J282 Dinghy

The J282 Dinghy is a stable and versatile plywood dinghy initially designed as a yacht tender. The dinghy has evolved into a great allrounder which can be used as a rowing boat, motor dinghy and also a sailing dinghy. The high freeboard and wide hull allows for up to four adults aboard while rowing or motoring.

When motoring, the lightweight hull with planing hullform allows the boat to plane with just a 3.5hp outboard when lightly loaded, provided a tiller extension is used so that the skipper's weight can be distributed forward. As a sailing dinghy the J282 excells by providing a fear-free platform for teaching and learning how to sail. Of particular note is the free standing mast, which due to the lack of stay wires allows the mainsail to be completely released, even when running. The wide hull provides excellent stability, and a roomy interior for kids and adults alike.

Rigging the J282 is as simple as fixing the centreboard and rudder, placing the mast into the mast base, clipping on the headsail to the bow sprit and running the sheets.....ready to sail in less than five minutes. The J282 is ideal for teaching beginners the fundamentals of sailing. Construction of the J282 is undertaken using the stitch and glue method from 4mm marine plywood. The hull panels are first lofted from the drawings before dry assembly using copper wire ties at 100mm intervals. Once the hull is formed, the frames and bulkheads are installed and the joints are filletted with epoxy filler and fibreglass taped. You needn't have any prior boatbuilding experience to build the J282, and it is a great way to get a feel for plywood boat construction before endeavouring on a larger project.