NOW AVAILABLE: Building Plans & Kits for ARRIBA
(a.ka. Doug Hylan’s OONAGH design)
Finally — A Rowing/Sailing Dinghy That’s a Legitimate Alternative to the Inflatable RIB
(And a Capable Camp-Cruiser As Well)
PLANS SET – US$149 plus shipping
Seven sheets: sail plan, lines plan, construction plan, building jig, full-size mould patterns, and plank layout. Shipping cost is $20 for U.S. addresses and $60 for international orders. The plans also come with a materials list, other recommendations such as qualified sailmakers, and access to about 30 photos of the details of the finished boat.
CNC-CUT KIT – US$2,995 plus shipping and applicable taxes:
Kits of all the plywood pieces, pre-cut, can be purchased from Off Center Harbor. CLICK HERE to fill out an inquiry form to initiate your order and/or inquiries. Kits ship within 4 weeks and often quicker, on a first-come-first-served basis. Plans sets are not included with the kit and must be purchased separately (see above paragraph on “Plans Set” and link/button to purchase the plans).
International Purchases of the Kit: Kits are available in a variety of locations around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and the UK. You can CLICK HERE to start your ordering process and/or ask questions.
Please note that the kits are only produced by Off Center Harbor’s licensed CNC-machining partners that have extensive experience cutting boat parts and kits. Having digital files sent to a typical CNC shop near you is not an option, as most do not have experience cutting the types of curves and bevels found in boats.
COMPLETE PROFESSIONALLY BUILT BOAT – US$14,900:
You can order a professionally built boat, ready to be picked up in Maine or New Brunswick Canada. These boats typically come complete with sail and everything. They do not include trailer, cover, or oars. If you’re interested in purchasing a completed boat, simply email us with “I’m interested in purchasing a completed ARRIBA” to [email protected].
MORE INFORMATION:
THE DESIGNER & THE BOAT’S INTENDED PURPOSE:
Rather than settle for an inflatable RIB that can hardly be rowed and cannot be sailed, one of today’s top small boat designers, Doug Hylan, has created OONAGH (pronounced “oo’-nah”) as a legitimate alternative to the inflatable/RIB dinghy.
Exceptionally seaworthy, this design achieves the trifecta of rowing, towing and sailing—and doing all three remarkably well. She also motors along quite nicely with a small outboard motor. And she’s steady as a church when stepping into her from the mothership. With oversized gunwale-guard wrapped around her rails, she cozies up nicely alongside without causing dings or rashes.
TIME/SKILL LEVEL REQUIRED & MATERIALS AVAILABLE
Estimated time to build this boat is approximately 300 hours, and this boat can be built by anyone with reasonable woodworking skills using:
- A set of building plans from Off Center Harbor (CLICK HERE to purchase)
- The kit of pre-cut plywood pieces (see links below)
Note: You can build it from the plans alone, but the kit and video series make it much easier and save you a good deal of time (and perhaps money as well).
THE NAME (& OCH’s NICKNAME)
The design’s formal name — OONAGH — comes from a clever mythological giant who can hold her own in tough situations. But as A Real RIB Alternative, we at Off Center Harbor have already given this head-turning boat the nickname ARRIBA.
PARTICULARS
LOA – 11′ 8”
LWL – 9′
BEAM – 60”
DRAFT – 5” board up, 22” board down.
HULL TYPE – Multichine
WEIGHT – Approximately 170 lb.
SAIL AREA – 68 sq. ft.
CONSTRUCTION – Glued lapstrake plywood
SUITABLE FOR — Somewhat protected waters
TRAILERABLE – Yes
MOTOR – Yes, Electric or gas up to 2hp is all she needs
SKILL LEVEL REQUIRED – Beginner with modest woodworking experience
LOFTING REQUIRED – No
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED / EXTRA COSTS:
Kits consist of all the pre-cut plywood needed to build this boat only; rails, spars, and other pieces of “real” wood are not included, nor are the epoxy, hardware, sail, or rigging. The extra costs to build this boat in addition to the kit and plans is estimated to be US$1,500 to US$2,000 for hardwoods, epoxy, hardware, sail and rigging. The sail should account for about $600 of those extra costs.
CAN SHE HANDLE A MOTOR?
From designer Doug Hylan: “I know that many people are going to want to put a motor on OONAGH, so she is designed for it. The tucked-up transom that makes for decent rowing will preclude planing, so there is no point in putting anything more than 2 horsepower back there. In fact, one horsepower is as much as she can really use effectively. This begs the question – why not electric? Why not indeed! A small electric motor will push her along nicely, and you will be able to carry on a private conversation while enjoying the scenery.”
HOW CAN SHE BE USED?
DOUG HYLAN: “Beyond use as a tender, OONAGH will make a fine boat for family sailing, fishing trips or just an evening row with the kids. Her simple construction and detailed plans will make for a good family construction project as well. I can guarantee that the experience of building, then using, a small boat will be a treasure that your kids and/or grandkids will carry with them throughout life.”
BOATBUILDER’S FORUM
There is a forum where builders of this design are sharing photos, tips and advice on building the boat.
HOW-TO-BUILD VIDEO SERIES
An 18-part video series that shows how this boat comes together will be available to all Off Center Harbor members. OCH members also have access to two other epoxy/plywood boatbuilding series, plus two more series on how to use epoxy, totaling about 80 OCH-produced videos. The OONAGH series was filmed at Hylan & Brown boat shop, with Kit Macchi, one of their skilled crew doing the actual building. Episodes of the video series will be released this fall and winter (2020-2021).
Here’s a sample of a video in the series — Part 2, which is an overview of the whole process:
Below is a visual diagram of the parts that come with the kit: