Back To Arkansas To Build a Dinghy

We had planned on spending a couple months visiting friends and family when we got back to the States, and then look for a boat. But since we already had the boat, it was time to go back and visit. We stayed with AJ's parents while we built a seaworthy dinghy, made all the settee cushions, received our things from Germany, sold and donated most of it, and preped to move onto the boat permanently.

Here is the construction of dinghy Sparrow.  It was designed to be able to sail, row, scull, or motor.

Marine plywood held together with zip ties

Laying first fiberglass tape on seams

Fiberglass cloth and epoxy

Glassed and Masked

epoxy is nasty stuff

 It was the hottest July and August on record.  We had to wear these masks in 115 degree 80% humidity heat. They would begin to fill with sweat. You would have to hold your breath and dump it out every 20 min or so. The last weeks of building the dinghy were brutal.

Another sanding of hardened epoxy. 70% of building a boat is sanding.

AJ made the gunwales out of Western Red Cedar.  He milled a groove into the gunwales, then we glued a rope in the groove.

Building the Mast.

A square tapered to an oval tapered to a circle.

The sail arrived and the mast was complete save varnish

Interior beginnings and daggerboard case

Interior framed

Primer and Paint

Finished (minus the rope on the gunwales)

Complete

We had our dinghy. We had reduced our possessions down to a few boxes.  We were ready to begin life aboard ship.