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SKYLARK PRAM DINGHY
DESIGNS & PLANS |
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We have 6 designs, all for stitch and tape construction (although mould shapes are also available for the 8 & 10 footers to be built using the strip plank process). Please note that there are larger Skylark's on our other Dinghy and Day-boat pages.
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ORDERING PLANS |
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For each design you can order either: |
| PRINTED PLANS sent to you by post - Postage will be added to your order - see postage costs at the bottom of the page |
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OR |
| PDF PLANS sent to your email address - make sure we have your email address when you order. |
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Skylark Dinghies on this Page |
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| Skylark 4' | Skylark 6' | Skylark 8' | Skylark 9' | Skylark 10' | Skylark 12' |
| SKYLARK 4' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This is a 4' version of our Mark 2 Skylark series of pram dinghies with a beam of 3' (0.92m). The design was developed for "Wood 'n' Tots" toys as a safe fun boat for small children to learn basic water skills in. Construction is stitch and tape using a single sheet of 4mm Exterior plywood. Instead of a conventional thwart the boat has a fore and aft saddle seat which can also provide buoyancy or stowage. The design could also be used as a cradle boat for a new born infant. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Above - a Skylark 4 by Ralph Woodard |
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and below, by Dan Darwall |
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ORDER THE SKYLARK 4' DINGHY PLANS |
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| SKYLARK 6' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Although only 6’ long we have given her good internal volume with a beam of 3’8’’. This gives plenty of buoyancy in the ends of the boat so that she does not exhibit the usual tippiness of craft of this size. Her overall weight will be less than 50 lbs. and could be a lot less if she were made from 4mm ply. This and her inherent stability make her ideal for fishing with one or two crew or for a first boat for the children. As with the other Skylarks, construction is simple stitch and tape using pre-shaped ply panels. Two sheets of 4 or 6mm ply are used. |
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The 2 photos immediately above are of a Skylark 6 by Antonio G. Espejo |
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And the example left is by Ralph Woodard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ORDER THE SKYLARK 6' DINGHY PLANS |
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| SKYLARK 8' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The hull shape of the Skylark 8 gives plenty of room right forward making her a good load carrier as well as very stable. We have had our whole family (2 adults and 3 young children) in her for pic-nics along the canal. She has a length of 7’11’’ and a beam of 3’8’’ and weighs only 60 lbs., making her easy to carry (optional wheels for pushing may be fitted to the skeg) and car topping. A small outboard may be fitted to the transom. Construction uses 2 sheets of 1/4’’ ply with pre shaped panel and frame shapes which are simply stitched together and taped with grp tape (basic construction takes only a weekend).Her simple rig and daggerboard make her ideal for children to sail. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Below left is an example by Fink V. Walstein and below right by Natalie Turner. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ORDER THE SKYLARK 8' DINGHY PLANS |
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| SKYLARK 9' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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We have designed the Skylark 9 for a
Tasmanian client who needed a dinghy which was not so big that he could not
handle it in and out of the water by himself and which could handle a short,
steep chop and blowy conditions safely. The dinghy also had to have as much room
inside as possible on a length not exceeding 9'. So we decided to use our
Skylark mark 2 range as a model for this new dinghy. The Skylarks have proven
highly successful for those who want roomy craft with excellent stability both
longitudinally as well as athwartships.
The Skylark 9 is very much a pram version of our Stornoway 9 stem dinghy with the same generous freeboard and simple lug rig with unstayed mast. The hull uses 3 sheets of 6mm ply with a further sheet required for the sailing version and all the details are shown for simple stitch and tape construction. The standard plans show a daggerboard but details are also given for a centreboard.
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Below is an example with Dutch type leeboards added. |
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ORDER THE SKYLARK 9' DINGHY PLANS |
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| SKYLARK 10' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Skylark 10, for her length, is a large dinghy and quite capable of accommodating a family of 2 adults and 3 children comfortably. Several 10's have been built by clients who have a spare rig (Mirror etc) and who want a simple and easily built hull to put it on. She takes 3 sheets of 1/4" (6mm) ply (we used Exterior ply for ours) and most of the materials can come from your local wood merchant. We have developed the mould shapes for a strip plank version and these are available at an additional charge of £10. Many have been built as fishing dinghies and the Malta Sailing School use a fleet for sail training. Beam is generous at just under 5'. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ORDER THE SKYLARK 10' DINGHY PLANS |
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| SKYLARK 12' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Skylark 12 is capable of having a small cuddy fitted forward for protection and shelter or simple dry storage of gear. Side benches can be fitted with storage or buoyancy under and the whole boat is big enough to be fitted out to your own requirements. As with the other dinghies of her class, the pram shape gives much additional buoyancy and volume right forward and allows the crew to move around the boat far more freely and safely. Apart from the obvious advantages for a working/fishing craft, this makes life a lot safer for small children. Beam is 5'. With a sprit boom, there is less likely hood of heads getting bumped and the gunter rig combines excellent performance under sail with easy reefing and allows shorter spars which fit inside the boat. She weighs around 100 lbs. which means that she can be car topped and uses 4 sheets of 1/4’’ ply. Construction is simple stitch and tape (or epoxy) with most of the basic construction taking only a few days and the panel shapes are given on the plans. The plans include all details for the sails etc. There are three different rigs shown for the Skylark 12 and also a 3 chine Mark 2 version. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Below is a nice example of the mark 1 version by Gary Wright. |
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ORDER THE SKYLARK 12' DINGHY PLANS |
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FOR DETAILS OF THE STITCH &
TAPE
AND CEDAR STRIP PLANK
CONSTRUCTION METHODS SEE THE HOME PAGE