blue jay sailboat plans pdf free download

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Sailboat Guide

Blue Jay is a 13 ′ 5 ″ / 4.1 m monohull sailboat designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Lippincott Boat Works, Clark Boat Company, Formula Yachts, and Allen Boat Co. starting in 1947.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
LOA: Length overall in feet
Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Once seen widely in novice programs and in yacht clubs from Florida to Maine (USA), but also in teen’s, men’s, and women’s events. The BLUE JAY was originally constructed of plywood. The class association voted to allow fiberglass in the early 1960s.

Total Sail Area 90 sqft. Main 62 sqft. Jib 28 sqft. Spinnaker 56 sqft.

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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Blue jay sailboat plans.

The mother of all maritime links: page 16 of 47, Designers, plans & kits a to m: 16' mckenzie river driftboat plans and construction manual (from altair industries) ace marine ltd. (low cost naval architecture. Laser (dinghy) - wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, The international laser class sailboat, also called laser standard and the laser one is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy. according to the laser. Building model boats | everyone should enjoy the pleasure, In the early 1960s jay brandon, proprietor of dumas products, tuscon, az, designed and built a scale model of the international star based on the 1945 edition of the.

Blue Jay Class

Conceived in 1947, by Drake H. Sparkman, head of the New York designing firm of Sparkman and Stephens, as a “baby Lightning” one-design, sloop-rigged sailboat. Used in Novice, Teen, and Men’s and Women’s sailing events, and originally constructed in wood, and since the early 1960s in both wood and fiberglass. Total number of boats constructed over 7,200 worldwide. The Blue Jay is currently being phased out at a few yacht clubs and being replaced by the Pixel.

Blue Jay Specifications:

LOA: 13’6 / 4.1m Beam: 5’2 / 1.57m Draft: 4’0 / 1.21 Hull Weight: 275 lbs / 124.7kg Sail Area: 90 sq ft /8.36 sq m International Blue Jay Class Association

420 Class Dinghy
Finn (Dinghy) Class
National Solo (Dinghy) Class
Topper (Dinghy) Class

I own a plywood Blue Jay, serial number 3348. Does anyone have any idea of when it might have been made? I know fiberglass Blue Jays were introduced in the 1960’s, but I believe they continued to make them out of wood as well. I’m just curious to know how old my boat is if anyone out there has any leads!

I would like to buy a boom tent for my Bluejay Sailboat. Does anyone know any for sale?

BOARD FINAL 2021-SEP-22.pdf

1961 OK Dinghy Plans – United States OK Dinghy Racing Association

Historical ok dinghy plans located. – united states ok dinghy racing association.

This is the reply I received from S&S. Thank you for your inquiry. The scantlings are not available at this time. Sincerely, The Design Team

Wow! That is disappointing

While it is perhaps disappointing to have S&S not make the plans available, if you are looking to build a boat for sailing yourself, it may be best to take JeffH's advice and build a boat that is better suited for an adult. In our region, 15 year-olds were aging out of the class because they were getting too big to fit in it, and too heavy to allow it to sail well. An adult going forward to gybe the spinnaker pole would probably cause a capsize.

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Sail1Design

Blue Jay sailboat

Three forgotten one-design dinghy ghosts.

May 4, 2020 by Sail1Design Editor 1 Comment

Written by Mary Knauth

We are all familiar with the drill of the very dawn of sailing for young children. Parents eager to either make their kids fall in love with the sport – just as they did – or rather join the Green Fleet at their yacht club because “it’s the thing to do” when you’re a member. The little six-year old’s stand around awkwardly, some shy and intimidated and some overly eager and keen to show off their existing knowledge because they know the bow from the stern. They crowd in the instruction room with their PFD’s cinching up against their chins, sitting in front of the white board. Here, we will explore three one-class designs through a nostalgic journey of my later childhood growing up in Connecticut.

blue jay sailboat plans pdf free download

A nine foot chunky beast of a boat, with a mere 45 square foot sail area, and held together with green weathered brass cotter pins, this simple and easy dinghy is virtually indestructible. Each dinghy of the fleet is “adopted” by local yacht clubs or families; an annual endowment is donated to the Seaport for the upkeep and maintenance of the fleet. While monetary donations support the financial wing, it’s also very special for families who adopt a Dyer in memory of deceased loved ones. In essence, the fleet symbolizes a certain spirituality; #51 was adopted in 2010 and named Lissie, in my memory of my mother. For decades, our local sail loft, Farrar Sails – run by Kevin Farrar since 1986 – has been sewing the sails for the Seaport fleet and is still the sailmaker for the fleet today. During the summers, the Dyer Dhow fleet can be seen on the Mystic River. The colorful sails dot the river in the mornings and afternoons with sailors attending the Joseph Conrad summer sailing camp. Every October, the Mystic Seaport holds their annual Dyer Dow Derby: a super fun, semi competitive, regatta to celebrate the Dyer Dhow fleet and tradition because in New England, we are ALL about tradition! For more information, visit the Mystic Seaport Dyer Dhow Fleet Page .

Highlight of the week was always the Friday Inner Tube Triangle: an upwind triangle, and each of the marks was an inner tube, and each inner tube had either an instructor or sailor manning it. Not only was this super fun for the kids but also for the instructors, and it definitely helped with evening out the summer’s farmer tan! For more information, see the JY15 Class Association website .

One late summer day after sailing practice, I came home to find my family having a Saturday afternoon barbecue, and standing in the yard was Yankee. It was the most beautiful gift a young 16 old girl could ask for. I sailed it with my mother on the Mystic River, along the shore beside Mystic Seaport. She was striking and robust, a salt of her traditional past. It must be mentioned that Mystic is not a place where high performance, new hardware, and racing sails are appreciated; granted we still have Wednesday night regattas and die-hard foredeck sailors. In this area of the country, particularly Mystic, history and tradition of wooden boats are preached about and honored; the authentic art and technical skill that goes into designing them, building them, and maintaining them. We call it the “labor of love”. It’s challenging sailing an old wooden boat with brass hardware and blown out sails with no battens. Luxury items like aluminum vang packs won’t be found on those older rigs. But the rough saltiness from sailing these unique, traditional dinghys absolutely extends a certain skill for feeling the boat and how she reacts, feeling puffs and lulls before they hit, they require tenderness, respect, and love. In the 1960’s, the class association voted to allow fiberglass construction, providing a lightweight hull which is highly responsive and excels almost effortlessly in light air. They are still heavily raced today. For more information please visit the Blue Jay Class Association website .

For more information:

Since 1949, Mystic Seaport Museum has run the Joseph Conrad Summer Camp, ages 8 – 15 learn to sail in Dyer Dows during a week long overnight camp. Campers sleep on the historic square rigged Joseph Conrad, while sailing and living in the 18th century village of the Seaport. The Seaport is also home to the famous school ship Brilliant, a 62 foot wooden schooner designed by Sparkman & Stephens in 1932, it is the oldest sail education program in the country. https://www.mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/

Farrar Sails is headed by Kevin Farrar who has a steeped footprint in one class design sailing. Kevin started making sails since 1971. Among many trophies, Kevin – along with crew – won the 2007 IOD Worlds in Nantucket. The loft uses an advanced CAD sail design process and autoCAD to design custom sails. The loft makes sails for several one class fleets, including 420’s. http://www.farrarsails.com

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Basic Kayaking Knowledge , Learn

15 Free Boat Plans You Can Build This Week (with PDFs)

Boatbuilding is one of the most ancient forms of craftsmanship still alive today. As long as our ancestors have had a curiosity about exploring open waters, they have been practicing and honing their boatbuilding skills.

To be honest, however, building a boat is no small task. It will require a lot of work and patience to ultimately create a finished product that you are happy with and that is actually seaworthy.

Of course, we have also included a few free boat plans. You can keep in your back pocket for the next time you are asked to build a cardboard boat as part of a contest or lakefront teambuilding adventure.

We hope that these resources help you in your journey to build your own boat!

Photo by SeventyFour via Shutterstock

Free Boat Plans

Why build your own boat, 1. the wanigan, 2. the mouse, 3. the slipper, 4. the handy andy, 5. the junior, 6. the jolly roger, 7. the cork, 8. the hobby kat, 9. the tern, 10. the falcon, 11. the white duck, 12. the sea midge, 13. the zephyr, 14. the gypsy, 15. the crazy cardboard boat, 15 free boat plans you can build this week (with pdfs) – final thoughts, share on pinterest.

The Wanigan
The Slipper

The Handy Andy

The Jolly Roger
The Hobby Kat

The White Duck

The Sea Midge

The Crazy Cardboard Boat

Photo by Halsey via Shutterstock

There are a lot of reasons why you should explore building your own boat versus buying a pre-made model. Here is a quick breakdown of the most obvious benefits:

You will know the ins and outs of your finished boat better than anyone
It can be a great project to work on with your teenage or even adult children
You will gain valuable skills molding and shaping wood and other materials
You can design your boat for your specific needs
You don’t have to trust the sometimes-questionable manufacturing of mass-produced boats
You can create a boat that functions as your second home on the water
You can save money if you source materials mindfully

Of course, most first-time boatbuilders still experience some level of trial-and-error. With patience and perseverance, however, you can craft a one-of-a-kind vessel that has no equal anywhere in the world.

Free Boat Plans You Can Build This Week (with PDFs)

PC Duckworks Boat Builders Supply

The Wanigan boat began as a garvey design, which is one of the older boat plans known to the Americas. Traditionally, these boats were built as work scows and were very popular among American summer camps.

The design itself is very simple, but these boats can carry heavy loads. It can also handle a trolling motor being mounted to the stern so you can cover more ground if you want to use it as a fishing boat.

The creator of this boat plan became aware of some of the downsides of the garvey design, such as the heavier weight that made it less efficient than some other designs. So he combined elements of dory and wanigan designs to create a hybrid.

The main changes include an enlarged beam, tilted lathes to provide a stiffer hull, and knocking off the top strakes to reduce the boat’s overall weight.

The Wanigan text

These additional The Wanigan drawings Â may also prove useful for your build process!

The Mouse is one of the most compact and nimble boat plans we have found for this list. It is an easy build and also a great boat for two kids or a single teenage paddler.

The original builder began with a one-sheet boat design in an effort to create the lightest and most affordable boat possible. This means it is only suited for calm waters and should not be used in high winds or wavy conditions.

That said, it was built in roughly 12 to 24 hours of work time and doesn’t require a full workshop to construct. The main material that is required for building this boat is quarter-inch plywood. But the builder recommends using one-inch by half-inch pine or something a little sturdier.

The plywood and pine components are held together using a method called ”˜stitch and glue’. This method requires choosing one of the best glues for kayak outfitting , which are typically made of epoxy and glass tape rather than something cheaper like polyurethane.

The Mouse Instructions

Also, here are a few extra useful The Mouse Notes for builders

The Slipper is the first of many sailboat plans on our list and it is faster, easier, and cheaper to build than most. It also features a deeper cockpit than many other sailboat designs, which makes it safer for intermediate sailors.

This sailboat plan features dual steering stations so that you can sail from inside or outside of the helm. It also includes a centerboard trunk that hardly intrudes into the cabin at all. So that, it is easier to work around while you are in the cockpit.

The exterior hull and cabin of this sailboat feature a modified dory design using two sheets of plywood ripped to three feet wide before being joined together. The resulting hull is a modified V-shape that reduces drag.

The centerboard of this boat can also be winched up to the level of the top of the cabin or lowered down to alter the draft. This allows you to customize the boat design for a stiffer and more weather-worthy vessel if you need it.

The Slipper was also intentionally designed with an aft cabin that naturally helps to keep the bow pointed into the wind whether you are underway or the boat is anchored in the port.

The Building Slipper

PC DIY Wood Boat

The Handy Andy is a great little 10-foot portable rowboat for hunting, camping, fishing, and other recreational uses. It is actually the only folding boat design on our list, which makes it best for folks that need the most portable boat plan possible.

This boat features a 42-inch beam and a depth of about 15 inches at the mid-section. It also weighs roughly 80 pounds when assembled and can handle up to three average-sized human passengers.

The design boasts a flat bottom with canvas-bound edges and the primary material used for construction is â…œ-inch marine-grade plywood. Despite its lightweight nature, this rowboat can handle trolling motors or even outboard motors with a maximum of five horsepower.

Once finished, the hull can be folded or unfolded in less than a minute’s time.

This design makes it one of the only boats on this list that can be stored in a truck bed or easily carried by two people to be launched at more remote locations.

If you are looking for an all-purpose dinghy that can handle almost any use you might imagine, look no further than The Junior free boat plan. It can carry three or four average-sized adults and is much easier to row than a traditional dinghy.

It is also durable enough to be equipped with a small outboard motor. You could even set it up with sailing equipment if you want to use it as a sailing vessel. As we said, this is truly an all-around boat design!

This boat plan requires constructing three frames that will provide the majority of the load-bearing support. The builder recommends using Â¾-inch framing with â…œ-inch plywood as the exterior material for this boat build.

Resin glue and flathead screws are also required to hold this boat together. But there is a full list of materials included in the plans we have linked to below. Sticking to that plan should also give you enough leftover materials to construct two six-foot oars for rowing this boat until you install a trolling motor or outboard motor down the line!

Channel your inner Captain Morgan when you are following these plans to build your very own Jolly Roger boat. This flat bottom boat design is designed for pond fishing . It can also be a useful yacht dinghy for getting from your dock to a larger vessel anchored offshore.

The plan follows conventional dinghy construction methods but also includes a few modifications that will save you time and energy. The wide design is super stable for boaters of all ages.

The keel, frame, chines, and risers are all cut from Â¾-inch oak, ash, or any other trusted hardwood you can get your hands on. For the smaller components, the builder recommends using cedar, cypress, fir, or white or yellow pine.

Because this boat plan is also sturdy enough to handle a small motor, it includes important points for protecting the wooden hull from spark plug damage.

Be careful to follow these guidelines to build the safest boat possible if you imagine installing a motor down the line.

The Jollyroger

The Cork is another simple rowboat design. This one trends away from the flat bottom plans that we have included thus far. Instead, it features a deeper, V-shaped hull that makes it better suited to more efficient rowing and easier maneuverability.

It can be rowed easily from either seating position and is durable enough to handle up to three average-sized adult passengers. The ends of the boat are identical, which allows for multi-directional rowing.

The list of materials required for this boat plan should cost you between $30 and $50, depending on your location and hardware costs there. The resulting build is lightweight enough for two people to be carried and also to be transported on top of a vehicle .

Inside the boat, the builders use aluminum tubing to secure the struts that hold the seats. This material choice keeps the overall weight of the boat down while still adding the necessary rigidity across the beam of the boat.

The Hobie Cat is one of the most iconic and recognizable small sailing vessels ever made. This Hobby Kat plan is your answer to building your own iconic sailboat without spending thousands of dollars.

Your finished boat will be able to handle speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. It will be a super fun vessel for windy days on the lake or bay. The builder was able to construct the hulls, decking, and rudder for this boat while spending little more than $200.

From there, they purchased and installed the mast, boom, sail, and rigging, which brought the total amount spent to roughly $650 (still much less than a name-brand Hobie!). Without the mast and sail, this boat weighs roughly 165 pounds and is constructed using primarily 3/16-inch marine plywood.

You can also elect to build your own mast, boom, and sail if you have the time and skills to do so.

Those elements are not included in this boat plan, but they do offer some recommendations for where to buy these components!

The HobbyKat

Named after the common seabird found around the world, the Tern is a lightweight and nimble sailboat with a 72 square foot base design. She is made for inland sailing and planes very well in moderate breezes.

The hull design also provides minimal water resistance and the small floor plan makes this boat easier for intermediate sailors to handle. Even though it offers a small footprint, this boat is sturdy enough to handle up to four adult passengers.

One of the best things about this boat plan is that it can be built almost entirely by using only common hand tools.

Of course, you can speed things up if you have power tools and you are skilled enough to use them correctly.

The Tern boat plan includes a 20-foot mast, but you can shorten that length if you desire. The plan includes a complete list of materials and step-by-step instructions on how to plane and assemble each element.

As you might expect from its name alone, the Falcon is an incredibly speedy sailboat for its size. It boasts a 14-foot centerboard and can handle two to four passengers, depending on its size and weight.

In tests of the original build, the creators claim that this boat out-distanced many Snipe and Comet sailing vessels as well as pacing evenly alongside longer 18-foot sailboats. When finished, your boat will have a six-foot beam and a total weight of roughly 475 pounds.

For the main framing components, they recommend using white oak and plywood will be the main material used in the hull construction. The hull features a V-shaped that was inspired by larger schooners.

The Falcon is best suited to sailing on bays, lakes, and wide rivers. It is also a boat plan with just under 120 square feet of deck space and it is a great build for amateur craftsmen and sailors.

The White Duck is a flat-bottomed rowboat with a total length of 13’6” and a four-foot beam. The cockpit is approximately 15 inches deep all the way around and this boat can handle up to five passengers while maintaining buoyancy and stability.

When fully constructed, it will weigh roughly 200 pounds, but the final weight will depend on the type of lumber you choose for your build. This boat plan features plywood planking over solid wooden frames.

The White Duck is built with a pointed bow that cuts nicely through the water. The flat stern of this boat design will make it easy to attach a small outboard motor with a maximum of six horsepower.

As you might expect from its name, this rowboat is a great option for duck hunting trips. That being said, it is a highly versatile craft that can also be used for pond fishing or casual rowing on your nearby lake.

The Sea Midge is one of the smallest rowboats on our list and it is ideally suited for one average-sized rower or two small paddlers. It is only about 8 feet in length and offers a 52-inch beam at its widest point.

The Midge’s small dimensions make her ideal for navigating narrower creeks and streams. With an approximate weight of 62 pounds, she is easy to maneuver on the water and can also be much more easily transported than some of the larger boat plans on our list

The Seamidge

The Zephyr is a compact and speedy dinghy sailboat that measures roughly 14 feet long and approximately five feet across. This boat style was originally developed for safely crossing the English Channel. This means it can stand up well in rough waters.

When finished, it is also light enough to be transported on a small trailer or on top of a larger vehicle.

The boat plan calls for using hemlock or fir for the framing and oak or Douglas fir for the keel and chines.

The Gypsy is a small cruising sailboat that is meant to be equipped with an outboard motor for powered locomotion. The original design resulted in an incredibly seaworthy vessel that logged more than 6,000 nautical miles in her lifetime.

It includes a comfortable cabin that makes it well-suited for multi-day sailing adventures. This boat plan includes improvements on the original design that will help you build an extremely durable and long-lasting sailboat.

The Gypsy boat design will help you construct a vessel that can handle a motor up to 25 horsepower so that you can enjoy cruising speeds of up to nine miles per hour.

While it may require a bit more of an investment in time and money, it will also help you produce one of the best boats you can build with a free boat plan!

PC Saint Dominic Catholic School

Finally, let’s talk about a crazy cardboard boat plan that you can build in less than a day. This is a great boat plan to bookmark for your next teambuilding project so that you can earn bragging rights with your coworkers.

The plan calls for using 1.5 sheets of cardboard. But you can use the remaining half sheet to build your own boat paddle if you want to get creative.

Triple-thick cardboard is best for this boat plan. But you can always double up thinner sheets if that is all you can find.

These plans include an easy-to-follow diagram for marking, cutting, and folding the cardboard sheets to create the hull of your boat. From there, it calls for using contact cement and construction adhesive to seal the edges and corners.

If you are looking to save a little money on this build you could also use duct tape and then wrap the entire design in plastic sheeting to provide waterproof qualities.

Overall, this build is one of the cheapest and easiest on our list. It is also a great project for hot summer camp days on the lake or river!

Photo by Alexandra Soloviova via Shutterstock

We hope that you now have a couple of free boat plans to inspire you to begin your own construction project.

Don’t hesitate to check out YouTube for some useful boat-building videos when you are getting into the nitty-gritty of these build processes!

Enjoyed 15 Free Boat Plans You Can Build This Week (with PDFs)? Share it with your friends so they too can follow the Kayakhelp journey.

Peter Salisbury

Pete is the Owner of KayakHelp.com. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, he grew up kayaking, fishing, sailing, and partaking in outdoor adventures around the Great Lakes. When heâ€™s not out on the water, you can find him skiing in the mountains, reading his favorite books, and spending time with his family.

- Thanks to everyone who support this site! -

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Sailboat Plans

Free Sailboat Plans

A selection of some of the Free Sailboat Plans (pdf) that were published in magazines such as “Popular Mechanics”, "Popular Science" and the "Boat Builder Handbook".

If you need help with lofting out the plans click here for an article here which should help.

Open Dayboats/Dinghys
Rowing Boats

Open/Dayboat, Free Sailboat Plans

Everyone who digs boating has heard of the Hobie Cat, the sleek little catamaran that burst on the scene and captured the attention of all the fast-action sailors.

Marked by asymmetrical hulls and special trampoline supports, the Hobie can reach speeds above 20 mph and perform with a rare agility.

But it has one drawback.

It costs mucho dinero.

Thus, we introduce the Hobby Kat, sailboat plans, a build-it-yourself version of the “Hobie” that should cost from half to a third of the commercial version. If you have the moola, of course, go for a Hobie and have the time of your life on the water.

If not, try our Hobby

The homebuilt is not quite the same.

But she sails sweetly and fast—qualities which have made the “Hobie” popular

Even in a light air she’ll slip through the water at a fast clip.

She has no centreboards, leeboards or keel, and needs none.

The inside of each hull has built-in lift, like an airplane wing, so that as the boat heels and one hull digs in the boat is pulled back to windward.

Click Here for the Plans

She can run in very shallow water and the rudders kick up for beaching.

You can carry her on a trailer or even disassemble her.

Many a “stink pot” addict will take a second look at Tern because she planes in modest breezes, is easy to handle, and her streamlined prow arid pod-shaped, “inland scow” type hull offer slight water resistance. Then too, there’s a charm about the tiller of a sailer that’s not matched by the wheel of a motor-powered boat. Part of it is the challenge of making the most of nature’s free-wheeling breezes. Even with her 72sq.ft of sail, this Free Sailboat Plan is remarkably stable, and packs as many as four persons aboard

For thousands of inland lakes, Tern is the answer to sailing water sport, she is rugged and easy to launch

And she’s remarkably easy to build.

Falcon is a small, speedy, sporty sailboat which handles well. Tests on the original Falcon showed that she could easily out-distance boats of comparable size such as the one design class Snipe and Comet sailers.

And she will pace neck and neck with 18 footers with considerably greater sail spread.

This strong, beamy, eight-foot pram may be sailed either cat-rigged or sloop-rigged.

The dagger-board may be adjusted forward to balance the helm when sailing with the addition of a jib sail.

Oars or a small outboard motor may also be used to power this versatile Free Sailboat Plans.

Dart” is a small two or three person sailing craft, designed for use on protected waters such as bays. lakes, rivers or wherever sheltered waters are found. Its construction will repay the builder handsomely and provide a fast sailing craft, light in weight, easily transportable and cheap to construct with all difficult joinery eliminated

It provides thrilling and economical sport.

The 'Crescent', designed by C. T. Allen, is the ideal sailboat for day sailing on a small lake, river, or protected waters of a bay.

Centreboard design (Fig. 2) reduces Crescent's draft, so Shallow is not a problem.

Its broad beam of over 5½ft. makes it an ideal family boat because there is room for a cockpit large enough to accommodate four adults or two adults and three kids, and side and forward decks big enough to stretch out on when sun bathing.

"Jewel" is a 16' Crescent Sailboat being built by Mike Allen from the free sailboat plans by C.T .Allen in the 1958 "Boat Builders Handbook". And what a superb job Mike is doing check out his photos here .

Click Here for the Free version of the Plans

Sailing enthusiasts and backyard boat builders are not likely to find free boat plans for a sailing pram that can be built faster, lighter, stronger, or less expensively than Graefin-10. Two men can begin work on a Friday evening and have a smart, lively 10-ft. 85-pound sailboat in the water by Sunday evening (it’s been done).

Zephyr Is a refinement of a type of boat developed by the English for use in the rough open waters of the English Channel. Not only is it fast under sail, but it can stand up under punishment. And it’s light enough to be easily loaded atop an auto or light trailer.

Breeze-Baby

Skimming off a brisk wind or with the wind abeam, Breeze-Baby actually planes with one person aboard. Despite her rowboat lines that make her easy to build, she handles easily under her simple sail, an ideal first boat. Simple lines are adapted to plywood construction that’s strong, light and that keeps Breeze-Baby’s bilges dry

You can take her with you atop your car or on a lightweight trailer for summer fun wherever you vacation or get in a week-end’s sailing.

Cat’s Paw is easy to build because of the straight-sided hulls. The sheer line is flat and that simplifies building the form. Bow and stern are straight, so there’s no cockeyed bevel to fit and fuss with

She Is an Ideal boat to learn or practice sailing in because she will forgive so many mistakes.

Cabin Cruiser, Free Sailboat Plans

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Plywood and Veneer Guide for Marine use.

A guide to plywood for boat building and why you should use the best marine grade you can afford.

DIY Woodboat Building Questions

Woodboat building questions a Forum for wooden boat building, plans, lumber, caulking compounds and other boat building problems.

Boat Books for Wooden Boat Builders

Boat Books a series of boat books based on some of the 1960's, classic, Free Boat Plans that were published in magazines such as "Popular Mechanics", "Popular Science" and the "Boat Builder Handbook".

Build a Boat, tips for the DIY Wooden Boat Builder.

How to Build a Boat, Wooden Boat Building methods for the DIY, backyard, self-builders explained, carvel, lapstrake and plywood

Clench Nails, Fastening for Small Wooden Boats.

How to use Clench Nails, these provide a fast reliable method for fastening small wooden boats.

Wood Screws for Boat Building and Repair.

Wood Screws are the most widely used and versatile fasteners used on wooden boats. Which type to use and how to use them

Timber, Lumber for Boat Building.

A brief description of the most common Timber used for building Wooden Boats how to choose wood for your project boat

Timber Properties

A brief guide to timber properties and wood, characteristics such as strength, stiffness and elasticity for choosing lumber for wooden boat building and restoration.

Rivets and Copper Rove Wood Boat Fastenings.

How to use Copper Rivets and Roves construction guide to fasteners on your wooden boat.

Ring Nails for Marine Fastening.

Ring Nails sometimes call Gripfast or ring shank, silicon bronze boat nails are renowned for their holding power. but how to get them out?

Free Motorboat Plans

Free Motorboat Plans for the backyard home builder, build your own speed boat, cabin cruiser, runabout or utility boat using these simple plywood designs.

Wooden Boat Kits.

Wooden boat building is easy and inexpensive with wooden boat kits. From row boats and kayaks to sailing cruisers, boat to be proud of

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Drain plug for wooden hull

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Advertising Policy

Cookie Policy

I am perfectly aware that the majority of Wooden Boat aficionados are sensible folk. However, I need to point out that I am an amateur wooden boat enthusiast simply writing in order to try to help other amateur wooden boat enthusiasts. And while I take every care to ensure that the information in DIY Wood Boat.com is correct, anyone acting on the information on this website does so at their own risk.

Great Projects

Build a small sailboat free plans.

These plans are for a small 15 foot knockabout sailboat.

I like these plans for their ease. Building a smaller boat is a lot more attainable than a cabin cruiser! And these plans get right to the specifics of building. From the plans:

ANY SAILBOAT fancier will like "Tramp," the trim, 15-ft. knockabout that's so easy to build in plywood. The first operation is to cut the stem, transom and side planks and assemble the forms.

Use casein or waterproof glue under the butt strap joining the side planks together. Forms can be made of almost any scrap material on hand. If you are a good enough mechanic, they can be dispensed with and correctly beveled frames made to their exact shape can be placed permanently in the boat. Screw-fasten the oak frame at sides and bottom on the inside of the transom. Then notch out the bottom of the frame to receive the keel batten...

The transom is placed last and must be beveled so that the side planks fit tightly against the cleats and the transom edge. Be sure to place white lead and a thin thread of cotton between planks and stem and transom prior to joining them together...

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Download and Share Free Model Airplane and Boat Plans ...

Register - aerofred.com, download and share free model airplane and boat plans., mig-21-2 model airplane plan - aerofred.com, p-51d mustang model airplane plan - aerofred.com, pilatus porter 57in model airplane plan - aerofred.com, champion 7eca "citabria" model airplane plan - aerofred.com, republic xf 84h thunder screech plans free download - aerofred.com.

Racing Sparrow Plans

Check out these plans and resources, ranging from a 375mm boat to a 1500mm yacht. Pair these with our eBook guide for a fast, easy, and affordable home build RC yacht.

Racing Sparrow model yachts, orange rg65 and a black 750 in the background

RS-RG65 - 650mm plans, measures to international RG65 rules

A full forward hull and a straight stern. This boat has proven to be a very fast and competitive racer.

Free Book Sample - PDF

A few pages from the eBook absolutely free

Racing Sparrow model yacht, red hull sailing upwind with a 45 degree heel angle. looks fast

Racing Sparrow 750 plans

The plans that come with the eBook.

Racing Sparrow 1000 plans

A one metre version, scaled up lines. Bulkhead only plans. Look at the 750 for full schematics.

Racing Sparrow 1500 plans - A scaled up Racing Sparrow

A larger size model yacht. I haven't seen many of these surface. It's a good challenge to build.

Racing Sparrow model yacht being held by a woman who is about to launch the boat for a sail

Racing Sparrow 375 plans - The smallest sparrow

A miniature RacingSparrow. A great introduction to building with balsa.

racing sparrow footy model yacht, strip planked

RacingSparrow Footy plans

A double diagonal design footy from RacingSparrow.

Logos & Sticker Sheet

Downloadable logos and an EPS file to be sent to a printer and printed out on navy blue cutout vinyl.

Common questions about the plans

What tools do i need to build a racingsparrow.

1. Chisel 2. Craft-knife 3. Drill Bit - 2mm (5/64in)bit 4. Drill Bit - 5mm (3/16in) bit 5. Electric Drill 6. Felt Marker 7. File 8. Hacksaw 9. Hammer 10. Hole Punch 11. Lighter 12. Pen 13. Pencil 14. Pins 15. Pliers 16. Ruler (steel) 17. Sanding Block 18. Scissors 19. Screwdriver 20. Spirit Level (optional) 21. Sponge Brush (several) 22. Vice Grips

Do I need the eBook to build this cool rc sailboat?

No you don't. The book is designed for the newcomer to model yacht building. The book does make it a much simpler process with every detail figured out and covered in the book. Seasoned builders can simply have a go with the free plans.

Are the plans really free?

Yes all the plans are free to download and use as you see fit. The most comprehensive plans are the RS750 A1 full size.

Are there CAD files or 3D files?

Yes there is a 3D dxf file inside a zip file that you can download for free and use how you want. Some people use this in CAD programs or in 3D modelling programmes to great effect. Look under Racing Sparrow 750 plans on this page. An STL file for 3D printing is in the pipelines. Email me if you want a copy.

While we think 3D printing is great, we believe old-skool strip planking balsa is a wonderfully simple way to make a very lightweight boat with excellent longitudinal strength and beauty.

Builders eBook

Dive into the world of boat building with our eBook. Discover the craft of hull planking, fibreglass strengthening, and lead keel ballast casting.

Master the art of electrics installation, spray painting, sail making, and tuning of sails. Download a sample today and embark on a rewarding journey of boat construction.

internal structure - 3d model illustration

What the builders and sailors say:

Being a complete novice, I purchased your book a couple of years ago and built two racing sparrows. Building on this experience I then went on to build, from scratch, an IOM (Triple Crown design). I've since joined a local club and sail virtually every weekend. I would just like to thank you for your endeavours which have allowed me to enter a world I never thought was in my reach.

John Sterland, Australia

Coming upon your book, "Build your own Radio Controlled Yacht" in the Napier Public Library, I am hugely impressed. The combination of your superb photos and illustrations with your easy writing style make it a standout publication and I hope it does well for you.

Richard Spence, New Zealand

Thanks for an excellent design in your RG65. I trialled her again today in a solid 20 knots gusting higher. Even so in a steep chop and fingers off the rudder she drove upwind remarkably well, balanced perfectly. Very impressed that a model boat can handle that with a large rig. I found the book excellent. Ive built several big boats, plus a few skiffs and without that resource building such a good boat would have been impossible.

Mike Bennett

Look at all these cool boats folk have made at home

There is also a full gallery with a boat load of photos of Racing Sparrow's

Martin Whittle, RS750 , UK

May 1, 2011

Racing Sparrow 1000 - Larry Kin , Sydney, Australia

Feb 11, 2008

Terry Raggett's - RS750 , Portsmouth, England

Jun 4, 2008

Miss Sunshine, RS750 by Terry Plumridge from Vienna Austria. Built for his wife Gertraud. Terry writes " Firstly thanks for writing your book, it introduced me to building from plans, and plank on frame construction, both of which I enjoyed tremendously."

Weighing up the options - Garry Angel , France

May 2, 2009

Racing Sparrow 750 - Terry Plumridge , Vienna, Austria

Jan 26, 2018

Sparrow I found on the net, looks like an rs1500 , Internet

Feb 2, 2010

Sparkly , England

Apr 23, 2017

Geoff Lewis , Isle of Wight

Sep 22, 2009

Budi Santoso , Indonesia

Apr 4, 2019

Eric Rosenbaum , USA

May 4, 2009

The Model Shipwright

How to build first-class ship models from kits or from scratch using actual ship plans, free downloadable high-resolution ship plans, starting point for scratch-built ship model building.

All the the plans offered on The Model Shipwright and The Model Shipwright blog are available on this site in high-resolution files. The images on the blog posting are linked directly to the page here with the downloadable files, or you can search from this page by ship type, ship name, or the historical period in which it was built. We put a lot of work in tracking down these plans, and in some cases digitized them ourselves and put in time cleaning up and repairing the images to make them more useful. Feel free to use them for your modeling projects, but please don’t just take them to repost on your site. We have digitally watermarked them to identify them as coming from this site.

Motor Vessels Ships for which the primary motive of propulsion is an engine

Sailing Vessels

Vessels for which the primary motive of propulsion is sails

Oar-powered Vessels

Vessels for which the primary motive of propulsion is rowing

free, ship, plan, coast, guard, cutter, white, sumac, lines, drawing

Coast Guard Vessels

We offer plans of U.S. Coast Guard vessels ranging from early sailing cutters of the revenue service to modern motor vessels such as the buoy tender White Sumac.

Ships whose primary purpose is warfare are cross referenced on this page, whether motor, sail, or oar-powered vessels

Cargo Ships

Ships whose primary purpose is cargo transport are cross referenced on this page, whether motor, sail, or oar-powered vessels

Utility Vessels

Ships whose primary purpose is to serve the maritime industry, such as pilot vessels, tugboats, or lighters are cross referenced on this page, whether motor, sail, or oar-powered vessels

14 comments

How detailed are your plans? Can you email me one page showing it?

You can download the plans directly from the website. Go to the page of plans you want, and left-click on the plan image to open the image file. Then right-click on the image and choose “save image as” to download it to your computer. The plans can be opened with any image-editing or preview software. Save it to a removable drive and you can take the drive to a local copy shop to be printed on their large-format printer.

Do you accept donated paper plans? I may thin out my collection.

Send us a message on our contact page, we’re always looking for submissions!

WAGB -10 or WAGB-11 Looking for plans. Can anyone help? Thx

I have a set of some 200+ plans for WAGB-10, what are you looking for?

I am looking for drawings of below main deck layouts of 1700-1800 “Man of War” ships. Do you have any?

Check out our page on the French Man of War Montebello It has several views of the below decks.

does anyone know where I could get plans for a VLCC oil tanker /?

I have some GA plans for some tankers, what are you looking for?

I am looking for the typical or average hull ratios: beam/lenght, beam/keel, beam/depth, beam/draught, tonnage, displacement, and burthen of the various types of Ships during the age of sail. Any recomendations?

One of the best experts on the subject was Howard Chapelle. He probably answers the question in one of his many books on sailing ships. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_I._Chapelle

[…] Ship Plans […]

Anyone know of a source for plans for the Steamer Eastland, that capsized in the Chicago River in 1915?