Posted by Alex Forbes on July 04, 2011 at 07:39:48 user Pitsligo.
In Reply to: Re: Folding Boat (semi) posted by Tom Napier on July 03, 2011 at 12:27:11:
Unfortunately, your assumption is off: no forehatch. Her mast is stepped well forward, and she doesn't have so much foredeck that a forehatch is practical. Everything to do with the folder will be done in the (spacious, and beautifully deep) cockpit, with stowage through the companionway. Besides, the foredeck is a lovely perch on a nice day, but it isn't anyplace I enjoy spending time morrising about while anchored in any sort of chop. Better to work from a secure platform, launching and retrieving the folder via the peak halyard (which is led aft to the cockpit).
An aluminum/honeycomb/aluminum composite folding dinghy... Whew! Wouldn't that be something? My thinking of using dacron instead of cotton canvas is small potatoes by comparison. Light-weight modern materials do present some interesting potential for folders. My hesitations in using them are that my skill set (and shop) is entirely oriented to woodworking; many of them have (or require) toxic compounds which I am reluctant to use; I suspect they are considerably more expensive than ply and canvas; and while they're aesthetically appropriate to many situations, they quite likely look out of place with a plank-on-frame gaff-rigged sloop. Keep the suggestions coming, though. They're food for thought, and I can hardly complain about that.
(No worries about the American spelling. It is a bit odd to find it here, but as an American, I can get the gist of it.)
Alex