Looking for a sail-motor dinghy 5-5.5 m

[mihari]

Hi all!
It has been a long time since I have posted here. I hope everyone is well.
I am in search of a sail-motor dinghy for diy construction, preferably plywood.
It is going to be used primarily for fishing (on a sometimes choppy sea), and secondarily for sailing.

A couple of years ago I finished a remake of a Wildflower, out of plywood. It turned out extremely well. At least I am happy with it. It turned out to be 40 kg empty weight (no rigging). My experience with it is that it is very wet, especially under motor on a choppy sea. It is also very limited to the weight it can carry. Also, my 2 hp suzuki 2t pushes her at 4.5 to 5 knots on calm seas, but it is very difficult to steer her straight, especially with a bit of a chop. I think that this is mostly due to the flat bottomness of the design, and no permanent keel or any other kind of longitudinal protrusion on the bottom of any sort.
So, from my above experience, I want to be bale to install a 10-15 hp motor, to be able to sail, to be stable when under motor, to be easy (and cheap) to build, to be dry when in chop, to hold at least 4 adults an have room for their gear.

I have considered the Argie 15 (even though it looks a bit smaller than what I had in mind). I have also considered some motor skiffs to modify them for sailing, like the fast skiff 17.
I have also considered blowing up and modifying the Wildflower design to suit me... I still have plenty of time since it is planned for a project for next spring...

Any help is welcome!
Thank you all in advance!

 

[PAR]

I don't often plug my on stuff, but consider my "Murphy" design. It's just shy of 18' (5.4m) on deck (enough room) and was initially designed for rough water sailing. This simply means it has higher freeboard than an average 18' sailboat and a reduced sail area. It has a built in outboard engine well, so the engine is easy to access, but still can be raised for sailing. It's a dry ride in a rough slosh, sails well and with a 5 HP outboard will do about 8 knots in smooth water, with very little trouble and a slight amount of reserve throttle, in case you need to punch through a head sea. With a 7.5 HP outboard she'll get over 11 knots and a 9.9 HP would be over powering her a bit, but if skippered responsibly, she'll scoot along near 15 knots at 3/4's throttle.

Modifying a powerboat isn't a wise idea, as they'll motor well, but sail like crap or they'll sail well, but motor like crap. It sounds like to want a sailboat with the ability to power occasionally, so pick a sailboat, with an auxiliary option.

 

[Richard Woods]

I would agree with PAR, a 15hp outboard would overpower most lightweight sail/motor boats. You could also check something like my 16ft Linnet or Bee designs. Seaworthy with lots of built in buoyancy. Can carry 4 people easily and only needs a small outboard. Basic sailing boat using an Optimist rig Sailing Catamarans - Linnet 16ft seaworthy rowing boat http://sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/designs-2/46-beach-cats-and-dinghies/3-linnet

Richard Woods of Woods Designs
www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

[mihari]

Thank you both for your responses!
@PAR The "Murphy" looks like a classic sailing boat, with lots of closed spaces. As for ease of build... not what I had in mind...
@Richard Woods That is very narrow for what I had in mind... I admit though, simplicity of build seems excellent!

 

[PAR]

There's not much to a Murphy build and the "enclosed spaces" don't have to be built this way.