Re: Good First Boat . . . for a big guy

I've been 'listening in' on this discussion.

FWIW - in terms of ease of construction, stability, and over-all 'user
friendliness', I would like to suggest . . .

'RUBEN's NYMPH'

At 8ft LOA x 4ft 6in beam with a length-wise center thwart {for
balance}, it should give a dry ride for you and a companion. She is
quite stable, and if memory serves, has a 600+ pound load capacity.

The last one I built was sold to a gentleman who wanted something his
wife, who had a degenerative muscular diseases, would feel comfortable
getting into.

Payson's "New Instant Boats" has a section on the 'regular' Nymph.
'Rubens' is simply 1 foot wider. While I would not necessarily recommend
it for a 'first attempt', it is a simple matter to expand the frames &
transoms from the dimensions in the book. The plans {from Dynamite} are
cheap enough, will give you greater confidence, and will have any recent
up-dates from the book drawings.

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
{If you would like a couple of pictures of a finished boat, drop me a
line}