger, and
floats too! Best of all, it’s easy to make and with no
need to pay any freight to get it. If a round dowel is not
available, start with a 2" square section length of wood
( or Glue one up from thinner laminates - Douglas-fir or
Sitka spruce work well). Then make it octagon-shaped (which
is round enough) by setting a table saw blade at 45-degrees,
and cutting off the four corners to form 8 equal facets.
That’s all there is to it! Our sail simply slips over
it. The boom is a 1" x 2" stick of strong wood such
as fir or oak. No rocket science involved!
Andy Suhrer of OREGON sent us these comments about his Stitch
& Glue SABOTINA he built from our plans and which
he uses as a tender for his larger boat:
"The whole project - painting and all - took 60 hours
and $400 of materials. The pram had a tremendous amount of
use this summer...and has proven to be remarkably
tough... I’m continually impressed with the results.
Without a doubt it is the easiest and fastest to build boat
I’ve ever come across (I’ve built several
"stitch-&-glue" [and] "instant" boats
previously)... Can’t praise it enough... Thanks for the
great service."
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