Sweet Pea Needs A Little Blinghy. Got One?

,

I am not sure. But does that say 8 ???? PENN YAN?

In the original drawings for Sweet Pea she had a small dingy on the roof of the aft cabin. And I have been kinda always looking around for such a replacement. And with the latest On The Rocks performance, the idea of at least having something that will float is a good thing.

Old photo in ad for Sweet Pea. Then named Solitude. Her original name was Irish Mist. Note the dinghy.

The look

The varnished look

Not to mention, she needs a little lift. Okay, this could easily go into some strange places. Can we just focus on my dinghy. Okay, thats not sounding good either.  Can we just for a second get out of the gutter.. Oh we will get back to it. Don’t worry.

I also don’t want to spend a small fortune on one since really its for looks. And with that in mind it needs to look cool. Its a bit of bling..

Her smaller 32′ Sister Maleo also had a dinghy in her drawings.

So. I have all sorts of questions.

  1. Is there a brand that is good? Seems like a ton of them out there, and the coolest ones are Clicker Built Dinghys. The cool ones seem to be from England
  2. I would prefur an older one. With some age. And yes a fiberglass hull. For Weight and I freedom.
  3. Trying to keep the budget under 1K
  4. I am willing to restore it.
  5. 8 ft max.
  6. Any advice on how to store it on board. Upside down? Or proud and covered. I can use my mast to lift if off.  When I go to Monico and need to row to the casinos.
  7. Thats really it. I would love it if anyone here has one and would like to see it live on for a full life being used as bling and being a celebrity.

 

27 replies
  1. Frank@Falmouth
    Frank@Falmouth says:

    Yes a nice older wood dingy would look good on deck and might have been helpful when you were on the rocks but launching a deck mounted dingy during an event like that would have been difficult. However using the boom out to the side and dingy as ballast to heel the boat will sometimes free a grounded boat. But, by look of that copper sheathing tho you were on there good. I just might have a good candidate for you. Its down at my house on the Patuxent River, and would probably serve your needs better than mine. Ill take some photos next time Im down there to mow the grass…..

  2. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    If you have a dingy, you need a motor to get it to the casinos. Have I got a deal for you!

  3. Tuobanur
    Tuobanur says:

    Matt, my good friend and custom wood crafter built this little dinghy a year or so ago and it is for sale. I have a few more pictures of the construction if interested.

  4. John Rothert
    John Rothert says:

    I would just get an older Walker Bay glass one. The 8 footer. Sure it is glass but it has the lapstrake look and it light, leakproof, has flotation, good color ….light weight and classic, if at a distance, looks are the pros.
    I am awaiting a sailing rig from Walker Bay for mine…back ordered, supply chain woes I guess.
    When I got my classic trawler it had a wooden period type dink that the owner would not include in the sale. That boat may still be in Northumberland co. near you. ???
    John in Va.

  5. John Rothert
    John Rothert says:

    pic of Walker Bay 8 on my boat….and Davits are classic on mine but your’s definitely looks best on cabin top…really cool…but a bear to launch.

    John in Va

  6. C Stang
    C Stang says:

    I say you build one. Order one of many kits from Chesapeake Light Craft, then take a long weekend to cruise up to Annapolis in Sweet Pea and pick it up. The trip and the build would provide endless WB content. The kits are a lot of fun to build.

  7. Ryan Nagel
    Ryan Nagel says:

    Lyman built some really cool yacht tenders for yacht builders like Matthews and Elco back in the day. I’ve never actually seen one in person but they built 8 and 9’ tenders and “speed tenders” that would be badass on Sweet Pea if you could find one.

  8. Dick Dow
    Dick Dow says:

    Years ago at the CC Rendezvous one of the boats present was “Sea Dog” a classic 55′ 1932 Stephens that had been restored by Pat Curry, who has done several Chris Craft cruisers over the years. It had a tender on top with no visible means for getting it off the boat. A passer-by on the dock asked him how he gets the dinghy in the water. Without blinking an eye, Pat simply said: “Sink the boat…” 🙂 You have the lift with your mast and boom, so the big thing is finding a skiff. From a maintenance and weight perspective I agree with the Walker Bay idea. That said, a wooden skiff would look a lot more appropriate. Store it upright with a cover. Good Luck!

  9. Clay at Crosslake
    Clay at Crosslake says:

    Rick,

    You might consider adding a cocktail table for entertaining. And maybe self steering between those aft uprights for when you go below for a nap.

  10. Alan H
    Alan H says:

    Painted white, right side up, cover (same colour as decks) overtop. Varnished stern. Perfect spot to store fenders and lines & smek=lling rubbish bags if you are cruising.

  11. Dane
    Dane says:

    Matt,
    The Header is perfect. The answer is keep it a virtual dinghy. You can insert it in all your photos and no one will ever know.

    No maintenance, no expense, it will never be in the way….

Comments are closed.