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Boat Building Instructions

Instant Boat Plans

Build and launch a smart and handsome sailer in a very short time with boat-building plans and instructions from H.H. Payson & Company in Spruce Head, Maine. Marine Architect Phil Bolger designed all of our INSTANT BOATS and Dynamite Payson built and tested them to prove the design.

The genius of Phil Bolger guarantees that your completed craft will boast a pleasing sheer and graceful flare. Both looks and performance are designed right into these highly efficient rowing, power and sailing craft.

All the complex drudgery of lofting lines and building a jig have been designed right out of every INSTANT BOAT. The lofting has been done for you, and you will not have to build two boats to get one, which is just about what making a jig turns boat building into.

Catboat (Tiny Cat)

Catboat (Tiny Cat)

Gloucester Light Dory

Gloucester Light Dory

Down East Dory Plans

These are the first designs Dynamite started selling back in the 1960\’s. All of these boats require a certain amount of lofting and jig construction to complete the boat but are not beyond the horizons of the first time boat builder. There are some great designs here that have been overlooked for many years.

Model Boat Plans

Lapstrake Method. These plans compliment the designs and methods detailed in Dynamite\’s The Dory Model Book. Each set of plans details a traditional Coast of Maine small boat and the form over which the model is built.

Lift Model Method. This is the type of construction model bilders have used for years to create half-hull models and complete scale models of all types of nautical craft. Dynamite\’s book Boat Modeling with Dynamite Payson covers the basic theory of lift model construction. Dynamite\’s book Boat Modeling The Easy Way goes into greater detail. (Both books also offer a tremendous amount of basic model building instruction.

Grand Banks Dory

Grand Banks Dory

Full Size Patterns

We offer full size patterns for a number of our designs. These patterns are traced onto heavy construction paper directly from Dynamite\’s actual hand made plywood templates. These patterns greatly reduce the time required to begin cutting your parts. I always encourage new builders to \”do it all yourself\” but realize that time can be a precious commodity. If you\’d like to skip a big step in the process, these patterns are just the thing. (Not available for all designs). Shipped rolled in a USPS Priority box.

About Our Plans